The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922; / Clarence M. Burton, editor-in-chief, William Stocking, associate editor, Gordon K. Miller, associated editor. [Vol. 2]

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CITY OF DETROIT

p. m. the same day an attack was launched in which the Bois des Grimpettes
was taken, and the edge of the Bois de Cierges gained.
CAPTURES TOWN OF FISMES
On the night of July 30, the 63rd Brigade of the 32nd Division relieved the
28th Division on the Ourcq River extending the zone of action to the left towards
Sergy. The attack was renewed July 31 and the village of Cierges captured.
Here the advance was stopped by strong resistance from Reddy and Bellevue
Farm. An attack on August 1 gained Bois de la Planchette and Hill 230, and
forced the enemy to abandon Bellevue Farm. The German forces were now
rapidly withdrawing, and on August 3 the division pushed forward to the Vesle
River and captured the town Fismes, at which point it was relieved August 7.
The division was next assembled in a reserve position between the Ourcq
and Vesle, where it remained for a period of 10 days, when it was again ordered
to the vicinity of Soissons for duty with the Tenth French Army, then engaged
in the Oise-Aisne offensive.
The 127th French division was relieved August 27 north of Soissons and
approximately two kilometers due west of Juvigny. In an attack which began
August 28 the railroad tracks west of Juvigny were reached and on August 30
the town itself captured. The advance continued, and on the day following
the division reached the Terny-Sorny-Bethancourt road. At this point the
32nd was relieved September 1-2, by the First Moroccan Division.
SENT TO NEW AREA
It was next sent to a new area near Joinville, and remained at this place
until September 20, when it again started north to join the 5th Corps for the
coming Meuse-Argonne offensive. The 32d Division, from a position in Corps
Reserve, south of Avocourt, moved up and relieved, on the night of the 29-30th
and the morning of the 30th, the 87th Division south of Cierges in the vicinity
of Montfaucon, and moved forward driving the enemy north. On the night
of October 3-4 part of the Division relieved the 91st Division in the vicinity of
Gesnes. The latter village was immediately entered, but no attempt was made
to hold it, as it was under constant shell fire. On October 5 the Bois de la
Marine was taken and from this point the attack swung to the north and the
Bois du Chene sector was captured. Here the advance was temporarily halted
by strong resistance from Hills 255 and 269. During the night of the 7-8th of
October the Division side-slipped to the east, giving up two kilometers of front
in the west to a brigade of the 91st Division, and taking over one kilometer
from the 3d Division on the right. On October 9 the Division attacked and
reached the Kriemhilde-Stellung, Cote Dame Marie and Romagne, where it
made preparations for a drive through. On October 14 the Kriemhilde-Stellung
was penetrated, Cote Dame Marie and Romagne being captured and the Bois
de Chauvignon entered, making an advance of two kilometers. The division
slowly and steadily advanced in the Bois de Bantheville until it was relieved by
the 89th Division on the night of the 19-20th of October. The division followed
in the wake of the 5th, 89th and 91st Divisions, as a reserve of the 3d Army
Corps, with headquarters successively at Romagne and Ainereville. The
128th Infantry re-entered the line November 6 as a unit of the 5th Division
operating east of the Meuse, in the vicinity of Dun-sur-Meuse. On the night
of the 9-10th of November the remainder of the division crossed the Meuse