REMEMBRANCE TOURISM GUIDE 2018


From left: Douaumont Ossuary, with the graves of those who died at the Battle of Verdun in the foreground; statue of the ‘Children of Verdun who died for France’


operation during the war, and was the Marines’ baptism of fi re, bestowing upon them their mythical fi ghting reputation. In all, 9,444 Marines fought in Belleau – 1,062 were killed and 3,615 were wounded, some 40 per cent of their total losses in the war.


Belleau Wood has been


offi cially renamed Bois de la Brigade de Marine. With its shell holes and fox holes, strands of rusty barbed wire and traces of old trenches, the wood is now visited by some 60,000 people every year.


The manicured lawns of the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery curve down the northern slope of Belleau Wood, with its 2,289 marble Crosses and Stars of David aligned in rows. A bronze relief statue at the foot of the cemetery pays further homage to the many Marines who sacrifi ced their lives during the Battle of Belleau Wood and in other battles in the vicinity.


The year promises a series of special commemorative events at the cemetery and in the surrounding area. To get a fl avour of what this means to the local French community and to the US Marines visit www.abmc.gov/


cemeteries-memorials/europe/ aisne-marne-american-cemetery The Second Battle of the Marne, fought in July and August 1918, and the determination of the US marines to hold back the German advance, proved to be a decisive turning point in the fi nal year of the war. The Marines’ reputation is deserved, yet in terms of troop commitment and casualty numbers, there were much greater battles ahead.


AMERICAN TROOPS More than one million US troops were already in France by the spring of 1918, roughly 1 per cent of the US population at the time. Another million had been drafted and were ready to embark. To hold the Germans back would require bravery and determination, but to defeat them would require a huge army, as well as much improved planning and logistics. Most Americans have never heard of Saint-Mihiel, nor the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Yet, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive was the biggest battle of the American Expeditionary Force in the war. Half a million American soldiers, along with 100,000 French soldiers, 2,700 pieces of


artillery and 380 tanks, were thrown into the fray north of Verdun in an attempt to regain crucial territory and rail lines near the town of Sedan.


INTENSE FIGHTING Thanks to the capability of the US soldiers and their excellent logistical management, the battle was won. But the fi ghting was intense. Commencing on 26 September, it lasted 47 days and cost the lives of 26,000 American soldiers and 28,000 Germans. Between 12 and 15 September, US troops under the command of General John Pershing attacked German troops on the so-called Saint-Mihiel Salient, a bulge in the lines where the enemy forces were established. This was the only time in the war when US troops operated in isolation from the Allies. Despite terrible weather conditions, which affected men and machines, the Americans made swift progress. Led by their commanders on the fi eld, the combination of air support, tanks and clever tactics enabled the US troops to breach the trench lines and put the enemy into retreat. Later the same year, the going proved much harder as American


soldiers fought alongside the Allies as part of a broad range of offensives known as the Hundred Days Offensive. US troops operated mainly around Verdun and at one stage two entire fi eld armies were deployed (200,000- 300,000 troops). Notable battles took place at Saint-Thierry, Montfaucon and Sommepy. Howard Hawks’ classic 1941


movie, Sergeant York, celebrates the achievements of Alvin C. York, who led a daring attack on an enemy machine-gun nest during this campaign, killing 25 Germans and capturing 132 prisoners. Today, you can follow the events on the 3km-long Sergeant York Trail through the Argonne forest.


THE ARMISTICE During 1918, American support in the Great War turned the tide in favour of the Allies. German morale never recovered from a series of defeats and the Armistice was signed on 11 November 1918.


This is the year to enjoy the historic cities and towns of this theatre of war, and to spend time at the cemeteries, monuments and museums honouring the dead of all nations.


❯❯ Apr/May 2018 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 141


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