1. Meuse-Argonne Offensive, France, September – November 1918
While Americans were singing Over There at home in 1918, the American troops which had been sent over there were involved in the deadliest battle of American history. The offensive launched by the American Expeditionary Forces in France involved 1.2 million men, the largest offensive in American military history, one of the Allied attacks known as the Hundred Days Offensive, a series of coordinated attacks designed to end the war to end all wars. The battle was fought in three phases, with the American troops gaining valuable experience and growing confidence in their abilities as it went on. It began with an assault by the Americans towards Sedan, followed by British attacks in Belgium the following day, and French assaults on German positions across northern France. The morale of the Allies was strengthened by the advance of the Americans, who were eager for battle, though inexperienced.
That inexperience showed in the casualties absorbed by the Americans, which were heavy. American forces fought with French tanks, and were supported by the forces of Great Britain and Australia, achieving their goals in splitting the Hindenburg Line, the main German defense perimeter, and driving the Germans backwards. The largest American assaults were in the sector around Verdun, though American units took part in actions to the north as well. During the second phase of the battle the famous Lost Battalion event occurred. By the beginning of November the Americans broke the Hindenburg Line as well as cleared the Argonne Forest, throwing the German defenses in disarray. French forces captured Sedan on November 6. The offensive ended with the ceasefire of November 11, 1918. By that time, in an offensive which lasted less than two months, 26,277 Americans had lost their lives.
Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
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“Anzio 1944”. Clayton D. Laurie. United States Army Center of Military History. 1994. Online
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“The Meuse-Argonne Offensive”. Military records section, National Archives online.