COAST ARTILLERY, JOURNAL - Air Defense Artillery

OPERATION OF NOVEMBER 14, 1918 545
This project contemplated a break-through operation on a large
front, which would bring about the encirclement of the fortress of
Metz, permitting our advance on the Sarre. Besides the importance
of the geographical objectives, the main object of this operation was
to prevent the Germans from stopping on the Meuse, and to force
their rapid retreat to the Rhine.
NOTE FROM MARSHAL FOCH TO GENERAL PETAIN
In order to realize this plan, Marshal Foch, as will be seen later
on, had the intention of attacking the German armies to the west and
to the east of the Moselle.
OFFICE OF THE COMMANDER-IN-
CHIEF OF THE ALLIED ARMIES
GE:'iERALSTAFF
1st Section-3d Bureau
No. 4939
G. H. Q., 20 October, 1918.
Personal and Secret.
}IARSHALFOCH
Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Armies
To the COMMANDER-IN-CHIEFOF THE ARMIES
OF THE NORTH Al'iD NORTHEAST
The operations now in progress aim at throwing back the enemy on the
}feuse from Stenay downstream. In order to overthrow the resistance along
this river by taking it on the reverse side, attacks must be prepared in two
general directions--on the one hand, in the general direction Longwy-Luxembourg,
and on the other, in the general direction of the Sarre.
There attacks will, moreover, have more chances of success in the beginning
if they are started without delay, because the enemy has in line at
this moment 127 infantry divisions to the west of the Meuse, and only 32
divisions to the east of that river.
They will, besides, have more chances of causing the enemy quickly to
lose his main mcade line, ~Iezieres--Sedan.
Consequently, it devolves upon us to dispatch those French units which
may have become available, due to the narrowing of the front, to those places
in the Lorraine front, to the east and west of the "\.Ioselle, where the equipment
and .nature of the terrain permit an immediate action, as well as to
make a stndy of the participation that may take in these operations those
American units that have or may become available due to our advance on
the left bank of the "\.Ieuse which will permit the orientation of these forces
in a new direction.
FOCH.
Nevertheless, Marshal Foch, taking into account the difficulties
which the concentration of a mass capable of undertaking the offensive
contemplated to the west of the Moselle would have entailed, decided
indefinitely to postpone this operation; but on the other hand he decided
to attack without delay to the east of that river.