Follow in the footsteps of the American Expeditionary Force in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive as they push the once mighty Imperial German Army back in the last Hundred Days of the First World War. Visit the most significant sites of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and listen to some the stories of the men who fought in this epic battle.
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was the greatest battle fought by the American Army in the First World War. It involved the majority of the AEF and was a complex operation. The German Army had spent four year fortifying their defences in the rough, hilly terrain of the region and the AEF had to smash through these defences to capture the important rail hub at Sedan. Its seizure effectively destroy the rail network supporting the German Army in France and Flanders and force the enemy's withdrawal from the occupied territories.
The bulk of the AEF forces employed in the initial onslaught were transferred from the St Mihiel Salient in preparation for the offensive. There new sector extended some thirty miles east to west to the north and northwest of Verdun. It was from here that they would launch their assault that would in six weeks result in 26,277 killed and 95,786 wounded.
Join one of our team of battlefield historians on a tour of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, follow the action and see how the battle developed.
The first stop of our tour is at Abri du Kronprinz. The site consists of a network of trenches and concrete bunkers, in the dense forest of the Haute Chévauchée, that formed the headquarters of Crown Prince Wilhelm von Preußen, son of Kaiser Wilhelm II, in the MEUES-ARGONNE region. They were built for Crown Prince Wilhelm and used as the German General Headquarters prior to the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and possibly even as early at the Battle of Verdun. It was here that the 77th Infantry Division, made up of troops drawn from the New York City area, attacked at the beginning of the Meuse-Argonne offensive and were held up by this strongly fortified and defended site.
The second stop on our itinerary is Varennes-en-Argonne where we visit the Pennsylvania State Memorial and discuss the actions of the 28th Infantry Division at the beginning of the Meuse-Argonne advance. The 28th Infantry Division, formed from units of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and known as the "Keystone Division", was the oldest division-sized unit in the United States Armed Forces.
We then move to the southern end of Varennes-en-Argonne to begin following in the footsteps of the 35th Infantry Division, which was formed by units of the National Guard drawn from Kansas and Missouri. They advanced to the east of Varennes and the fighting in the vicinity involved the 59 tanks of Lieutenant Colonel George S Patton Jr's 354th Tank Battalion.
Our fourth stop of the day is at Vauquois Hill where we look at the preserved trenches and cratered summit of the hill and discuss the assault by the 35th Infantry Division that led to its ultimate capture after four years of an almost constant struggle for control of this vital ground.
It is then on to Cheppy where we stop off at the Missouri First World War Monument to continue to follow in the footsteps of the 35th Infantry Division's advance. We then continue north across the battlefield to Chaudron Farm where we discuss the 35th Infantry Division's actions at the farm and nearby wood. We will also discuss the application of artillery during the advance, including that of Captain Harry Truman, who would later be the 33rd President of the United States, who commanded Battery D of the 129th Field Artillery Regiment, part of the 35th Infantry Division’s integral artillery.
Our day's touring complete, we return to your tour hotel where you are free to enjoy your evening.
Day two begins when we depart from our tour hotel reception at 09:00 hrs.
Our first stop of day-two is at the Lost Battalion Monument near Binarville. Here we begin to follow in the footsteps of the Lost Battalion as we explore the battlefield in which their story unfolded. This includes a scramble through the trees of the Argonne Forest as we search out the shell holes and shell scrapes in which they stubbornly resisted all of the German attempts to dislodge them.
Our next stop is the Aprémont German Military Cemetery where we remember and pay our respects to the war dead of the German Army that opposed the American Forces in the epic Meuse-Argonne offensive.
We then head north to Châtel-Chéhéry where we stop off at the Sergeant York Memorial. Here we leave our vehicle to spend the afternoon following the Sergeant Alvin York Memorial Walk and discussing his heroic actions that led to the award of the Medal of Honor.
Our day's touring complete, we head back to your tour hotel where you are free to enjoy your evening.
Day three begins when we depart from our tour hotel reception at 09:00 hrs.
We begin the day at the Montfaucon American Victory Memorial and destroyed village where we discuss the actions of the 79th Infantry Division, composed primarily of draftees from Maryland and Pennsylvania, as they try to storm the commanding heights of Montfaucon in the face of devastating enemy artillery fire.
We then head north to the vicinity of Nantillois where we discuss the actions of the 4th Infantry Division in the area and visit the German War Cemetery.
This is followed by following in the footsteps of the 32nd Infantry Division, formed from units of the Wisconsin and Michigan Army National Guard, as they capture Romagne-sous-Montfaucon and the surrounding area including the ground that the Meuse-Argonne American War Cemetery now occupies.
Our final stop of the tour is at the Meuse-Argonne American War Cemetery and Memorial where we pay our respects at the grave of some of those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom and are buried there.
Our tour complete, we drop you off at your agreed location where we bid you farewell.
Please note: Itineraries are subject to change due to operational reasons. Any changes will be advised closer to the time of departure.
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Costs may vary from those shown above due to the availability and selection of hotels, and other associated cost variations at the time of booking.
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