America's Biggest Battle -
Meuse-Argonne 1918... Almost Forgotten The Argonne Forest. One of the greatest feats of arms achieved by the armed forces of the USA in this or any war took place here, and is commemorated by the USA’s biggest war memorial at Montfaucon. In 1918 the Germans had made this site into an almost impregnable fortress, but within two days it had fallen to the Americans, but at a terrible cost.
The trees in the distance, (above), form the Argonne Forest. In 1918 the US Army advanced into the jaws of death, confident and full of fighting spirit, but tragically inexperienced The unleashing of the military power of America at Montfaucon during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive convinced the German High Command that the war was lost. The significance of this battlefield should rank alongside names like Gettysburg, Omaha Beach and the Battle of the Bulge, but the heroic deeds and almost unimaginable horrors of September 1918 are now known only to historians and military enthusiasts. Wikipedia states quite bluntly:”The battle is virtually forgotten in the United States”. Almost 100 years after the fight for Montfaucon, modern conspiracy theorists are arguing that much of the slaughter was avoidable. Whatever the truth, Montfaucon represents World War One combat at its most intense. About half of the USA’s Great War battle dead (over 26,000 men from a total of over 52,000 battle dead) died here. Nearby are the graves of over 14,000 of these combatants. BB Tours will guide you to the places where fighting was at its fiercest in the fall of 1918. |
American Victory 1918
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The US Army and the
Meuse-Argonne Offensive - Tour Highlights Massive attack by the Armed Forces
of the USA - the biggest in history The 'Lost Battalion' is surrounded The heroics of Sergeant Alvin York The US Army breaks the Hindenburg Line Montfaucon Memorial and Stronghold Crossing the River Meuse Final chapter of the Battle for Verdun Commemorating the Fallen at Romagne - Europe's largest US Military Cemetery America deals the final blow to the Kaiser's Army |