Battle of the Argonne Forest – 1918



When:

September 26 – November 11, 1918

Where:

Argonne Forest, France – Western Front

Who:

Allied Powers – France
Associated Powers – USA
Central Powers – German Empire

Summary:

The Battle of the Argonne Forest was part of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive planned by General Ferdinand Foch.

The offensive called for a three-pronged attack on the Germans at the Western Front. While the BEF and the French Army would attack the German lines at Flanders, the British forces would take on the German troops at Cambrai and the AEF, supported by the French Army, were to fight the German troops at the Argonne Forest.

General John Pershing led the AEF at the Battle of the Argonne Forest while General Henri Gouraud led the French Fourth Army. The attack was launched on September 26, 1918. The combined attack was a success, with the French Fourth Army capturing over five miles of enemy territory and the Americans moving ahead by two miles. By October, the relatively inexperienced American troops needed reinforcements and hence the battle was halted temporarily.

The battle commenced again on October 4, 1918. The attack on the Germans was a commendable one with the Americans making a ten mile inroad by October 17. The French Army had covered over twenty miles of enemy territory and had reached the banks of the Aisne River.

On November 6, 1918, the Allied troops reached Sedan and the American Army halted allowing the French troops to take the city. The armies continued to advance till the end of World War I on November 11, 1918.

Outcome:

The casualties recorded by the Americans at the Battle of Argonne Forest totaled 117,000, while the French lost 70,000 men and the Germans 100,000 soldiers. The battle was known for the Lost Battalion – 500 soldiers of the Seventy-seventh Division, who fought a brave battle between Bois d’Apremont and Charlevaux against impossible odds. Only about two hundred of them survived the battle.

Major Battles of World War I

Battle of Mons – 1914 Battle of Fler- Courcelette – 1916
Battle of Tannenberg – 1914 Battles of Gaza – 1917
Battle of Heligoland Bight – 1914 Second Battle of Aisne – 1917
First Battle of Marne – 1914 Second Battle of Arras – 1917
First Battle of the Masurian Lakes – 1914 Battle of Messines – 1917
First Battle of Aisne – 1914 Battle of Passchendaele – 1917
First Battle of Albert – 1914 Battle of Caporetto – 1917
First Battle of Arras – 1914 Battle of Cambrai – 1917
First Battle of Ypres – 1914 German Spring Offensive – 1918
Gallipoli Campaign – 1915 Hundred Days Offensive – 1918
Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes – 1915 Battle of Le Hamel – 1918
Battles of Isonzo – 1915 Second Battle of Somme – 1918
Loos-Artois Offensive – 1915 Second Battle of Marne – 1918
Battle of Verdun – 1916 Battle of St Mihiel – 1918
Battle of Jutland – 1916 Battle of the Argonne Forest – 1918
First Battle of Somme – 1916 Battle of Vittori Veneto – 1918

 

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