America's Deadliest Battle: Part II Meuse-Argonne World War One

Описание: This is Part II of the Meuse-Argonne Battles,where I show actual footage of the last major campaign of World War One, which, to many people’s surprise, was the deadliest battle in U.S. military history even to this day. I do a quick intro to set the battle scene and then silence myself so you can watch the actual footage. Our U.S. allies suffered horribly in the war, having fought for years before the U.S, entered. I have many UK, European, Australian, Canadian and other viewers and I do regret that I don’t have access to your film.

More than 1 million American soldiers took part in the Battles of the Meuse-Argonne in France's dense Forest of Argonne and along the Meuse River, making it the American Expeditionary Forces' (or AEF) biggest World War I operation. It would leave 26,000 Americans dead, with 120,000-plus casualties. Joined by the French and aided by tanks and U.S. Air Service planes, the Allies capture tens of thousands of German prisoners with the German army beginning its last retreat and surrendering in November.

To set the stage, in mid 1918, the supreme allied commander French general Foch was reluctant for General Pershing to conduct the San Mihiel salient attack – see my video on this battle – because he had planned a larger offensive to attempt a death blow to the Germans, with the AEF being the southern, right flank pincer. In the battle of wills between two determined and stubborn men, both ultimately had to compromise for the good of the Allied cause. After contentious wrangling, Foch grudgingly consented to Pershing conducting a limited attack at San Mihiel, but insisted that the Americans be ready to launch their main attack in the area between the Argonne Forest and the Meuse River between 22 and 26 September. Foch also relented on the issue of a unified American sector and gave the AEF independent control over a significant portion of the Western Front’s eastern flank.

However, his goal for the Meuse-Argonne operation remained unchanged; the American First and French Fourth Armies would attack toward Mézières to break through the German defense in the region and cut a vital German railline (Metz-Montmédy-Charleville rail line)
Pershing’s insistence on going forward with the St. Mihiel Offensive greatly complicated the planning and execution of the Meuse-Argonne operation. Pershing had decided to use his most experienced divisions for the St. Mihiel operation. Although this move helped to ensure that the reduction of the salient went smoothly, the absence of these veteran units in the opening phase of the Meuse-Argonne Campaign would have grave consequences for the AEF.

Furthermore, Pershing’s decision to fight at St. Mihiel also meant that the First Army would have to engage in one major battle while simultaneously planning for a much larger and more complicated operation for which the army would have to move its forces and logistics infrastructure over sixty-four kilometers to the northwest. The Americans would have only ten days between the close of the St. Mihiel battle and the start of the Meuse-Argonne Campaign to accomplish this feat.

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