Meuse-Argonne Offensive - Research Paper Example

?Meuse-Argonne Offensive Meuse-Argonne Offensive, also known as the Battle of Argonne forest is considered as the final Allied offensive of the FirstWorld War. “The whole offensive was planned by Colonel George Marshall to breach the Hindenburg line and ultimately force the opposing German forces to capitulate.” (Meuse-Argonne Offensive) This is one of the deadliest battles, the American army ever fought in the history, that led to a loss of 26,277 U.S. soldiers with 95,986 wounded. (“America’s Deadliest Battle”) The battle lasted for 47 days and involved 1.2 million men. (“America’s Deadliest Battle”) Unlike other battles, it was a slaughter on a huge scale. The battle exterminated a whole European men’s generation and depredated the land for decades. The battle led to the strong hold of Allies with a loss of German’s on the Western front. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the great Allied offensive in the Meuse-Argonne region. In the beginning of the 20th century, Europe was facing a risk of a war, a war that would end all. The European states vied together for power and military alliance. Britain, France and Russia from Asia formed a strong block. It was now a must for Germany to find a suitable alliance that could eliminate the danger of its extermination. Austria and Turkey were there for her. Then an incident, in the city of Sarajevo, made the European nations face a situation that the western philosophers feared for years. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie led to hostilities between Serbia and Austria. The involvement of Russia and Germany on the side of Serbia and Austria, respectively, made the situation worse. Things became uncontrollable, as more and more countries began to get involved in the matter. On August 4, 1914, the German army marched into Belgium. As the war got fierce, more and more war fronts opened for Germany. With the beginning of revolution in Russia in 1918, Germany deployed its freed troops on the western front. Using remarkable tactics of long wars, Germany gained many achievements and the French armies were then in retreat. The Germans had to face mines and military of the American Expeditionary Force at Belleau Wood, which slowed down its advancement. Meanwhile, the French army reformed its front, together with the British army. The whole area from the Meuse River to the top of the Mountains of Argonne was under a strong hold of the Germans. The presence of mines, camouflaged trenches, heavy artillery and a large number of German troops made this area a difficult battle field for the Allies. The Argonne forest provided a good shelter to the Germans, where they could rest without the risk of being attacked. It was so because the area was lined by guns, mines and trenches and supported by artillery fire. There was no place, on the western front where the German army could think itself more safe and sound than the Argonne forest. This was probably the reason, for the Allies, to think the battle at this field as a decisive one. With a fresh American army on the southern flank of the western front, the Allies could now think of an offensive on the German troops in the Argonne forests. At 5:30 on the afternoon of September 26th, the American 1st Army jumped off with the French holding their flanks. The U.S. army and the French 4th Army shared the Meuse-Argonne offensive which proved to be the biggest and the deadliest one for the American Expeditionary Force in the World War I. The French General Mariano Goybet, commanding the 157 Red Hand Division, indulged in the Meuse-Argonne offensive on 28th September. (“Meuse-Argonne Offensive”) 371 and 372 were two of his African American regiments. During the first nine days, the 372 regiment progressed through 4.8 miles of enemy defense. They captured 600 prisoners, 15 heavy guns, 20 Minenwerfers and about 150 machine guns. (“Meuse-Argonne Offensive”) The 372 regiment’s part was very important in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The regiment suffered total casualties of 500 men. Similarly, the 371 regiment also contributed to the victory of the Allies in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive by capturing many German soldiers, 47 machine guns, 8 trench engines, three 77 mm. field pieces, ammunitions depot, many railroad cars and an enormous amount of lumber and hay. (“Meuse-Argonne Offensive”) At the Verdun sector, the U.S. army played its main role in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The 27th and the 30th division fought under the British command far to the north, directly alongside the exhausted Australian troops. Despite some early failures, the three nation’s joint forces were able to capture their objectives. The Allied forces faced an opposition from German forces only. The German Divisions procured 50 percent or less of their strength during this period. All of the German troops on the western front, unlike the troops on the eastern front, showed loose morale. This was probably the reason; why they retreated despite the presence of strong battlements. The objective, the capture of the railroad/train station hub at Sedan which would break the supplies to the Germans fighting in France, was achieved in three major steps. