sign in sign up
<<
Home , Battle of Belleau Wood, Chavignon, Chemin des Dames, Craonnelle, La Malmaison, Ploisy

The first US troops in station, February 4, 1918. Fonds Valois - BDIC

1917-1918

the Americans from the to the Grand Cerf crossroads, Villers-Cotterêts forest, July 19 1918. American supply base. America’s entry into Psychology and numbers Trucks unloading supplies. FONDS VALOIS - BDIC In the months preceding America’s entry into WW1, the prospec- tive involvement of American soldiers in the fighting on French soil greatly influenced the calculations of German and Allied strategists alike. Though it was inexperienced and faced organi- zational problems, the American Army numbered 200,000 men and its troops were fresh, unlike war-weary allied forces who had Mark MEIGS, in 1918. De guerre lasse, Dép.de been fighting for three years already and had experienced the l’Aisne, 2008. Translated from the French. horrors of trench warfare. American support was then crucial and likely to influence the outcome of the war.

examine the various actions of the Ame- rican ships in the first months of 1917 rican Army, they do not deem them deci- that the USA could not avoid entering the sive, and hardly proportional to the num- war, there were a central Army Staff and ber of American soldiers on French soil national army officers able to implement at the end of the war, namely two million. such effort but there were inevitable blun- American actions did not decide the out- ders due to lack of coordination and to come of the war but the sheer presence the new conditions of organization and of their troops did, as all parties felt that recruitment. behind each soldier on the front line Besides, American officers ignored some there were numerous others at the rear, of the lessons of the ongoing war that ready to fight. would seem obvious to us. In professional The delayed arrival of the Americans was newspapers they argued in favor of offen- due to their unpreparedness, on various sive actions and showed scorn for defen- In march 1918, the 26th was in ments in the American Revolution and the levels. It was difficult for sive positions. charge of a sector close to the Chemin des War for Independence. The troops arrived to join the allies in warfare when he had The Americans then entered the conflict Dames. Like the 1st, 2nd and 42nd Divisions, in in the fall of 1917 and hit the 2 just won the 1916 election with a slogan without having totally solved their organi- the 26th spent the winter of 1917-1918 in road before they had received their mar- 3 reminding the Americans that he had zational problems and with a preference “quiet” sectors so as to be trained by the ching orders, an initiative Pershing did kept them out of that terrible war. While for offensive tactics, though they had led not much like. The commander of the 26th, France was fighting protracted battles to the disasters on the Somme in 1916 Put to the test General Clarence R. Edwards, nicknamed in Verdun and on the Somme, Wilson and on the Chemin des Dames in 1917. on the Chemin des Dames “Daddy” by his men, had a reputation for was campaigning to organize a peace But they joined the warfare in order to lack of discipline and for being often at The USA entered the war in the spring A bivouac in . American sol- conference between the fighting parties. drive the Germans out of France and French Army. The 26th presented some of odds with his superiors. How such a unit of 1917, two years and eight months after diers resting. September 1, 1918. As for the American Army, it was being their shared interests and alliance with the characteristics of an American Army in would perform on the field was of utmost the fighting had begun. American troops FONDS VALOIS - BDIC reformed, the ones campaigning for its the French explain their preference for transition. Recruited in the New England interest to Allied and German strategists. did not make it to the front lines until the centralization, the others to preserve the offensive tactics. States, the “Yankee Division”, as it was The Germans soon put it to the test with winter of 1917-1918 and did not engage privileges of the States against the hege- If numbers were so important, how to nicknamed, was proud of its achieve- three raids in Bois Brûlé. The Yankees gal- in major actions until the spring of 1918. alike shared that point of view. After the mony of Washington D.C. count? Was a German soldier better lantly fought hand-to-hand and cleverly The time lag explains why American sol- war against Russia was over on the Eas- Some members of Congress, jealous of than an American soldier? The French used their artillery, which led the Germans diers’ memories and interpretations of tern front, the Germans quickly saw that their local prerogatives and distrustful of anguished over the matter and the Ger- to put and end to the hostilities on April WW1 are different from other soldiers’. they would only have a limited period the power of the President, had almost mans, arrogantly, expressed some scorn 10 after taking one prisoner and losing 40 American soldiers lived in the same mud of numerical superiority on the Western succeeded in putting an end to the set- for American soldiers. However the ac- men. The French showed their appreciation in the same trenches as other soldiers, front when a victorious outcome was ting up of a central Army Staff that could tions of American units on the Chemin by giving decorations to 117 men and offi- smelled the same smells, suffered the possible for them. The British and the plan and coordinate the human, material des Dames showed the Germans that cers. The Germans put the Division to the same wounds inflicted by the same wea- French realized that they had to main- and strategic resources of a modern army. they could not underestimate the Ameri- test again further east, on 20 April. Better pons… but they felt things differently. tain their positions until At the start of the young cans and that the psychological element prepared with artillery and elite soldiers, Despite the incompetence of some offi- they got the support of If numbers were so republic, each State had confirmed the mathematical element. the attack decimated two American com- cers who did not have time to assimilate American troops that important, how to count ? set up a militia (or natio- While taking the organizational problems panies whose men “fell dead in their ranks the rules of trench warfare, despite their would reverse the logic nal guard) recruited unit and useless losses into account, allied out of the trenches”. unpreparedness and lack of equipment, of numbers. The strategy of the Ameri- by unit, State by State, among volunteers forces and adversaries alike were bound their testimonies tend to be positive. can Army consisted in keeping defensive (with very light training). The States thus to acknowledge sheer gallantry, a quality Their words convey the feeling that the positions until they were ready to engage resisted standardization and the inclu- that had become rare in the other armies Front cover of l’Illustration dated March 2, 1918 after a nightmare was about to be over and that in major actions and in waiting until 1918 sion of militias in the logic of a national so late in the war. American numerical successful action by the Americans on the Chemin des they only had to arrive to transform diffi- before launching decisive offensives with army, professional and centralized. superiority was a decisive advantage for Dames. CAVERNE DU DRAGON, MUSEE DU CHEMIN DES DAMES culties into victory and peace treaties. a strong and experienced army. When President Wilson was convinced af- the allied forces in the outcome of the In a sense, German and allied strategists That is the reason why, when historians ter German submarines attacks on Ame- war. The Americans on the Chemin des Dames

