Page:History of the Sixth Regiment, United States Marines.djvu/28

Rh History of Sixth Regiment, U. S. Marines. 23 developments. Both artilleries were quiet and each side moderately active in the air. While in this vicinity the men were given swimming instruction in the river and liberty to Nancy was granted to 25% of the reserve units. On August 16th Lieut. Colonel Holcomb was assigned to duty as second in command of the Regiment, Major Ernest C. Williams succeeding Lieut. Colonel Holcomb in command of the 2na Battalion. The regiment was relieved on the I Oth of August a*H on August 1 7th the Headquarters ot the Regiment was moved to Har- monville. The 1st Battalion arrived and was billeted at Harmonbille on August I9lh. The 2nd Battalion was billeted at the Bois de I'Eveque, md the 3rd Battalion at Autreville. While in this area the new re- placements were instructed in new features of warfare, hikes were held and more casuals, as well as replacements, both officers and men, were received. A rifle range and maneuver ground at Bois de I'Eveque was used in turn by the different battalions. On September 22nd, after standing-by all the day before, orders were received to begin a series of marches which were to take the legi- meut into the St. Mihiel sector and into the first wholly American grand offensive. The First Army had just been brought into being and rumors of a big drive against the German strongholds in the salient in front of Metz had been rife for weeks. It was planned to march by night and to bivouac in the woods during the day, screened from aerial observation. The marches were not extremely severe. Regimentai Headquarters moved as follows : Thuilly September 2nd-3rd- Chaud- eney September 4th; Perme de Sebastopol September 5th- 1 O th. At Ferme de Sebastopol drill and attack formations through woods and underbrush were held. Replacements and casuals joined the regiment on September 6th, giving each company a strength of approximately two hundred and twentv men. On September I Oth the regiment marched to Manonville where Regimental Headquarters was established and troops bivouaced in the woods in that vicinity. Here on September I Ith all battalion officers and company commanders received tank instructions. Emphasis was laid on maintaining liaison between tanks and infantry. It was clearly indicated that this was to be one of ihe great offensives of the war. Troops were massed in every woods. The amount of heavy artillery, especially of long range guns mounted on railway trucks and well camouflaged, exceeded that of any former offensive. On September 1 1 th a number of replacements were received, bringing the regiment approximately to full complement. These replacements, like all former one*, consisted mostly of men who had enlisted in the Marine Corps after war had been declared and had received the regular recruit training at Parris Island. South Carolina, Mare Island, California, and other recru't depots in the United States. From the recruit depots these men were sent to Quantico, Virginia, where replacement battalions and regiments were formed. At Quantico they received instruction in the