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Historical note
The Meuse–Argonne offensive took place during World War I and was a
major part of the final Allied offensive along the entire Western Front. It
began on September 26, 1918, and continued until the Armistice of November 11,
1918, lasting a total of 47 days¹. During this offensive, more than 700 Allied
tanks advanced against German positions in the Argonne Forest and along the Meuse
River after a six-hour-long bombardment². It involved a massive force of 1.2
million French, Siamese, and American soldiers, making it the largest in United
States military history. Unfortunately, it also resulted in over 350,000
casualties, including 28,000 German lives, 26,277 American lives, and an
unknown number of French lives. The inexperience of many troops, early-phase
tactics, and the global influenza outbreak ("Spanish flu")
contributed to the severity of American losses during this campaign¹. The
Meuse–Argonne offensive was a significant engagement for the American
Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and played a crucial role in bringing World War I to
an end¹.
Sources: Conversation with Copilot,
5/26/2024
(1) Meuse–Argonne offensive - Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meuse%E2%80%93Argonne_offensive.
(2) Meuse-Argonne offensive opens |
September 26, 1918 | HISTORY.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/meuse-argonne-offensive-opens.
(3) Meuse-Argonne Offensive in World War I
- ThoughtCo.
https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-i-meuse-argonne-offensive-2361406.
(4) Meuse-Argonne Offensive - Military
History - Oxford Bibliographies.
https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/abstract/document/obo-9780199791279/obo-9780199791279-0038.xml.
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