The walls of the quarries still retain traces of the passage of Uncle Sam’s soldiers 20,000 American soldiers who came to the plateau to get ac- quainted with trench warfare. The USA was unprepared when Presi- dent Wilson declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917. The American Army Guy MARIVAL, in La lettre du Chemin des supervised by French troops (64th RI in with French comrades, launch raids and numbered only 200,000 and its Dames n°13, 2008. Translated from the Braye-en-Laonnois), got acquainted with counterattacks. In the Seringes-et-Nesles experience was limited to operations French. the harsh realities of trench warfare. The From March 18 to March 21, the 26th cemetery, the headstone of against Indians and a war against sector was comparatively quiet but things Division left the Chemin des Dames to go Corporal Homer J. Wheaton Spain in 1898. began to change. The Germans soon to the Toul sector. The men had spent 46 General Pershing (1860-1948) was wanted to show the newcomers that life days on the plateau with equipment that appointed commander-in-chief of the Led by General Clarence Edwards and would not be so easy. was ill-suited to win- Born on November 11, 1885 in American Expeditionary Force and numbering more than 20,000 men, the Signs bearing the words “The French were first ter conditions. In all the State of New York, Homer J. landed in Boulogne on June 13, 1917. 26th Infantry Division was the first Ameri- “Welcome to the 26th!” amused, and then alarmed by the quarries, always Wheaton read law at the Syracuse The first troops arrived in Saint-Na- can full Division to arrive in France. It was even appeared in the the inordinate curiosity of the located very close University. Captain of the American zaire on and paraded in formed in August 1917 and comprised German trenches. Yankees.” to the front line, the football team in his school, he was on July 14 but US involvement remai- National Guard units from six States in On February 5 at 3.45 Frank P.Sibley, Sammies carved a sports journalist in the Worcester ned largely symbolic. On January 1, the north east of the : Mas- p.m., the first shot at With the Yankee Division and drew into and Gazette when he was drafted into the 1918 there were only 150,000 sachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New “Welcome to the 26th!” the Germans was fired in France, (Boston,1919) on the limestone. National Guard in 1916. He was one American soldiers in France. Then at Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. by the 101st Field Artil- Those patriotic, reli- of the first Americans to get killed on the rate of 60,000 and soon 200,000 As all the units were from New England, From February 1918 onward, the dif- lery regiment. The casing of the first shell gious or cultural traces are visible to this the Chemin des Dames. 4 a month, American soldiers (called the commander chose the name “Yankee ferent units of the Yankee Division were is kept to this day in Massachusetts as a day. Homer J. Wheaton was fatally woun- 5 th th “Sammies” in France and “Dough- Division” for the 26 Division. moved to a sector encompassing Pinon memento. The 26 Division came back to the Aisne ded on February 27, 1918 in the boys” in the US) arrived in the French The Yankee Division left the US on Sep- forest and Braye-en-Laonnois, on a three- There was no major offensive during their area to take part in the Château-Thierry sector when a grenade harbors of Saint-Nazaire, Bordeaux, tember 7, 1917 and arrived in Saint-Na- day rota basis: reserve in the Aisne valley, stay on the plateau but the Americans got counter-offensive in June and July. Gene- exploded and he tried to protect his Le Havre, Brest, Marseille and La zaire. Other troops arrived until the end support in Vailly, first line on the Chemin acquainted with all aspects of the war, ral Jean Degoutte, who commanded the comrades in his trench. He received Rochelle. By the end of the war in of October in the harbors of Le Havre and des Dames. Troops took shelter in the from the search for cantonment areas at 6th French Army, then gave the Division a citation for his gallantry and spirit of November 1918, the number of Ameri- Liverpool. After preliminary training in the quarries that had been recaptured the the rear to the ceaseless movements to two new nicknames:“Sacrifice Division” sacrifice. He was the first American can troops had swelled to 2 million. Neufchâteau area, the 26th Division was previous year: Froidmont, Rouge-Maison, and from the front lines under heavy shel- and “Saviors of Paris”. During the year soldier of the American Expeditionary American troops saw their first offen- placed under the command of the 11th Le Panthéon, Montparnasse. ling. They had to keep the sectors they 1918 the casualties numbered 13,664: Force to be awarded, posthumously, sive action on May 28, 1918, in Canti- French Army Corps that was then enga- Section after section, company after had been assigned, carry out reconnais- 1,587 killed and more than 12,000 the Distinguished Service Cross. gny in the Somme (First US Division). ged on the Chemin des Dames. company, the different units of the 26th, sance missions through No Man’s Land wounded. From onward the Third Division and Marine Corps defended Château- Sources Thierry and gallantly fought in Belleau Frank P. Sibley, With Wood. On August 10, Pershing, who the Yankee Division in was leading the First Army, was given The drawings, graffiti and scup- France, Boston 1919. responsibility for the Saint-Mihiel area tures illustrating this article as well John Nelson, “26th and launched a major offensive in the as those on the front cover were Division”, The sector. On November 11, 1918, Ameri- photographed in the Froidmont, Worcester Evening can troops had reached Sedan. Rouge-Maison and Nanteuil-la- Gazette 1919 (reprint American casualties numbered Fosse quarries. To visit the Rouge- 1998). 116,000 in Europe. 53,000 men died Maison quarry please contact the in combat and others lost their lives tourist office in Vailly-sur-Aisne. Tel through disease. Most bodies were 03 23 24 62 47. repatriated but 30,000 soldiers are To visit the quarry in Braye-en- buried in six cemeteries maintained by Laonnois, please contact the Che- the American Battle Monuments Com- min des Dames association. E-mail: mission. Three of them are located in [email protected] the Aisne region, in Bony, Seringes-et- Nesles and Belleau. An American ambulance driver