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive is considered divided into three phases. In the First phase (September 26 to October 3) the V and III Corps were able to achieve their objectives, while the 79th Division failed to capture Montfaucon. The phase continued with mixed results until Montfaucon was captured by the 79th Division and the village of Baulny was captured by the 35th ‘Sante-fe’ Division. The Germans deployed six extra Divisions to oppose the American attack. The Germans gained several early achievements, but were then forced to retreat by the 35th Division. The French forces went faster, attacking the Germans in the open grounds, than the American forces fighting in difficult situations. In the second phase that lasted from October 4 to October 28, the 91st, 79th, 37th and the 35th Divisions of the V Corps were replaced by the 32nd, 3rd and the 1st Divisions. A gap was created by the 1st Division while advancing one and a half miles against the 37th, 52nd and 5th Guard Divisions. The Americans began to launch costly attacks on the German lines of forces that finally enabled them to break the strong German defense. The U. S. armies had finally cleared the Argonne forest by advancing ten miles into the German Defenses. In the third phase (October 26 to November 11) of this fierce offensive, the American army divided into groups. “The First, led by General Ligett, would continue to move to the Carignan-Sedan-Mezieres Railroad. The Second Army, led by Lieutenant General Robert L. Bullard, was directed to move eastward towards Metz.” (“Meuse-Argonne Offensive”) The American army captured Buzancy, while the French armies crossed the River Aisne. The French forces were able to capture the railroad/train station hub at Sedan on November 6. The agreeing of the Germans to armistice, on the 11th of November put an end to the fight. The battle is considered as the deadliest one in the American history because it led to a loss of the largest number of U. S. soldiers in any battle. A less important secondary significance of the battle was that the Americans and the French tested their ‘Browning Automatic Rifle’ which gained an immense fame. But, the primary significance can never be ignored. Many historians claim that this battle brought a trouble and difficulty for the Germans that compelled them to agree Armistice. The battle worried the Germans commanders the most and they had no choice left, but to agree to armistice. We can imagine the fierce offensive, which the Germans had to face, by the Americans and the French. The use of heavy artillery, expensive weapons and great number of soldiers in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive enabled the Allies to win the war. Without this battle, it would have been difficult, for the Allies, to check the Germans advancement in the war. While, most of the historians agree with this opinion, there are some who consider this Offensive as a diversion from other victories. Another important fact, that compels us to thinking, is the involvement of the U. S. army in this battle. America had no direct contact with the Germans previously. Then, why did the U. S. army indulge in the battle? The answer to the query lies in the fact that the Germans could never fight at such a great number of battle-fronts. They could never be everywhere at once. The Americans began attacking the Germans, where it was needed. This pushed the Germans back. The Americans gained the objective in a period of two months only. The war that went on for four consecutive years was concluded suddenly when the American Army opened a new warfront for the Germans. The Germans could not comply with it. Therefore they had no choice left, but to agree to ceasefire. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive is not only considered a decisive battle of the World War I, but also a start point of America’s achievements that enable the European nations to trust it as a super power. The remarkable victory of the U. S. forces, together with Allies, enabled America to achieve an important status in the growing military scenario of the new age. It is clear from the fact that the Allies had got an anvil in the form of the American army on the western front. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was a real victory for the Allies, but the treaty of Versailles opened new doors of the world history. The doors that led to the paths made of fire, the paths that led, the nations following it, to irony, bloodshed and sorrows. Works Cited America’s Deadliest Battle: Meuse-Argonne, 1918. Findarticles.com. n. d. Web. November 10, 2011 Smith, Thomas. Path of Fire: The Meuse-Argonne Offensive of 1918. firstworldwar.com. August 22, 2009. Web. November 10, 2011 Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Last modified November 2, 2011. Web. November 10, 2011 Read More