The Meuse-Argonne Offensive 1918

The American Expeditionary Forces' Crowning Victory

The Meuse-Argonne Offensive 1918 cover

Description

This detailed study reveals the history of the Meuse-Argonne campaign, the US Army's first full-scale offensive against German forces in France.

When the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, the tiny US Army did not even have a standing division. A huge national army worthy of the Western Front was quickly enlisted, trained, and then transported to France to fight against the Germans. In September 1918, the American Expeditionary Force, under General John Pershing, began its first full-scale offensive against German forces in Lorraine, in which the US First Army and (eventually) the US Second Army would drive north between the Argonne Forest and the Meuse river towards Sedan.

The Meuse-Argonne was excellent defensive terrain, being hilly, steep, heavily wooded, and fortified by the Germans over a three-year period. The offensive began on 26 September, 1918. A largely inexperienced US First Army, with mid-level officers including Harry S. Truman, Douglas MacArthur and George Patton, suffered setbacks and heavy casualties during its straight-ahead offensive against a still-potent but fading German Fifth Army.

However, by early November, 1.2 million Americans and several hundred thousand French were engaged at the Meuse-Argonne and the Hindenburg Line had been decisively broken. The German withdrawal from Sedan approached a rout and the Americans finally had the Germans on the run until the Armistice ended the offensive on 11 November, 1918.

This engaging book tells the full story of this key offensive, illustrating and explaining the troops, weapons and tactics of both the American Expeditionary Force and the German Fifth Army in stunning detail.

Table of Contents

Origins of the Campaign
Chronology
Opposing Commanders
Opposing Forces
Opposing Plans
The Campaign
Aftermath
The Battlefield Today

Glossary and Abbreviations
Select Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published Dec 24 2020
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 96
ISBN 9781472842756
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Series Campaign
Short code CAM 357
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Brian Lane Herder

Brian Lane Herder graduated with a BA in History f…

Illustrator

Johnny Shumate

Johnny Shumate works as a freelance illustrator li…

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