-Tribute to-
Sgt Willis L. Burnworth
On September 26th at 05:30 AM the attack started. Shrapnel and H. E. plagued them at varied intervals. The enemy's second and third lines fell and by noon they had penetrated far into the forest fastnesses in spite of this continued stubborn opposition. They had been advancing too swiftly for the artillery supporting them, which was having great difficulty in moving up through the devastated terrain they had won. They therefore were forced to halt. Up on the line, they busied theirselves consolidating the positions with an eye for counter attacks, and then settled down for the night, each man in his little fox-hole. Sleep, of course, was clearly out of the question, for the Germans shelled the woods constantly. It was possible to snatch a few moments of oblivion now and then, but restful repose could not be had.
At 8:30 AM orders came to advance without artillery or tank support. Forming in combat columns, they moved out of the covering forest into the cleared valley ahead. The enemy had withdrawn his lines further during the night and they encountered only weak shell-fire. The divisions' right flank was now storming Montfaucon. At 3:00 PM it was decided that they should remain in their present positions until the morrow, when, with the aid of artillery, they could force the strong-point in the valley beyond.
More than four years of bloody and terrible fighting over Belgium and northeastern France had resulted in a deadlock between Germany and the Allied Nations. On September 26 the last great Allied offensive of the war began in the Meuse- Argonne Forest area. It was this attack that started the Germans on their final retreat leading to collapse.
September 26 - October 1, 1918
Meuse-Argonne offensive
Key map Meuse-Argonne offensive
At the dawn of the twenty-eighth the attacking wave went over, accompanied by a light barrage. The strong-point in the valley had been evacuated by the enemy during the night. Apparently it was the intention of the Germans to isolate the first wave and support-line from the main body, and then trap them at some point ahead. Twice they were forced back by the intensity of their fire, but the third attempt succeeded. Afternoon wore on into evening, and evening into night. Many men found slight cover in the half demolished buildings of Ivoiry. The driving rain continued with unabated energy, and they felt the chill entering the very marrow of their bones. The nerves were now in a state of collapse. Several men were slightly gassed and some were suffering from temporary shell-shock. The expected counter-attack failed to materialize, and it was asserted, even by the officers, that they must soon be relieved. Needless to say, they all prayed that it come quickly, but the weary hours passed on and there were no signs of it. They dug in along the roadside in preparation for the night. Meanwhile, the rain continued. All night the artillery on the hillside crashed and roared as they harassed the enemy. They were so near the guns that the shock of their explosions rocked the very ground beneath them and seemed to nearly split our eardrums. These were what are known as sacrifice batteries, placed in emergency virtually on the front lines.
Reference: Heaven, Hell or Hoboken by Ray N. Johnson
Peter Stassen
8 August 2015
During the night, things were comparatively quiet, and some of them succeeded in snatching a bit of sleep at odd moments. Rain fell, at various intervals, in little showers twenty or thirty minutes in duration. The earth was already oozing water from the rainy weather of the past few weeks, and the present rain softened the surface into a sticky mud.
Night came again; still they hung on. Of relief there were still no signs. Information came, that the 37th Division had more than attained its objective and that counter-attacks made by the enemy the night before had failed to budge the front line. Montfaucon had been taken and held by an encircling movement of the right wing after the enemy had twice successfully ejected the other division from the stronghold. Their extremely rapid advance had put them at the point of a salient; they had taken their final objective, Cierges, and now had only to consolidate and hold the ground they had gained.
At 1:00 o'clock on October 1, 1918 they were relieved and started on the long rough march back to Recicourt.
Detail of Meuse-Argonne offensive