Page:History of the Sixth Regiment, United States Marines.djvu/34

Rh History of Sixth Regiment, U. S. Marines. 29 In accordance with your operations memo No. 2 of 5 : 45 P.M. this date, the 82nd and Bird our present front line. Cos. have been ordered to hold this position. The 97th and 84th Cos. have been ordered to pass thru them jump off from Jaulny-Xammes road at 7:45 P.M. and to occupy the Army I ne. This P.C. will move forward with those two companies along the road passing through the center of the Kegt. subsector. Pinal location will be reported later. An office P.C. will be maintained at the present location. Sibley." These moves were completed during the night. The 97th and 84th Companies of the 3rd Battalion occupied the forward positions. The 82nd and 83rd Companies were ordered to remain in position, on account of the difficulty of moving in the darkness. Two platoons of the 1 5th Machine Gun Company were ordered to support the new front line. Major Barker, with the 1st Battalion, moved north at 9 P.M. Both the new and the old line positions were shelled heavily by the enemy and at I I P.M. airplanes dropped bombs in the vicinit es of cross roads Casual- ties were net heavy. At daylight on the morning of the 15th the 2nd Battalion, under Major Williams, passed through the 3rd Battalion and occupied the Bois la Montagny. f he move drew heavy shell fire from the enemy. Difficulty was encountered in maintaining liaison. The 2nd Battalion was separated into two bodies, one under Major Williams and the other under Captain Martin. 1 hese troops were without liaison for several hours during the morning, as was the 1st Battalion in the Bois de la Montagny. The 84th and 97th Companies of the 3rd Battalion sent patrols tc locate them. 1 he 2nd Battalion had moved into close pro- Aimity to the German lines and the enemy opened heav> machine gun fire. The 1st Battalion was placed in line on the right and left flanks of the 2nd Battalion; the 76th Company on the right flank, with the 74th Company in support and the 75th Company with the 95th Company on the left flank. The 3rd Battalion a as ordered to reinforce the 2nd Battalion at 10:30 A.M. and two platoons were sent from the 83rd Company for this duty. A heavy artillery barrage from the long range guns of the forts near Metz was put down on the 2nd Battalion and the reinforcing platoons. The enemy also attempted a counterattack, but va> repulsed by rifle and machine gun fire by the 1st and 2nd Battalions and the two platoons of the 83rd Company. These two platoons were re- called to their company at 6 .00 P.M. The entire sector was heavily shelled during the whole day of September 15th. Casualties were com- paratively light. Information was received from Brigade Headquarters on the morning of September 15th that the 5th Marines had been ordered to establish a