St. Mihiel Drive World War One

The World War One battle of St. Mihiel, called the St. Mihiel Drive at the time, is told through original film of the battle, 12-16 September, 1918, which was the first American offensive of The Great War. Film comes from several of the Divisions that fought the battle and the film is annotated so you know what American Division is conducting the action. I walk you through this battle, and keep my narration to a minimum allowing you to focus on the film. I will correlate the film to the division I am talking about through text. The battle video begins two days before the battle on September 10. The target of the American-planned and American executed operation was a massive salient, running 65 kilometers wide and 25 kilometers at its deepest, that had bedeviled the Allies since late 1914. The weather would not be good – it rained almost every day so mobility was difficult. The purpose of the advance was to threaten the strategic Briey Iron Basin, a key to German war production, and this lateral rail network that ran through the city and the nearby Saar coal fields. Perhaps most important, the American Expeditionary Force Commander John J. Pershing thought that a successful attack would validate the decision to create an independent American army and convince the British and French to recognize the Americans as equal partners in the war effort. The other U.S. Army Officers with General John J. Pershing on the ship deck, in additional to Colonel George C. Marshall, Jr., are Brigadier General Conner and Lt. Col. Quekemeyer. ‪@CarterOnConflict‬ https://www.doctorpaulcarter.com/