War seen through the eyes of an American Harvard student who graduated in Literature and voluntee- red in the Ambulance Field Service. In his letters to his parents Paul Cody Bentley, serving in the Che- min des Dames sector in the summer of 1917, des- cribed the sleepless nights, the driving of vehicles overloaded with wounded soldiers to hospitals, and the gas. On September 13, 1917 Bentley’s ambu- lance was hit by a shell south of . Himself wounded, the young man died a few days later in a Paul Cody Bentley in 1917. All rights reserved. French hospital.

Yves FOHLEN, in La lettre du Chemin des trenches and drive them to hospitals at of these horribly bloody specimens, with Dames n° 28, 2013. Translated from the the rear. his head completely swathed in a white French. Based on Wolfe Mark Anthony, cloth and the rest of his person covered Memoirs of the Harvard dead in the War On August 6, 1917 Paul Cody Bentley wrote the with mud and rags, on the front seat with 6 against Germany, 1920, Cambridge, Harvard following letter to his parents: us. The runs were all quite long, from ten 7 University, Vol.2. to sixteen kilometers each way, — that “Our two last days at the front were un- is, from six to ten miles. It is not level doubtedly the most terrible any of us in country, but one hill after another all the this ambulance section will ever expe- way, so that one has great difficulty clim- Paul Cody Bentley was born in Cleve- rience. bing in the mud even on second speed, The American cemetery of Belleau near Château-Thierry in the 1930’s. Fonds photographique du secrétariat d’Etat aux anciens combattants, ministère de la Défense. land, Ohio, on September 22, 1895. His I happened to be stationed during most and in descending one must keep both mother was a cousin of Colonel William F. of the time with three other cars at the brakes on as hard as possible for a mile Cody, better known as “Buffalo Bill”. His big tent hospital evacuating the wounded at a time. hospitals while the brancardiers were un- “I am still very uncertain as to what I shall seven wounds, Ricks carried his friend father was the son of one of the first gold to other more permanent hospitals as And thus we worked (our four cars) in loading, and we had also been supplied do next. But uncertainty is the main cha- to a poste de secours. On September diggers in California. fast as they poured in from the poste de relay night and day. Every time we retur- with a ration of sweet chocolate. As a rule racteristic of war. Everything is uncertain. 19, 1917, Paul Cody Bentley died in a In 1913, after studying at the University secours. All the other cars in the section ned we found that the other cars of our a round trip took us three or four hours. In the first place the section may goen re- French hospital. Just before he died he of Chicago, Paul Cody Bentley became a were called to work from the poste. Thus, section were on the road, and they would It was very weird traveling at night, in par- pos today or tomorrow, and it may not. The was awarded the . His Harvard student and in 1917 graduated in as I only made a few trips to the poste, I be waiting at the hospital for us to carry ticular because order has not citation runs as follows: Literature. He was one of the first Harvard missed most of the danger; but, on the another load. Several times we did not we always “It was very weird traveling at night, in come yet and “Since he arrived at the front, he has been students to go through military training other hand, I had for sixty-four hours the even have a chance to eat our meals, went without particular because we always went without we have been noted for his courage. During an evacua- and became a corporal in the Harvard most continuous, heavy, and nerve-rac- but they often gave us warm coffee at the any light and any light and passed endless convoys” expecting it for tion, his car was hit by a shell. Very badly Regiment. On April 6, 1917 the USA ente- king work imaginable. passed endless a week.” wounded, he continued to drive until his red the war. Paul decided to enlist but eye It was raining all the time, and the mud convoys of On September forces were expended.” troubles ruined his prospects of a military was very deep and the roads were very every description, cannons, caissons, 13, 1917 the German artillery launched a The young American civilian, who drea- career. bad, and as for the blessés, they were in camions and ravitaillement trucks which gas attack on French lines. Bentley and med of becoming a soldier, now rests in He then joined the Ambulance Field a horrible condition. A deadly new kind 1 The American Field Service, a unit of civilians run on the roads, although propelled like a partner, Carson Ricks, were ordered the American cemetery of Seringes-et- Service 1 and arrived in France on July of gas and liquid fire had been employed volunteering as ambulance drivers, was foun- a steam engine. In all these two days I to roll five Frenchmen who had been Nesle, near Fère-en-Tardenois. 4, 1917, Independence Day. Paul Cody in our sector with great profusion and ded at the outbreak of the war by Americans had only two hours sleep, an hour at a gassed to a hospital in Beaurieux. When Bentley went to the front on the Chemin horrible effects. As there were so many living in Paris. From 1914 to 1917, the different time. Once when I woke up I found they their ambulance reached the Dead Man’s des Dames with Section 65, attached to in the hospital waiting to be evacuated units operated on all fronts. When America had laid a dead man on a stretcher be- Curve south of Craonnelle, the vehicle the French 121st Infantry Division. we hardly ever rolled without a full load, entered the war, the service was absorbed side mine, less than a yard away, and the was hit by a shell. Paul was wounded in The duty of ambulance drivers is to fetch — six couchés, or three couchés on one by the American Army. One of the American stench was horrible.” a lung. He managed to run the car out wounded soldiers from casualty clea- side and six assis on the other, or twelve ambulance drivers on the Italian front was On September 11, 1917 Paul Cody Bentley wrote of the danger zone then collapsed with ring sections at the back of second line assis. Sometimes, even, we crowded one Ernest Hemingway. another letter: exhaustion. Though he had received Belleau Wood necropolis in 1930. Fonds photographique du secrétariat d’Etat aux anciens combattants, ministère de la Belleau Wood Défense.

