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Army 3RD ID ... WWI 'Rock Of The Marne' Heroics By early 1918, World War I was slogging along as a back and forth battle between the Allies and the Germans. Germany's military was proving its strength and was able to strangle the failing Russian Empire to the point where an armistice negotiation was required. Germany was also dangerously close to capturing Italy and taking the city of Venice. In late May, the 3rd Infantry Division deployed their troops to France to assist their beleaguered allies with the hopes of turning back the ferocious German fighting force. The 3rd ID’s historic fight against the German Army changed the course of the war and led to the Allied Forces’ victory.
In order to understand the heroic stand that the 3rd ID would make with their French and British allies, one must look a little further back. In March of 1918, the British Army had positioned troops along the Champagne region of France, planning for a German invasion. British scouts soon noticed an unusual amount of military traffic around the French city of Arras. Arras was a huge objective for the German Army as the city allowed easy access to key French ports and could serve as a staging point for an attack on Paris, a key objective for the Germany Army. If they could control the capital city of France, it wouldn’t take much to put the rest of France under German control. On March 21, a German force led by Gen. Erich Ludendorff, the commanding general of the German Army, commenced the assault on Arras, known as “Operation Michael.” The battle lasted 15 days and was successful for German forces at the time. Their military was able to take over almost 3,000 kilometers of French territory, however Allied forces led by the British Expeditionary Force were able to complicate German logistics and strategic success. Germany's first objective was to take control of the Plain of Flanders in order to push Allied forces away from the region. In April, the Germans attacked the city of Ypres in Belgium, in what was known as “Operation Georgette.” This was a tremendously complex fight, and many proxy battles would commence along the Lys River. During this battle, the German forces were able to penetrate through Allies lines, but ultimately failed to meet their desired objective by late April due to inclement weather. In comparison to their previous offensive, Germany was only able to take 16 kilometers of French territory. The Germans’ next attack took place on May 27 alongside the Aisne River. This was Germany’s third offensive, which was given the codename “Blucher-Yorck.” Several battles would take place along the Aisne River which would result with the Germans taking 2,300 square kilometers of land from the French and coming within nearly 60 kilometers of Paris. At the time, though, Germany was not able to continue their advance any further due to exhaustion and lack of supplies. June 9 would commence Germany's final offensive, which was codenamed “Gneisenau.” By this point in the war, Germany had taken control of the area known as Belleau Wood, near the Marne River. Although the area had little-to-no strategic advantage, it was still considered a stepping stone toward their final objective. Before the German forces were able to march toward Paris, they were met by American forces attempting to take back the occupied area, which the Americans did win back at a cost of around 5,000 Soldiers. The Germans plan was to approach Chateau-Thierry from Argonne Forest. This was viewed as an easy win for Germany because they believed that Allied resources were limited and the majority of their forces were in the back of the battle area helping out with defense measures. However, the Allies weren’t there just to defend, and realized that a strong offense here was the only way to drive German forces out of France. Before Germany could carry out their plan, the Allies launched a series of offensives. Although the Germans were able to reach the French city, they again encountered the 3rd ID. The battle, and the last hope for German victory, only lasted a day and resulted in a devastating loss for the German war effort. This was a major success for Americans and the Allies as German forces were pushed away from the area of the Marne River. Our Valiant Troops | I Am The One | Veterans | Citizens Like Us U.S. Army Gifts | U.S. Army | Army National Guard | U.S. Department of Defense |
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