It’s the Anniversary of the Second Battle of the Marne

On 15 July 1918 American forces in France began fighting a two-month campaign that—to that point—would become the largest battle the nation had ever engaged in.  The Second Battle of the Marne marked the turning of the tide in World War I. It began with the last German offensive of the conflict and was quickly followed by the first Allied offensive victory of 1918 The 270,000 soldiers committed and the nearly 40,000 casualties suffered dwarfed the previous totals of the previous record holder, the Battle of Gettysburg, which had lasted 3 days and involved 165,000 men counting both sides.

There are a lot of reasons why this rather remarkable fact is overlooked. The title of the action used herein, the Second Battle of the Marne, isn’t universally respected.  Some histories use terms like the Aisne or Aisne-Marne Offensive, or the Battle of Soissons,  or bundle the somewhat disjointed Allied operations  with earlier engagements around nearby Chateau-Thierry. Further, American forces didn’t fight independently—they were under French command and were intertwined with French, British, and Italian forces. Also, in accounts I’ve read about the battle, historians seem to understate the size of the American contingent, with some apparently not grasping that American divisions of the Great War were roughly 28,000 effectives, over twice the size of other countries divisions, friend or foe. In fact,  the Yanks constituted about half of all the troops engaged in the fighting. Finally, some histories don’t include the period 15–17 July, when American units were deeply involved in the defense of the Marne River line and the Champagne against the last German offensive of the war.

In any case, the record for largest American Battle ever, was quickly superseded by the St. Mihiel and then the Meuse-Argonne Offensives. But “Jeopardy” fans should stay alert for the question: “As of 1 September 1918, what was the largest battle America had ever fought?”  Now here’s a little information on the Second Battle of the Marne that I published on my old Doughboy Center site.

42nd Division Troops East of Reims, Awaiting the Opening Attack

Quick Facts

Where:    The Aisne-Marne Sector, 75 Miles Northeast of Paris in a Triangular Area Bounded by Chateau-Thierry, Soissons and Reims

When:    July 15 – September 16, 1918

AEF Units Participating:   Nine U.S. Divisions Under French Command, Coordinated by Marshal Ferdinand Foch. Click HERE To See a List of U.S. Divisions and Their Commanders

Opposing Forces:    German First, Third, Seventh and Ninth Armies

Read the entire article on the Roads to the Great War website here:

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