In , the threatened Near Soissons. American soldiers among the ruins. Paris. For the first time since Still at the foot of the Chemin des Dames The June 1918 fighting in Belleau Wood has February 7, 1918. FONDS VALOIS - BDIC the USA entered the war, an five days earlier, the Germans reached become a legend for the Marines. To this day, American Division comprising the Marne River on May 31st. Paris was all along the year, Marines and their families Marines and Infantry soldiers threatened, French troops were driven visit the American Memorial in Belleau. A large was engaged in a major ac- back, Château-Thierry fell on June 1st: number of Marines of the 4th Brigade are laid in tion. The Belleau Wood vic- the situation was alarming. The High tory, in a sector located west Command asked for fresh troops. That of Château-Thierry, was hailed is why the 2nd US Infantry Division, that “devil dogs” as a great success across the numbered 28,000 men, comprising the Atlantic. It has become a key 4th Marine Brigade, under the command battle for the United States of General Harbord, and the 3rd Infantry the cemetery. With soldiers of the 2nd US Division, Marine Corps. Brigade, took position in Belleau Wood, they played a decisive role in the fierce battle above the Clignon valley, between Lucy- that took place west of Château-Thierry. Their le-Bocage, south, , west, and graves are part of the graves of 2,289 American Belleau, north, to support the French soldiers who lost their lives during the second troops fighting the Germans. The Ger- battle of the Marne. The names of 1060 soldiers Damien BECQUART, in 1918. De guerre lasse, mans had captured the wood and set up whose bodies were not recovered are etched on which they suffered the highest number of fatal This kind of test has deep impact on morale and Dép.de l’Aisne, 2008. Translated from the their machine guns behind the numerous the walls of the monument. casualties”, in the words of David Atkinson, who opinion, whether it ends in defeat or victory. The French. exposed rocks. On June 3rd, the Von Conta Soldiers on leave or recovering in Europe and runs the memorial. This is where the Germans Marines are remembered as the main if not the group (4th reserve corps) drove back the veterans visit the necropolis erected in the wood nicknamed them “devil dogs”, as a reference to only contributors to victory in Belleau Wood. And French and came into contact with the where the events of June 1918 took place. They the kind of dogs that bite and do not let go. A yet they fought with the 3rd brigade of the US Divi- Maps were to show “the wood of the Ma- troops of the 2nd US Infantry Division who all communicate on an equal footing on the site name that in a sense echoes their official motto sion. “More than any other corps in the United rine Brigade”. That was what General De- stopped them near Lucy le Bocage. After of a battle whose recollection brings cohesion to “semper fidelis” “always faithful”. States, the Marines have known how to use the 8 goutte had ordered on June 30, 1918. But the first engagement, both sides began to the Corps and enhances its prestige. Retiring A retired American officer says: “ The history of psychological impact of the press, which the rest 9 they always showed “le Bois de Belleau” organize. soldiers love leaving with star-spangled banners the Marines began in Belleau. When it took posi- of the army was unable to do”, says the retired or “Belleau Wood”. The order given by The Allied forces wanted to avoid giving that flew in the cemetery. tion on the Château-Thierry/Paris road at the end American officer. the 6th Army commander has been for- the Germans time to reinforce. With the In the wood behind the cemetery “the devil dogs” of May 1918, the 4th Marine Brigade, within the gotten, but history recalls the role played support of French artillery, a unit of the fought their key battle. Not the first one, but the 2nd US Infantry Division, was fully aware that it by the Marine unit in the fierce battle that American Army was then to engage in one that forged their reputation. “The action in was protecting the capital 1. Adding to the impor- The first trenches dug by the Americans near Lucy-le- took place in June 1918 west of Château- a major operation for the first time. The tance of the Belleau Wood Battle is the fact that Bocage. L’Illustration. Thierry. Germans, whose troops were exhausted for the first time on such a scale the Germans 1 André Golaz. Le Bois de Belleau. Revue Historique de and now under-equipped, understood the fought the American avant-garde in France. l’Armée. 1957. impact a successful American operation would have on public opinion and on the outcome of the war. The fierce battle in Belleau Wood lasted a month. After fierce The fable of the fountain It is a fountain on a village property. The Ma- fighting on June 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14 and rines going through Belleau have adopted it. 16, and two failed efforts to capture the If you drink the water, you are supposed to live a year longer. Some soldiers even ask to wood on June 20 and 21, the Americans be presented with their decorations near the fountain. For these soldiers, the place is part were finally victorious on June 25. They and parcel of the aura attached to Belleau. The clear water gushes out of a dog’s head that held the ground until July, when the 26th bears some resemblance to a bulldog. And the bulldog has been a mascot for the Marines Division relieved them. On July 1, the 3rd since the Germans nicknamed them “Teufelshunden”, “devil dogs”. Brigade of the 2nd US Infantry Division In fact the dog is a bullmastiff and it has been here since the 19th century. The owner captured Vaux. of what then was Belleau Château had brought the ornament back from Germany. In the Machine-guns, hand-to-hand combat, gas Belleau Wood battle in June 1918, the Marines took the whole wood but did not reach the attacks… the 2nd US Infantry Division lost village where the fountain is located. It was the 26th Division that a few weeks later liberated 7,876 soldiers and officers in the Belleau Belleau village, discovered the ornament, made of German metal, and drank the water. Wood battle. End of a myth. History does not say how the fountain became part of the lore of the Marines.

