#Battle of verdun ww1 definition series

divisions of the AEF were oversized (12 battalions per division versus the French-British-German nine battalions per division), being up to twice the size of other Allies' battle-depleted divisions upon arrival, but the French and other Allied divisions had been partly replenished prior to the Grand Offensive, so both the U.S. The French forces next to them consisted of 31 divisions, including the Fourth Army (under Henri Gouraud) and the Fifth Army (under Henri Mathias Berthelot). The logistics were planned and directed by then Colonel George C. Pershing until October 16 and then by Lieutenant General Hunter Liggett. The American forces initially consisted of 15 divisions of the U.S. XVII Corps during the second phase).įurther information: American order of battle Meuse–Argonne offensive the Buffalo Soldiers of the 92nd Division and the 93rd Division) attached and serving under French command (e.g. Army in World War I, and also its deadliest. The Meuse–Argonne battle was the largest frontline commitment of troops by the U.S. troops, signaled renewed vigor among the Allies and sharply dimmed German hopes for victory. The scale of the overall offensive, bolstered by the fresh and eager but largely untried and inexperienced U.S. British and French armies attacked across northern France on September 28. The next day, British and Belgian divisions drove toward Ghent, Belgium. On September 26, the Americans began their strike north toward Sedan. British, French, and Belgian advances in the northwestern sectors of the front, along with the French–American advances around the Argonne Forest, are credited for leading directly to the Armistice of November 11, 1918. The Meuse–Argonne offensive also involved troops from France, while the rest of the Allies, including France, Britain and its dominion and imperial armies (mainly Canada, Australia, and New Zealand), and Belgium contributed to major battles in more northwestern sectors of the Western Front, including the Hindenburg line.Īfter Operation Michael, the 1918 German offensive, began well but ended with the disaster of Reims in front of the French and at Amiens to British forces, The French and British armies systematically pushed back a German army whose efficiency was decreasing rapidly. The Allied breakthroughs (north, center, and east) across the length of the front line in September and October 1918 – including the Battle of the Argonne Forest – are now lumped together as part of what is generally remembered as the Grand Offensive (also known as the Hundred Days Offensive) by the Allies on the Western Front. Marshall who managed to move American units to the front after the Battle of Saint-Mihiel ( Saint-Mihiel is a town on the river Meuse, the most important water obstacle on the Western Front). The logistical prelude to the Meuse attack was planned by American then-Colonel George C. ( September 2016) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. This section needs additional citations for verification. It was the largest and bloodiest operation of World War I for the AEF even though, given the scale of other battles on the Western Front, its size was limited and the operation itself secondary, being far from the main offensive axis.

#Battle of verdun ww1 definition series

It was one of a series of Allied attacks, known as the Hundred Days Offensive, which brought the war to an end. The offensive was the principal engagement of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in World War I. American losses were worsened by the inexperience of many of the troops, the tactics used during the early phases of the operation and the widespread onset of the global influenza outbreak called the ' Spanish flu'. It is also the deadliest battle in the history of the United States Army, resulting in over 350,000 casualties, including 28,000 German lives, 26,277 American lives and an unknown number of French lives. The Meuse–Argonne offensive was the largest in United States military history, involving 1.2 million American soldiers. It was fought from September 26, 1918, until the Armistice of November 11, 1918, a total of 47 days. The Meuse–Argonne offensive (also known as the Meuse River–Argonne Forest offensive, the Battles of the Meuse–Argonne, and the Meuse–Argonne campaign) was a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire Western Front. French forces advance 32km and liberate Le Chesne and SedanĨ74 artillery pieces captured by both.