Now eight American divisions the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 26th, 32nd, and 42nd had been indispensable in the reduction of the Marne salient.
We had lost over 30,, but the results were commensurate--not only was the Marne salient [greatly] reduced, but the initiative had been gained by the Allies and was never to be lost--the value of the American soldier, which had first been demonstrated by the 1st and 2nd Divisions, had been verified by the conduct of six other divisions. From the beginning the Commander-in-Chief had never varied from his determination to bring the American forces together. The German offensive, however, had interrupted the execution of this plan, forcing us to utilize all our efforts to the end that the war might not be lost.
Now, however, the initiative had passed into the Allied hands and there appeared to be no good reason for longer delay. On the contrary, the Chateau-Thierry operations had involved such difficulties in the way of supply and the evacuation of sick and wounded in all of which we were largely dependent upon the action of French staffs that it was apparent that our troops must be assembled.
A few divisions might be properly cared for when dispersed under foreign command, but our forces had increased to the point where it became imperative to begin assembling them. More action, however, was to follow in the Marne region. Date: July Hour am To: Major [Thomas] Holcomb. I am in an old abandoned French trench bordering on road leading out from your P.
I have only two men out of my company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try and get here as we are swept by machine-gun fire and a constant barrage is on us.
I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold. The Americans held roughly six kilometers from St.
Thibaut to Fismes and bitterly fought the Germans in seesaw actions for the possession of bridge heads at Bazoches, Chateau du Diable, and Fismette Afterwards Bullard commented: " I have rarely, if ever, seen troops under more trying conditions They were also lavish with mustard gas Throughout most of the month in "Death Valley," a name the Pennsylvanians [28th Div.
Muir shared the sector with the 77th Division [made up] of draftees from New York City and its suburbs Although understrength and not yet recovered from the rigors of their fighting on the Ourcq and Vesle lines, the 32nd Division took part in this operation.
In fact their capture of Juvigny on August 30th was a crucial blow against the German Defenders. Their battles of late July and early August had been hard, but the Juvigny fight was much tougher. The German Defenders fought hard and made effective use of the caves in the are to protect their machine guns but "Les Terribles" were stubborn in their determination to force the Germans back.
They succeeded in capturing the ruins of the village of Juvigny and in advancing some two and a half miles in five days of constant battle. The division historian referred to this period as "five days of hell on earth. The Germans gave up the Vesle line only to fall back a few kilometers nearer the Aisne River where they again stabilized the front. They could be proud of their defensive actions since the collapse of their last offensive. The attack at Soissons had surprised them, but, after a couple of anxious days the German commanders had regained control of the situation.
True, they had to give up the Marne salient, but they succeeded in withdrawing their forces to pre-planned phase lines on the Ourcq and the Vesle on schedule Significantly, [however,] the German definition of success changed in July from how many kilometers they advanced to how well they conducted a retreat.
German Fatalities. The results of the Aisne-Marne operation were far out of proportion to its size With German morale sagging, it was clear that Ludendorff's hope of crushing the Allies before the United States could put a large force in the filed would not be realized. Ackerman - Your husband, Sergeant Lloyd C.
Ackerman, was in my company, and was the best sergeant I ever had. I thought a lot of him, and was greatly grieved when he was killed. He was right at my side when he was killed. We were in a wheat field about five miles northwest of Chateau-Thierry, and your husband is buried right there. Your husband died a hero. He was right in the front line advancing on the Germans, when some machine guns opened up on us and killed many of our men.
Ackerman was the best drill sergeant I ever had, and was cool under fire. The company and regiment lost a very valuable man when he was killed, and I personally feel it very deeply. I cannot speak too highly of him Captain W. Marshall, th Inf. For further information on the events of visit the homepage of The Great War Society. Coffman, , and miscellaneous connecting material by myself. If I've forgetten anyone, please contact me.
The Story of the American Expeditionary Forces. It began with the last German offensive of the conflict and was quickly followed by the first allied offensive victory of The resulting attack at the Marne was launched on the back of the German capture of the strategically important Chemin des Dames ridge near the Aisne River on May 27, On the morning of July 15, 23 divisions of the German 1st and 3rd Armies attacked the French 4th Army east of Reims, while 17 divisions of the 7th Army, assisted by the 9th Army, attacked the French 6th Army to the west of the city.
When the Germans began their advance after an initial artillery bombardment, however, they found that the French had set up a line of false trenches, manned by only a few defenders. The real front line of trenches lay further on, and had scarcely been touched by the bombardment. Trapped and surrounded, the Germans suffered heavy casualties, setting the Allies up for the major counter-attack they would launch on July But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us!
On July 15, , the San Francisco-based podcasting company Odeo officially releases Twttr—later changed to Twitter—its short messaging service SMS for groups, to the public. The unmanned spacecraft Mariner 4 passes over Mars at an altitude of 6, feet and sends back to Earth the first close-up images of the red planet.
Launched in November , Mariner 4 carried a television camera and six other science instruments to study Mars and interplanetary Zebulon Pike, the U. Army officer who in led an exploring party in search of the source of the Mississippi River, sets off with a new expedition to explore the American Southwest.
Pike was instructed to seek out headwaters of the Arkansas and Red rivers and to investigate Two days after the battle's end, British troops attacked at Amiens. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content.
Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Kennedy Hickman. Military and Naval History Expert. Kennedy Hickman is a historian, museum director, and curator who specializes in military and naval history. He has appeared on The History Channel as a featured expert.
Facebook Facebook. Updated March 20, Featured Video. Cite this Article Format.
0コメント