Source : André Golaz. “Le bois de Belleau”. Revue The famous fountain where Marines come to drink. Historique de l’Armée. 1957. The ornament is not the head of a bulldog but a bullmastiff. D. becquart. In 2003, on a mission of Francis Lupo’s Grave at Arlington preventive excavations on the National Cemetery. D.R. plateau south of Soissons, archeologists exhumed frag- ments of teeth and bone, and scraps of a boot and wallet. These remains enabled the when the USA entered the war Pentagon to formally identify Francis Z. Lupo, a soldier of When the USA entered the Wilhelm II in Marle on July 16, 1918. In 1917, the Kaiser had decided to resume unrestricted submarine warfare, which the US 1st Infantry Division, war, Germany was looking allowed the sinking of all ships, be they allied or neutral, in order to secure final victory. Private collection reported missing in action is no east. Its leaders’ optimism in the second Battle of the as to the outcome of the Marne. conflict was then reinfor- longer ced by the positive pers- Damien BECQUART, in 1918. De guerre lasse, pectives, on a military and Dép.de l’Aisne, 2008. Translated from the political level, opened up French. by the first convulsions of missing the Russian Revolution. Probably underestimating the impact of the American Francis Z. Lupo. A name among the to assuage her grief, and went back home, Let us go back three years earlier. In involvement on the evo- 1,060 engraved on the Tablets of the Mis- having only seen this endless list of mis- July 2003, archeologists carried out lution of the war, German sing in the American memorial in Belleau. sing soldiers. But 88 years later, in 2006, excavations in the sector, not far diplomatic efforts were too Until 2003, it was the only trace remai- Rachel Kleisinger, 73, a niece of Francis from Soissons. One of them unearthed tentative and delayed to ning, with some information about his unit Z. Lupo, was informed that the remains fragments of teeth and bone, as well as change the course of the and the fighting it was involved in. Lupo, of her uncle had been formally identified scraps of a boot and a wallet bearing the war. 18th R.I., US 1st Infantry Division, fell on by the scientists of the Military Laboratory. name Lupo. The service record of Pri- July 21, 1918 during the American coun- “My uncle died 100 years ago and they vate Lupo states that he was 5 feet tall, teroffensive in the Soissons area. He was tell me they have found him? I just could weighed 60 kg and that his shoe-size was 23 and a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. His not believe it.” The old lady, incredulous at 7. The size of the boot was 7,5. The DNA Elise JULIEN, in 1918. De guerre lasse, when the Germans realized that war was not about to end soon. 10 body was not found and he was reported first, finally believed in a story that seemed dispelled the doubts that could remain. Dép.de l’Aisne, 2008. Translated from the In 1917 the Kaiser decided to resume unrestricted submarine 11 “missing in action”. to be the stuff of Hollywood fantasy. The The remains were those of Private Fran- French. warfare, thus allowing the sinking of all ships, be they allied or After the war, his mother Anna Lupo trave- DNA had confirmed the pieces of evidence cis Z. Lupo. The military archives gave neutral. In February, President Wilson went before Congress to led to Belleau, a journey that did nothing that had been gathered. another piece of information: when the announce that he had severed diplomatic relations with Germa- soldier was reported missing, his unit was On April 6, 1917 the American Congress voted the declaration ny and in April, the USA declared war on Germany. The Ameri- fighting in the sector where archeologists of war on Germany. In Berlin the serenity of the population mat- can declaration of war was not a surprise in Germany. It was not operated 85 years later. ched the politicians’: the German Foreign Minister reacted after even considered as a major issue as the ongoing Russian revo- Joyce Kilmer rests in On September 22, 2006, the Department three weeks only and stated that no direct military involvement lution opened up perspectives for peace on the Eastern front Seringes-et-Nesles of Defense published a communiqué of the USA was to be expected. As surprising as they now may and for political reforms that could bolster the war effort. related to “the first identification by the seem, such reactions deserve some explanation. On the one In fact, Many Germans did not fear the American involvement in Pentagon of an American soldier missing hand, the context of a degradation of relations between Ger- the war, as they believed that it came too late and that a victory The poet and volunteer Joyce Kilmer, in action during WW1.” An official fune- many and the United States must be taken into account. On the of the Central Powers was assured. born on December 6, 1886, was shot ral service was organized on September other hand, they reveal an underestimation of the gravity of the Yet, the situation was far from good: submarine warfare had dead on July 30, 1918 near Meurcy 26. Private Lupo was repatriated and situation, which was to have dire consequences. fallen far short of giving the expected results and the troops farm. Attached to Major Donovan now rests in Arlington National cemetery At the beginning of the war, the Germans expected the USA to added to Germany’s strength from the Eastern front had only in the 42nd Division, he was on an where he was buried with honors in the maintain a neutral position. But the realization that Wilson had allowed an offensive which came too late and was foiled in the observation mission. Just like Oliver presence of his niece Rachel who had chosen the Entente soon sobered them. Moreover, submarine second battle of the Marne. Meanwhile hundreds of thousands Ames, who fell the day before under never met him but knew his Sicilian-born warfare launched by the Germans in February 1915 to thwart of Americans were arriving in Europe, reinforcing the victorious the same circumstances. They both mother. The Washington Post, Associated the British blockade was against the interests of the USA whose perspectives of the Allies. rest in the American cemetery in Press, ABC and other American media ships were regularly sunk. Thus German decisions were marked by excessive optimism, Seringes-et-Nesles near Meurcy. recounted the story of the soldier from reinforced by the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The various German Seringes-et-Nesles contains the re- Cincinnati and reminded the public that Unrestricted submarine warfare attempts to seek a negotiated peace came too late. A Peace mains of 6,012 American soldiers, 547 8,300 men of the 1st D.I. (numbering The diplomatic crisis culminated with the sinking of the Lusita- Resolution was passed by the Reichstag in July 1917, at a time of whom are unidentified. Created on 12,228 men) lost their lives, were woun- nia on May 7, 1915 that resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, when the Americans, who were about to win, had abandoned the very spot where the 42nd Division ded, taken prisoner or missing during the among whom 128 American civilians. The German leaders the idea of a stalemate and preferred to take Wilson’s 14 points fought, Seringes is the second largest 2nd Battle of the Marne. were torn between the wish to maintain diplomatic relations as the basis of negotiations to end the war in October 1918. American cemetery of the WW1 in with the USA and their reluctance to abandon a weapon that Even though the American troops did not have time to show Europe, in the words of Jeffrey Aarnio, was deemed very effective. Though they refused to endorse res- their full potential, the German lack of knowledge about the real The American cemetery of Seringes-et-Nesles. who runs the cemetery. Sources : website of Arlington Cemetery and the ponsibility for the disaster, they nevertheless agreed to suspend military and diplomatic issues led them to delay the necessary PHOTO F.-X. DESSIRIER Washington Post. unrestricted submarine warfare. The issue arose again in 1916, decisions until they had become tragically invalid. 4. A child in Chavignon looks at shells found on the battlefield. In the early 1920’s, the food for France Fund, of an American charity raising funds to get supplies for devastaded regions, produced documentary footage 1. Anne Morgan and Anne Murray to make the American public aware of the plight of Dike, founders of AFFW’s Civilian populations in need. ARCHIVES DEPARTEMENTALES DE L’AISNE humanitarian aid Division and of CARD, around 1917. (2 Fi Chavignon 4) MUSEE NATIONAL DE BLERANCOURT In March 1917 Anne Morgan, Anne Murray Dike and seventeen 2. American Committee visiting compatriots arrived in the Aisne region. For seven years those nurses at Soissons (Aisne), undated. 6 7 wealthy American ladies put their talents and skills at the ser- MUSEE NATIONAL DE BLERANCOURT 1 2 5 vice of local populations in need. 3. Young girl holding a chicken, Vic-sur-Aisne 1919. 3 4 MUSEE NATIONAL DE BLERANCOURT

