American Armies and Battlefields in Europe
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Chapter VII AMERICAN OPERATIONS ON THE VOSGES FRONT HE Western Front, extending for of Belfort, no great amount of fighting more than 400 miles from Switzer- had taken place since 1914 and although T land to the North Sea, was so long the terrain was appropriate for military that neither the Allies nor the Germans operations the narrowness of the pass be- could obtain sufficient men to undertake tween the mountains and the Swiss border, operations on a large scale throughout its called the Belfort Gap, made the region entire length. Consequently each massed not suitable for large-scale operations. 42d Division Troops in Front-Line Trench Near Baccarat, June 3, 1918 Scene is typical of rh e rrenches and terrain in the Vosges region its troops most heavily near those places The battle line between the Vosges where there existed a strong likelihood that Mountains and the Moselle River fol- the other might attack or where the terrain lowed roughly the former frontier be- or other strategic factors were such that tween France and Germany. The French an offensive would have good chances to had prepared before the World War to bring about decisive results. meet a German attack on that particular The rugged terrain in the Vosges front and one of the main reasons Ger- Mountains, north of the Swiss border, was many violated the neutrality of Belgium a serious obstacle to major operations in was to avoid a major offensive there. that region because of the difficulty of Severe fighting, however, occurred in the maneuvering and supplying any consider- region early in the wa;: when the Ger- able number of troops during an advance. mans attempted to take Nancy, but after South of these mountains near the town 1914 it became inactive as both sides ( 419) An American Division on the March, Wimer of 1917-1918 realized that offensive operations on other scribed for an American division after its parts of the battle line which were not as arrival in France was first to carry out strong offered more possibility of success. intensive training in an area in rear of the When the American troops arrived in front lines, then to serve in quiet sectors France the entire stretch southeastward for a time with French or British troops from the Moselle River to the Swiss bor- and finally to complete its training for der was a quiet or inactive front held by battle in a sector of its own. This rou- comparatively few troops. This front, tine procedure was broken in emergencies commonly known to the Americans as and some American divisions, such as the the "Vosges Front", was used by many 3d, 4th, 36th, 78th and 91st, went directly American divisions for training purposes. from training areas into battle without It was admirably suited for the purpose as sector service, while the 79th, 89th and it was conveniently located with respect 90th Di visions took command of sectors to the St. Mihiel salient, which was early without any penod of affiliation with selected as the scene of the first offensive troops of the Allied Armies. operation by the American Army, and The 1st, 5th, 6th, 29th, 32d, 35th, 37th, with respect to the American line of com- 42d, 77th, 81st, 88th and 92d Divisions of munications, which was being developed the American Army had their first sector to supply troops on the St. Mihiel front. service at the front in the Vosges region. The normal program of training pre- Elsewhere on the Western Front the Delousing Machine in Operation at Saacy, August JO, 1918 (420) American Parral Scarring on a Raid Near Badonviller, March 17, 1918 2 6th, 28th, 82d and 93d Divisions had giving valuable combat experience to the their first front-line training with the American soldiers who later served so French; the 27th, 30th, 33d and 80th with creditably on the Marne, at St. Mihiel, the British, and the 7th Division mainly along the Meuse and in the Argonne. with the American Second Army. Sections of the front line assigned to Service in quiet sectors varied widely divisions were called "division sectors". in character. For considerable periods A particular sector was often changed in the daily life of the front-line troops would both size and name as the military situa- be comparatively uneventful, disturbed tion changed. However, those of the only by routine patrolling and desultory Vosges Front were not radically changed shelling. At intervals, however, this com- while the American divisions served in the parative quiet was shattered by hard- region and, consequently, it has been pos- fought local operations and raids. The sible on the following pages to give a gen- natural enthusiasm of the American eral description of the sectors as they were troops and their inherent desire to start known to the American troops who