The 5th Corps, composed of the 89th and 2nd Infantry Divisions.
The 1st Corps, composed of the 80th, 77th and 78th Infantry Divisions.
Their right was prolonged by the French 17th (Active) Corps, which, with the 33rd (Active) Corps, was in liaison with their Second Army.
Facing these forces the Germans, under the command of Von der Marwitz, had massed three army corps between Buzancy and the Meuse, reinforced by two Austro-Hungarian divisions.
At 5.30 a.m. on November 1, the troops of the French Fourth Army (Gouraud) and those of the American First Army (Liggett), after a two hours’ bombardment of great violence, launched a fresh offensive.
The Americans attacked on the north, and, in spite of a stubborn resistance, advanced several kilometres, taking 3,600 prisoners and forty-four guns. The French attacked on the east, along a twelve-mile front, cleared the whole of the right bank of the Aisne, and bit into the Argonne, threatening on the right and in the rear the Germans, who, facing south, stood opposed to the Americans. 1,300 prisoners and a number of guns were captured. On November 1, the American 3rd Corps, on the right, seized Aincreville, approached Doulcon and took Andevanne and Cléry-le-Grand. In the centre, the 5th Corps captured Bayonville, Rémonville and Landres. On the left, the 1st Corps, in the face of the enemy’s fierce resistance, were only able to advance slightly in Loges Wood.
On the following day (November 2) the Americans vigorously followed up their attack. The 1st Corps, freed on its right by the advance of the 5th Corps on the previous day, pushed on boldly five miles beyond Thénorgues and Buzancy, while the French, on their side, carried half of the northern portion of the Argonne, reaching the Ballay-Longwé line on the east of Vouziers.
On the 3rd, the enemy, threatened with being surrounded, fell back. The Allies straightened their line towards the north, and advanced twelve miles in the centre. The line now passed through Semuy, the southern bank of the Ardennes Canal, the southern outskirts of Chesne, the course of the Bar as far as Châtillon, through Belleville, Authe, St. Pierremont, Sommauthe, Vaux-en-Dieulet, Belval, Le Champy-Bas, Beauclair, Montigny-devant-Sassey and Mont-devant-Sassey. In three days the Germans lost over 6,000 prisoners and 100 guns, and were driven back towards the Sedan-Mézières-Metz highway, the approaches to which were desperately defended. However, their resistance broke down before the continued push of the Allies.
Already the Allies’ heavy guns were steadily bombarding the Stenay, Montmédy and Longuyon Railways.
On November 4, the American 3rd Army Corps reached the Meuse between Villefranche and Stenay, while two solid bridgeheads were established at Brieulles and Cléry. The Germans, disconcerted by this rapid advance, withdrew to the right bank of the Meuse.