12 13

Jean-Yves DUPAIN, in 1918. De guerre lasse, Dép.de l’Aisne, 2008. Translated from the French.

“The war is not only military fighting, it is also a struggle for civilians.” did not leave the house until they had set locate several times… But wherever they saries, and organizing the evacuation of they took care of numerous children With this in mind, at the end of 1916, the table, served a hot meal, made the were, despite the nomadic life they had villages. whose parents had been taken prisoner. within the American Fund for French bed, put flowers in a vase and welcomed to lead, they carried out their mission, After building a new warehouse in Pa- When war had ended, the American la- Wounded, Anne Morgan and Anne Mur- with a smile the tears of gratitude of those setting up mobile canteens and dispen- ris in May 1918, they stayed in contact dies stayed on and took part in the re- ray Dike founded the Committee for poor people,” relates Gaston Héricault in with refugees and set up construction in the Soissons area. They Devastated France (Comité américain his book Terres assassinées, devant les agricultural cooperatives in set up medical units in Blérancourt and pour les régions dévastées) (C.A.R.D.). dévastations. (1934). Seine-et-Marne and Eure-et- Vic-sur-Aisne. They also took an interest A few months later, the two women and But the C.A.R.D also aimed to provide Loir to provide work for the in the teaching of children, contributing to seventeen American compatriots settled training. As early as 1917, girls were displaced. In the Chateau of the setting up of 65 schools until March in the remains of the Château de Bléran- taught domestic skills, boys were taught Boullay-Thierry (Eure-et-Loir) 1920. They also set up libraries and libra- court that had been abandoned after the D.I.Y. and in Blérancourt, a gardener ry buses delivering reading materials to German retreat in March 1917. Their first taught children to grow vegetables and villages and hamlets. decision was to put up wooden barracks “No sooner had their cry for help reached fruit. Give a man a fish and you feed him The C.A.R.D. was dissolved on April 1, to serve as office and warehouse. They the Committee than a van, driven by for a day. Teach a man how to fish and 5. Chavignon around 1920, a group of 1924. On July 30 of the same year, Ge- also built a dispensary, a school and a young girls, took what was urgently nee- you feed him for a lifetime… children. To the right, a pile of shells. neral Pétain awarded Anne Morgan and poultry yard. The aim was not only to give ded. When they had reached their des- ARCHIVES DEPARTEMENTALES DE L’AISNE Anne Murray Dike the Legion of Honor in free food but also to help the inhabitants tination, the girls unloaded the van and They took part in the reconstruction 6. Distributing livestock the Château de Blérancourt that had by to regain their autonomy. transported what they had brought into In 1918, Anne Morgan and her compa- at Blérancourt (Aisne), 1919. then been turned into a museum... the last Of course C.A.R.D. provided assistance, the house. While one of them cleaned triots had to flee the German offensive. MUSEE NATIONAL DE BLERANCOURT achievement of those remarkable ladies. answering the calls for help of families as- the place, the other installed a bed, a From Blérancourt to Vic-sur Aisne, from 7. Dr Edna Ward and Dr Mary Goodwin, king for shelter and the bare necessities: stove, lit it and prepared a meal. They Vic-sur-Aisne to , they had to re- undated. MUSEE NATIONAL DE BLERANCOURT Charlie, Having fought alongside the Allies, Wilson’s America, in the aftermath of the conflict, was bound to have its say in world affairs. But despite reinforced economic influence, it failed to convince France or Britain The frail silhouette of Charlie, discovered by the Parisian public to share its views on relations A group of in 1915, reappeared four years later in the uniform of a soldier. between States based on In- American Repre- Shoulder Arms – Charlot Soldat in the French version, is an aty- ternational Law. The two vic- sentatives in pical movie among the various American war films released in torious powers preferred the front of the Grand France from 1917 onward. With this satirical work of art, com- traditional balance-of-power Cerf Hotel in bining comedy and tragedy, Charlie Chaplin enabled many real system of which the Treaty of Villers-Cotterêts, soldiers to identify with a fictional character. Versailles, which the USA did November 3, 1918. not ratify, was the incarnation. FONDS VALOIS - BDIC

