What was the Meuse-Argonne Offensive WW1?
World War I: Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was one of the final campaigns of World War I (1914-1918) and was fought between September 26 and November 11, 1918.
What was the thrust in the Meuse-Argonne?
Part of the Hundred Days Offensives, the thrust in the Meuse-Argonne was the largest American operation of the conflict and involved 1.2 million men. The offensive saw attacks through the difficult terrain between the Argonne Forest and the Meuse River.
How many German soldiers died in the Battle of the Argonne?
Germans losses numbered 28,000 killed and 92,250 wounded. Coupled with British and French offensives elsewhere on the Western Front, the assault through the Argonne was critical in breaking German resistance and bringing World War I to an end. Hickman, Kennedy.
What was the strategic significance of the Battle of the Argonne?
Strategic Importance. While the goal of the offensive was to “consume” the Germans, as described by General Pershing, the strategy to do this was to cut off their main supply route. The Germans controlled the land between the Argonne Forest and the River Meuse in France, just inside its border with Belgium.
What happened at the Battle of the Argonne in 1918?
The Battle of Argonne Forest American wounded being evacuated On September 26th,1918 Allied troops took the offensive, under the command of General Foch. Thanks to the presence of a million American soldiers in France by this time, the Allies made slow, but steady, progress.
What was the terrain of the Argonne in WW1?
Unlike the flat terrain of Saint-Mihiel, the Argonne was a valley flanked by thick forest to one side and the Meuse River on the other. This terrain provided an excellent defensive position for five divisions from General Georg von der Marwitz’s Fifth Army.
How many divisions did the Germans have at the Argonne?
Against his nine double-strength American divisions, the Germans mustered only five understrength divisions–perhaps 50,000 men. But the Argonne was not the invitingly flat terrain of St. Mihiel; nor were these Germans even slightly interested in retreating–behind them lay the four-track railroad that sustained the Kaiser’s armies in the north.