The Influence Of The Hundred Day Offensive On The Western Front

The final year of World War One was ample with American triumph and superior tactics. Such is the case with the Hundred Days Offensive, the biggest U.S. Military Operation during World War One. The most well-known Offensive during this massive push was the Battle of the Argonne Forest, which involved over 1.2 million U.S. Soldiers, 2 well known Field Marshals, and 2 well known Generals. American and French pride getting the better of the allies and delays allowing countless German regrouping. The Battle of Argonne forest was an essential part of the Allied Offensive, had the Argonne not been taken the Germans would have had a hold on France, possibly allowing them to recuperate and start a counter-offensive. If this offensive had been manned
The German Empire is on the retreat and the war is close to coming to an end. Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch has started an offensive inside the Argonne forest. However, the offensive started with a heated debate between General John J. Pershing and French Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch. Foch originally wanted the American line that was to attack St. Mihiel to be the size it was planned to be. British Field Marshal Douglass Haig saw the uselessness of the attack and changed Foch’s mind. Foch then wanted a reduced attack, allowing for more troops at the offensive in the Argonne. “Pershing absolutely refused to comply. ‘Do you wish to take part in the battle?’ Foch shrilled, his mustaches vibrating. ‘As an American army and in no other way!’ Pershing roared.” (History Net, Paragraph 2) Pershing, mad at the prospect of the French finishing off a war they could not end themselves brought Foch down and the assault on St. Mihiel went through. The problem was; however, that the Germans garrisoned at St. Miheil were already retreating to help fortify different defensive locations within the Argonne. Without General Pershing, The American forces would focus more on the Argonne. Eventually Foch and Pershing came to an agreement, but one that would add 10 days to the offensive. Pershing got lucky with how he moved his troops, after capturing 16,000 German soldiers. He then had to move the army 60 miles to the Argonne in ten days. Those ten days could have been spent
With Honor, the first army allows the French 4th Army to capture Sedan stemming from a defeat in the area at the battle of Sedan in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian war. This is a big difference in how we treated the French in the beginning of the offensive, allowing the French to capture the area rather than be prideful and do it ourselves. In the beginning it was American pride that slowed the offensive, now it was allied pride that made the offensive swift. No problems were encountered due to this quick change in capturer, thus the offensive was not extended nor delayed. Units east of the Meuse advance northward. FAHQ plans to take Montmedy, an old fortress; FAHQ stands for First Army Headquarters. No delays in these next few days allowed any German