IntroductionAs the final and most important operation for the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), the Meuse-Argonne Offensive was fought between September 26, 1918, until the Armistice of November 11, 1918, lasting 47 days. Not only was it a major component of the final Allied offensive during the First World War, but it was also the largest in United States military history, and the second deadliest in American history. Estimates suggest that 1.2 million American soldiers were engaged in this offensive, with 117,000 wounded or killed – nearly half of the total number of AEF casualties [1]. By the time this campaign started, the Allied forces – Russia, France, Great Britain, and the United States as an associated ally – claimed victories from battles in the French cities of Amiens and Albert during Summer of the same year. In order to build on these successes, Allied Supreme Commander Ferdinand Foch ordered U.S. Army General John J. Pershing “to take overall command of the offensive [2].” With the American zone extending from the middle of the Argonne Forest east to the Meuse River, Pershing’s AEF – initially consisting of 15 divisions –, played an important role alongside French allied forces, who would eventually seize the commune of Sedan and interrupt German railway networks [3].
Although this offensive ultimately brought the Great War to an end, its sheer massiveness and use of technological innovations and modern tactics played a pivotal role in defining modern American warfare. |
A Quick Summary
About the Author
This website was adapted from a battle paper written by Carlos Marroquin as part of a final project for U.S. Military History, a course instructed by Professor Pinsker at Dickinson College. Carlos is a third-year student double-majoring in History and Latin American/Latino/Caribbean Studies, along with a minor in Brazilian and Portuguese Studies. This project aims to educate anyone interested in combat during World War I, specifically the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. After delving into this site, readers should be able to answer the following question: How did the Meuse-Argonne Offensive exemplify modern American warfare?
Sources
- John Whiteclay Chambers and Fred Anderson, The Oxford Companion to American Military History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 431.
- History.com Editors, “Meuse-Argonne offensive opens.” A&E Television Networks., last modified September 23, 2020, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/meuse-argonne-offensive-opens.
- Chambers and Anderson, The Oxford Companion to American Military History, 431.