on the details about his military gear. Some situations in the film, in keeping He carries various utensils that take on with Chaplin’s comical vein, nevertheless an amusing dimension, like the cheese echo the deep anti-German sentiment grater he uses to scratch his back. His that was a favorite feature of American The USA: funny facial expressions, his hyperacti- propaganda. vity, the peculiar way he moves and his extreme vitality come as a kind of provo- An involuntary volunteer Mark MEIGS, in 1918. De guerre lasse, When President Wilson came to Paris for the idealism and moralizing stance of Wil- cation when set against the vulnerability Though not refractory, Charlie, almost in Dép.de l’Aisne, 2008. Translated from the French. peace negotiations in 1919, he did not son, the President of a country that had of fighting men. The film does not dwell spite of himself, resists the fundamen- succeed in imposing his vision of a new come to their assistance, but so late in the on horror but humorously testifies to the tals of military organization. And though diplomacy based on the self-determina- war. Wilson went back to the US with a harsh realities of trench warfare: promis- the training he gets fails to make him After the war, the domination of the tion of peoples, International Law, and the treaty in which sanctions against Germany cuity, cold, rain, mud, attacks and vio- conform and toe the line, he never shirks USA as an industrial and financial power League of Nations as an organization that prevailed over the ideal of peace he had 14 Charlie Chaplin in Shoulder Arms, 1918. lence. his duty. Like most Doughboys he is art- became obvious. France and Britain were could allow nations to find negotiated solu- sought even before the entry of his country 15 J. willis sayre photograph collection One of the most effective episodes in the less and resourceful. deeply indebted and their efforts to reim- tions to their conflicts instead of resorting into war. representation of reality is the delivery of When he “involuntarily volunteers” for a burse their debts, and French pressure on to arms. Georges Clemenceau, French American disappointment was general, letters, so important for soldiers’ morale. dangerous mission, he becomes a hero, Germany to oblige it to pay financial repa- Premier, and Lloyd George, British Prime all the more so as American propaganda Charlie, who does not receive anything, just by chance, “like so many others!” in rations, destabilized Europe until WWII. Minister, favored other solutions: the ba- during the war had promised reform and Laurent VERAY, in 1918. De guerre lasse, sneaks behind a comrade to read his letter the words of writer Jean-Galtier Boissière However, the new power of the US was lance of powers, the assurance for France democratization of the world order. Yet, Dép.de l’Aisne, 2008. Translated from the over his shoulder and intensely reacts to in May 1919. not military. The importance of the US to have the upper hand over Germany and except for the provisions relative to the French. the news from home as if it was intended Eschewing the glorifying tone that cha- Army during WWI was numerical but not the assurance for Britain to renew links League of Nations, the Treaty of Versailles for him. This sequence is emblematic of racterized propaganda at the time, the based on victories or occupied territories. with the Empire. reflected the old balance-of-power sys- the profound humanity of the filmmaker film nevertheless extols heroic feats. The The USA depended on French and Bri- tem. Moreover, American conservatives His fame and popularity had reached an and actor. It also shows that his humor is association of the two positions is pro- tish firms for equipment (tanks, machine- American disappointment objected to the League of Nations. Henry all-time high on both sides of the Atlan- often tinged with sadness. Shoulder Arms bably one of the reasons why the film guns, guns…). Americans suffered more The losses suffered by both countries and Cabot Lodge, Senator for Massachusetts tic when Charlie Chaplin, in 1918, made aptly depicts the mixture of small joys was so popular with soldiers. If Cha- than one hundred thousand fatal casual- the necessity to cripple Germany heavily and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Rela- Shoulder Arms, a medium-length film and huge grief characterizing the expe- plin’s comical vein had no equivalent in ties, who were eclipsed by the millions weighed on the calculations of the French tions Committee, spearheaded the attack produced by the First National Company rience of soldiers on the front line, which the French cinema of the time, its irony suffered by the French and the British. and the British who did not much care for on the Treaty of Versailles that was never that was seen as a contribution of the US explains why many soldiers identified and derision mirrored the tone of satiri- ratified by the United States. to the war effort. Released in France by with the fictional character. A feeling well cal reviews written by artists and soldiers, At a time when the USA was becoming a Pathé in April 1919, Shoulder Arms, a conveyed in a text by Dominique Braga such as La Baïonnette and Le Canard key player, the country, officially at least, satirical film, gives a realistic, as well as in Le Crapouillot: “Charlie Chaplin made Enchaîné. Charlie’s adventures made distanced itself from the international funny and touching view of the conflict. the first real film depicting the war though spectators forget the pain and suffering peacekeeping system. It is the story of an American soldier who he had not gone to war himself”. For his they had experienced during the war. The falls asleep and dreams of glory after he part, Louis Delluc said that the film was film brilliantly and hilariously synthesizes has trained all day long. Spectators follow “a masterpiece in humor” and Charlie the huge human cataclysm of WWI. A few his imaginary peregrinations in the war Chaplin “a Shakespearean actor”. years later Blaise Cendrars jokingly said: that rages in Europe. The setting is sober One of the distinctive features of the bel- “The Germans lost the war because they and realistic but Charlie does not skimp licose rhetoric of the Allies was hatred did not meet Charlie on time!” of the “Boche”. Unqualified hatred that is also shown in Shoulder Arms, as the Chamery (Aisne). A funeral service for airman Quentin Roosevelt, a son of former American enemy is constantly ridiculed if not sim- President Theodore Roosevelt, whose plane was shot down by the Germans on July 14, ply reduced to the status of barbarians. 1918. LE MIROIR The Aisne a short Chronology We first saw fire on the tragic slopes Where the flood-tide of France’s early gain, Big with wrecked promise and abandoned hopes, Broke in a surf of blood along the Aisne. The charge her heroes left us, we assumed, Late 1914-early 1915 Americans, like the poet Alan Seeger, fight with the nd2 What, dying, they reconquered, we preserved, Regiment in the French Foreign Legion. In the chill trenches, harried, shelled, entombed, October 1914 Creation of the Commission for Relief in Belgium by Herbert Hoover. Winter came down on us, but no man swerved. 1917 Winter came down on us. The low clouds, torn In the stark branches of the riven pines, H istory April 6 The USA enters the war. Blurred the white rockets that from dusk till morn April Creation of the American Committee for Devastated France (Anne Morgan). Traced the wide curve of the close-grappling April-June The Franco-American “La Fayette” esquadrille is based in lines. (Aisne). June 13 A first contingent of the American Expeditionary Force commanded by In rain, and fog that on the withered hill General Pershing arrives in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Froze before dawn, the lurking foe drew down; June 28 The 1st Infantry Division arrives in Saint-Nazaire. Or light snows fell that made forlorner still End of October Gal John Pershing witnesses the shelling of Fort. The ravaged country and the ruined town; November 2-3 First major American engagement in the Lunéville sector. Or the long clouds would end. Intensely fair, The winter constellations blazing forth -- 1918 Perseus, the Twins, Orion, the Great Bear -- Gleamed on our pointing to the north. February-March The 26th Infantry Division holds the Chavignon-Pargny-Filain sector with the 21st French Infantry Division. And the lone sentinel would start and soar April and September Fighting in the Saint-Mihiel salient. On wings of strong emotion as he knew May Fighting in the Montdidier sector. That kinship with the stars that only War June-July Fighting around Château-Thierry. Is great enough to lift man’s spirit to. June Battle of Belleau Wood (near Château-Thierry). November 11, 1918 Nearly 2 million American troops are in France, within 42 And ever down the curving front, aglow divisions. With the pale rockets’ intermittent light, January 8, 1919 Wilson’s 14 points. He heard, like distant thunder, growl and grow The rumble of far battles in the night, -- Rumors, reverberant, indistinct, remote, Borne from red fields whose martial names have won The power to thrill like a far trumpet-note, -- Vic, Vailly, , Hurtebise, . . .