occu- active operations as quickly as possible pied them. The division sectors of the usually produced a marked increase in the Vosges region are graphically shown on fighting in these normally quiet sectors. the sketch which appears on the next page. While this had no immediate effect on the In the text which follows the sketch they general military situation it did result in are discussed in order from south to north. Mail Call ar Rolamponr, Februan · 191 8 (421) 422 AMERICAN OPERATIONS ON THE VOSGES FRONT Sectors Held by American Divisions in the Vosges Region G N .Morhange Sarrebourg . ' Charm es Remiremont 0 10 20 30 - Sector - ----International Boundary $Fortified City Sector names appear opposite each sector Circled numerals show American divisions which held sectors indicated AMERICAN OPERATIONS ON THE VOSGES FRONT 423 The Center Sector lay wholly in Ger- pation of the so-called quiet sectors there. man territory. It extended north from While the 1st Division was in the the Swiss border and controlled the impor- Sommerviller Sector training with the tant Belfort Gap. The American 32d, French it took the first German prisoner 29th and 88th Divisions served in that captured by the A.E.F. The first Amer- order at different times in this sector. icans to be captured were taken by the The Wesserling Sector, also on German Germans in a raid at Bathelemont on No- soil, secured for the Allies the Bussang vember 3, 1917, and in the same raid the Pass and the greater part of the mountain first American soldiers were killed in ac- mass called the Ballon de Guebwiller. tion, three men losing their lives. These The 35th Division trained in this sector three men are now commemorated by a and the 369th Infantry of the 93d Divi- monument which the French erected in sion served here just prior to the Armis- 1918 over their graves near Bathelemont. tice, as part of a French division. When the 5th Division took command The Gerardmer Sector covered the of the St. Die Sector, the German position Schlucht Pass and lay entirely in German near Frapelle formed a salient projecting territory. It was held by the 35th and into the American lines. The division 6th Divisions at different times. decided to seize this salient and on The Anould Sector was astride the August 17 captured it in a small but principal range of the Vosges Mountains, well-executed attack. Consolidation of its southern portion being on German the new position was begun in spite of a soil. It covered the Bonhomme Pass. violent hostile artillery bombardment The 5th Division gained front-line ex- which continued almost without interrup- perience here and the 371st and 372d tion for three days. The division, how- Infantry Regiments of the 93d Division ever, clung grimly to its gains, repulsing served in this same sector as part of a a German counterattack on August 18. French division just before the Armistice. By the 20th the new position was com- Tbe St. Die Sector, north of St. Die, pletely organized and securely in Amer- controlled the southern exit of the Saales ican hands. The 5th Division lost ap- Pass. It was held at various times by the proximately 400 men in this fighting. 5th, 92d and 81st Divisions. On October 4 about 60 men of the 6th A corps front extended from the Division near Sondernach, east of Gerard- western slopes of the Vosges Mountains mer, were attacked by a party of 300 toward the northwest. It was known to Germans, equipped with machine guns the 42d Division, which trained on it, as and flame throwers. Although cut off the Luneville Sector. The corps front by a barrage and greatly outnumbered, was divided into three divisional sectors, the Americans repulsed the attack and tbe one nearest the V osges being called captured five prisoners. the Baccarat Sector. This last-named While occupying the Center Sector, division sector was held at different times elements of the 29th Division raided the by the 42d, 77th and 37th Divisions. German lines on August 31 and on Farther to the northwest was the September 7, inflicting many casualties. Sommerviller Sector. Units of the 1st The front lines of the 32d Division were Division entered the front lines in this raided on July 19, while the division was sector for training with the French on in the Center Sector. The raiding party October 23, 1917. This marked the first in this operation was repulsed, leaving two time that elements of an American division prisoners in American hands. held a section of the front-line trenches. While training with a French division The following incidents in the history in the Wesserling Sector, troops of the of the American divisions which served in 35th Division raided a German position on the Y osges region will give an idea of the July 6, inflicting losses upon the enemy mere active part of the American occu- troops and capturing seven prisoners.