ssisted
by the French, in 1918, which resulted in the wiping out of the huge
salient. The Americans attacked on the south, the French in the north;
dotted lines indicate the advance in the first five hours.

History usually concerns itself with the deeds of humanity in the mass
and with the leaders of these masses. It is eminently fitting, however,
that this history should record the impressions made upon the mind of an
American soldier by a modern battle. The United States Government
singled out of all the letters received from the front, that written by
Major Robert L. Denig, of Philadelphia, to his wife. The letter is now
part of the archives of the War Department, and occupies the highest
place of literary honor in the records of the Marines. It describes the
operation against the Germans on the Marne on July 18th, 1918. This was
the counter-attack led by the Marines which broke the back of the German
invasion. Major Denig wrote:

The day before we left for this big push we had a most interesting fight
between a fleet of German planes and a French observation balloon, right
over our heads. We saw five planes circle over our town, then put on,
what we thought afterwards, a sham fight. One of them, after many fancy
stunts, headed right for the balloon. They were all painted with our
colors except one. This one went near the balloon. One kept right on.
The other four shot the balloon up with incendiary bullets. The
observers jumped into their parachutes just as the outfit went up in a
mass of flame.

The next day we took our positions at various places to wait for camions
that were to take us somewhere in France, when or for what purpose we
did not know. Wass passed me at the head of his company--we made a date
for a party on our next leave. He was looking fine and was as happy as
could be. Then Hunt, Keyser and a heap of others went by. I have the
battalion and Holcomb the regiment. Our turn to en-buss did not come
until near midnight.

We at last got under way after a few big "sea bags" had hit nearby.
Wilmer and I led in a touring car. We went at a good clip and nearly got
ditched in a couple of new shell holes. Shells were falling fast by now,
and as the tenth truck went under the bridge a big one landed near with
a crash, and wounded the two drivers, killed two marines and wounded
five more. We did not know it at the time, and did not notice anything
wrong till we came to a crossroad when we found we