COAST ARTILLERY, JOURNAL - Air Defense Artillery
COAST ARTILLERY, JOURNAL - Air Defense Artillery
COAST ARTILLERY, JOURNAL - Air Defense Artillery
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OPERATION OF NOVEMBER 14, 1918 553<br />
tary leaders, General de Castelnau, the conquerer of the Grand-Couronne<br />
de Nancy, who, on February, 1916, had repaired a most desperate<br />
situation at Verdun, and whose knowledge of tactics was commensurate<br />
with a perfect knowledge in handling men.<br />
Group of Armies<br />
of the<br />
Duke of<br />
Wiirtemherg<br />
GERMAN FORCES<br />
Army I Army Corps I<br />
Divisions in<br />
1st Line<br />
Divisions in<br />
Reserves<br />
XIX Army LXVI 148th (landwehr)I<br />
19th (Ersatz) None<br />
(Gen. yon<br />
Bothmer)<br />
Army<br />
Detachment<br />
?<br />
j<br />
?<br />
LIX<br />
83d<br />
1st (landwehr)<br />
1 Bav.<br />
I<br />
I96th j<br />
IlIst Oandwehr)<br />
None<br />
None<br />
With the enthusiastic cooperation of the troops placed under his<br />
command, it may be truly said that there was no one better equipped<br />
than he to accomplish this most glorious mission of national salvation,<br />
the success of which would lead to the final breaking up of Germany.<br />
Similarly, other offensive operations had been prepared in Flanders<br />
and in the center of the front to take place on November 14. These<br />
offensives were intended to accelerate the general retreat of the German<br />
armies.<br />
DEFEAT AND UNAVOIDABLE ENCIRCLEMENT OF THE<br />
GERMAN FORCES<br />
Our offensive in Lorraine, whose victorious results no one doubts,<br />
would have outflanked the German left, thereby directly threatening<br />
the lines of retreat of the bulk of the German forces.<br />
A retreat of large units is, even for the best disciplined troops, a<br />
most delicate operation. These German troops, beaten for nearly four<br />
months, having suffered enormous losses in men and material, * completely<br />
demoralized, with no faith in success, were certainly in no condition<br />
to observe the necessary march discipline which was so essential<br />
to prevent a rout.<br />
The Group of Armies of "\on Gallwitz and of the Duke of Wiirtemberg<br />
were occupying a frout with the least deusity of meu, aud in order<br />
to carry out their retreat, they would have had to break off the combat<br />
and regain the Rhine by maintaining a certain rate of march.<br />
*The German losses: from July 15 to ::\o~ember II "'IF('re:360~OOO pri50Der5~ 6615 guns,. 38.76B<br />
machine gnnS:r and -1989 minenwede ...
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