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September 26, 1918: Don Martin reports initial success of American Meuse-Argonne offensive

        As the American Meuse-Argonne offensive roared to a start on Thursday, September 26, Don Martin cabled a triumphant story to the New York Herald. It was published on Friday, Sep 27.
OUR ARMY CAPTURES 5,000 GERMANS, GAINING 7 MILES IN 40 MILE OFFENSIVE WITH FRENCH ON CHAMPAGNE FRONT.
LED BY TANKS, AMERICANS DRIVE FOE FROM SOIL HELD SINCE 1914; WIN 12 TOWNS IN BIG ADVANCE
Don Martin Says Our Boys Dashed At Foe 
Like Colts When Barrier Lifted
By DON MARTIN
Special Correspondent of the Herald
(Special Cable to the Herald)
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMIES IN FRANCE, Thursday
                       Another brilliant achievement has been accomplished by American arms in a wide Franco-American offensive on the Champagne front. The Americans struck on a front of thirty-two kilometers (twenty miles) northwest of Verdun, while the French blow fell further west. Five thousand prisoners taken by the Americans already have been counted. Many towns which long had been under the domination of the Huns have been captured.
                        General Pershing’s strategy took the Boche completely by surprise and he was astonished at the resistless strength of the American advance.
                       Our troops went over the top at daybreak. I was able to see the beginning of the operation and talked with many of our fighting men while the barrage preparatory to the infantry attack was on and the sky was painted with brilliant streaks of flame from our guns.
                       At the work our fighting men went over the top like racing colts at the starter’s signal. They were assisted by tanks, whose operators showed a wonderful courage and which aided our men materially.
                       Our advance was so resistless that everything was swept before it and the boches were forced to abandon towns and villages which the German High Command has ordered them to hold regardless of what the cost might be in human life.
                       Some of the best and most tried forces in the German armies were in the line of our attack, but our men swept them aside and permitted no obstacles to stand between them and their objectives. The very fury of our sweep equaled anything in the war.
                       As I write this the Germans are striving desperately to prepare new defences to try to hold up our advance and at the same time are endeavoring to stiffen their defence.
                       The Americans, however, easily are overcoming the enemy’s resistance and all efforts by the Huns to hold us up are failing.
                       Again by their splendid success our men are demonstrating their mettle.
     Don Martin sent also to Paris a triumphant message on September 26, which was published in bold in the Paris Herald on Friday, September 27.
FOE DESPERATELY TRIES 
TO REPULSE ONRUSHING “AMEX”
Doughboys Again Prove Mettle, However,
 and, With Tanks, Sweep All Before Them
(Special Telegram to the Herald)
By DON MARTIN
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMIES, Thursday
            Credit the Americans with another brilliant victory.
            The offensive started at daybreak, following a savage barrage which lighted up the heavens for miles. They advanced seven miles on a front of thirty-two kilomètres, from Verdun west to the Argonne.
            Five thousand prisoners at least have been taken.
            The Germans sought desperately to prepare new defenses when their first were destroyed by the American artillery, but the Americans swept on relentlessly, killing the machine-gunners and mowing down all obstacles with tanks, pausing only when destroyed roads and mined bridges compelled delay while the engineers, with their customary bravery, reconstructed them.
            Many towns were retaken by the Americans, the hard spots being captured by encircling movements, all of which have been successful to date.
            As I write the Germans are striving to rearrange and reinforce their line with combat troops.
It has been one of the big operations of the war, the Doughboys redemonstrating their mettle, as shown at the Marne and at Saint-Mihiel and elsewhere.

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