Meuse-Argonne Offensive (1918): America's Largest WWI Battle

The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was the largest and deadliest battle in the history of the United States Army. Fought from 26 September to 11 November 1918 in the rugged country between the Meuse River and the Argonne Forest in north-eastern France, it involved some 1.2 million American soldiers under General John J. Pershing. After weeks of costly fighting, American and French forces broke the German lines, helping to bring the First World War to an end.

Background: America’s army in France

The United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, after German unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram turned opinion against Berlin. The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) had to be built almost from scratch. By the autumn of 1918 more than a million American soldiers were in France, and Pershing had insisted that they fight as an independent American army rather than as reinforcements for British and French units.

The first major test came on 12 September 1918, when the American First Army eliminated the St Mihiel salient south of Verdun. Only two weeks later it was to launch a far larger attack further north, as part of Marshal Ferdinand Foch’s Grand Offensive along the whole Western Front during the Hundred Days Offensive.

The plan and the terrain

The American objective was the railway hub around Sedan and Mezieres, about 50 kilometres to the north. The lines supplied much of the German army in France, so cutting them would threaten the enemy’s entire position. Moving some 600,000 men and their guns from St Mihiel to the new front in under two weeks was a huge logistical task, largely planned by Colonel George C. Marshall.

The ground favoured the defenders. The Argonne Forest on the left, the heights east of the Meuse on the right and the high ground of Montfaucon in the centre gave German observers excellent views. The Germans had built several defensive lines, the strongest of which was the Kriemhilde Stellung, part of the Hindenburg Line system.

The first phase: 26 September - 3 October

The offensive opened at 5:30 am on 26 September after a heavy artillery bombardment. Nine American divisions attacked between the Meuse and the Argonne, while the French Fourth Army under General Henri Gouraud attacked on their left in Champagne.

Early gains were good, but many divisions were inexperienced, roads were jammed with traffic, and communications broke down. Montfaucon, which Pershing had hoped to take on the first day, fell only on 27 September. German reserves arrived, and the advance stalled.

Among the officers in the battle were Captain Harry S. Truman, who commanded an artillery battery, and Lieutenant Colonel George S. Patton, who was wounded leading tanks on the first day. On the French sector of the attack, the African American 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters, fought under French command in Champagne.

The second phase: the Lost Battalion and Sergeant York

From 4 October the Americans renewed the attack with more experienced divisions. In the dense Argonne Forest, about 550 men of the 77th Division under Major Charles Whittlesey were surrounded from 2 to 7 October. This “Lost Battalion” held out without food or relief, and was even shelled by its own artillery, before being relieved; only about 194 men were able to walk out.

On 8 October, Corporal Alvin York of the 82nd Division, a devout Tennessee farmer who had once considered refusing to fight on religious grounds, took part in a patrol that overran German machine-gun nests. York and the survivors of the patrol brought back 132 prisoners. He received the Medal of Honor and became one of the most famous American soldiers of the war.

Between 14 and 16 October American troops captured key positions on the Kriemhilde Stellung, including the Cote de Chatillon, in fighting in which the brigade commander Douglas MacArthur was involved. On 16 October Pershing handed command of the First Army to General Hunter Liggett and formed a Second Army under General Robert Lee Bullard.

The final phase: the breakthrough

After a pause to reorganise, Liggett’s First Army attacked again on 1 November with better coordination of artillery and infantry. This time the German defences gave way, and American troops advanced rapidly northwards. By 7 November they had reached the heights overlooking Sedan and brought the railway within range of their guns.

Fighting continued until the Armistice of 11 November 1918 took effect at 11 am. Some units were ordered to attack on the final morning, which later became a matter of controversy in Congress. In the final days a confused “race to Sedan”, in which the American 1st Division marched across the sectors of other units in the hope of taking the city, caused friction with the French, who were allowed to enter Sedan themselves.

Key people

• John J. Pershing (1860-1948), commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, who insisted on an independent American army; he was criticised for costly frontal attacks but credited with building the force.
• Hunter Liggett (1857-1935), who took over the First Army on 16 October and reorganised it for the final breakthrough.
• George C. Marshall (1880-1959), the staff officer who planned the move to the Meuse-Argonne; he later became Army Chief of Staff in the Second World War and Secretary of State.
• Charles Whittlesey (1884-1921), commander of the Lost Battalion, awarded the Medal of Honor.
• Alvin York (1887-1964), Medal of Honor recipient whose story became the 1941 film Sergeant York.
• Henri Gouraud (1867-1946), commander of the French Fourth Army on the American left.

The cost

The Meuse-Argonne was the deadliest battle in American history. About 26,000 American soldiers were killed and around 95,000 wounded in 47 days of fighting. Many more fell ill: the Spanish flu pandemic was at its peak in the autumn of 1918 and swept through the crowded camps and front lines. German casualties are harder to establish but were also very heavy.

The battle exposed serious weaknesses in the young American army: a shortage of trained officers, artillery that often failed to support the infantry, traffic jams that delayed food and ammunition, and stragglers who left the line. By November the First Army had learned many of these lessons, and its final attack was far better coordinated.

The Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery at Romagne-sous-Montfaucon holds about 14,200 graves, more than any other American military cemetery in Europe.

By the numbers

Timeline

• 1918, 12 September: The American First Army attacks the St Mihiel salient.
• 1918, 26 September: The Meuse-Argonne Offensive begins.
• 1918, 27 September: Americans capture Montfaucon.
• 1918, 2-7 October: The “Lost Battalion” is cut off in the Argonne Forest.
• 1918, 8 October: Alvin York’s patrol captures 132 German soldiers.
• 1918, 14-16 October: Americans break into the Kriemhilde Stellung.
• 1918, 16 October: Hunter Liggett takes command of the First Army.
• 1918, 1 November: The final American breakthrough begins.
• 1918, 11 November: The Armistice ends the offensive.

Why it matters

The Meuse-Argonne showed that the United States could raise, move and supply a mass army in Europe, and it marked America’s arrival as a major military power. It also revealed the price of inexperience, as poorly trained divisions suffered heavy losses in the early weeks. The battle remains central to how Americans remember the First World War.