MEUSE-ARGONNE AMERICAN CEMETERY ROMAGNE-SOUS-MONTFAUCON
The 1st Army of the American Expeditionary Forces( AEF)under command of general John Pershing launches what will become the battle of Meuse-Argonne, north from Verdun . It is one of the battles conceived by the French Marshal Ferdinand Foch so that the Germans give up their defenses on the Hindenburg line and finaly capitulate.
The American First Army under command of Gen.Pershing, representing a million men approximately, divided into three Corps ( I, III and V Army Corps), holds a front line of 27 km from Forges in the Meuse until in the forest of Argonne. On the left of the First US Army stands the French Fourth Army with general Henri Gouraud. The American forces face the German Army Group of general Max von Gallwitz, while the French face the Army Group of the royal prince of Prussia Frederic-Guillaume.The Americans and the French deploy thirty-seven divisions, whereas German lays out twenty-four of them. They hold three lines of defence strengthened on a difficult ground
Initial attack . Sept.26 - Oct.3
The attack is launched at 5.25 am and the American forces quickly gain ground advancing of approximately 15 km as of the five first days of the offensive. The progression of the French is less spectacular. The Germans dispatch reinforcements in the sector and slow down their projection although at the end of the battle, on October 3, two of the three German lines of defence fell.
Second phase: 4 - 28 Oct
The second phase of the Franco-American offensive of Argonne begins on Oct.14, after one period of reorganization during which the American forces involved in the battle were divided into two Armies: First Army under command of general Hunter Liggett and Second Army directed by general Robert Lee Bullard. General John Pershing is General Commander of the two Armies.
The First Army with Ligget advances northward with a constant rythme against the keen resistance of the GermansREAD DETAILS, while the Second Army with Bullard advances to the North-East between the Meuse and the Moselle rivers. The Germans are obliged to dispatch reinforcements due to other sectors being threatened on the Western face to resist the French and the Americans assaults. Each camp suffers from heavy casualties .
However The Pershing' s troops conquest the third and last German line of defence.
Third phase: 28 Oct- 11 Nov The offensive of Meuse-Argonne is renewed at the beginning of November, after one period of rest and reinforcements
The third and last phase of the offensive of Meuse-Argonne, directed by the Americans, starts. The First American Army under the orders of general Hunter Ligget begins again attacks northward and bores German defenses of Buzancy, which allows IVème French Army to cross the Aisne river.
German resistance collapses and the American forces progress quickly in the valley of the Meuse toward Sedan, which fall on Nov. 6. Although the offensive still progresses, it stops on November 11 with the signature of the Armistice.
The offensive of Argonne is a success, but the price to pay is high: the Americans lose then more than 26.000 soldiers and count almost 96.000 wounded since it began, on September 26.
THE MEUSE - ARGONNE OFFENSIVE