Craonne, before thy cannon-swept plateau, The American Where like sere leaves lay strewn September’s cemetery of dead, Belleau near I found for all dear things I forfeited Château-Thierry A recompense I would not now forego. in 2009. PHOTO For that high fellowship was ours then F.-X. DESSIRIER With those who, championing another’s good, More than dull Peace or its poor votaries could, Taught us the dignity of being men. 1920’s Creation of the Franco-American museum in Blérancourt (Aisne). There we drained deeper the deep cup of life, 1923 Creation of the American Battle Monuments Commission. And on sublime summits came to learn, 1933 Inauguration of Château-Thierry Memorial (Cote 204). After soft things, the terrible and stern, 2008 Inauguration of the memorial to the 26th American Division in Froidmont After sweet Love, the majesty of Strife; near Braye-en-Laonnois. 2011-2012 Inauguration of the memorial to the 42nd American Division in Fère-en-

There where we faced under those frowning m e ory Tardenois and creation of Croix Rouge Farm Memorial. heights The blast that maims, the hurricane that kills; There where the watchlights on the winter hills Flickered like balefire through inclement nights; Published by the Aisne Département, February 2015. All the texts are translated from the French. They were originally published in 1918, De guerre lasse (2008) and La lettre du Chemin des Dames There where, firm links in the unyielding chain, (2008 and 2013). Design and layout by Damien Becquart, Chemin Where fell the long-planned blow and fell in vain -- des Dames/Familistère de mission, Conseil général de l’Aisne. Printed by Imprimerie du Conseil général de l’Aisne. Hearts worthy of the honor and the trial, We helped to hold the lines along the Aisne.

Alan Seeger (in 1914-1915)