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Article: Meuse-Argonne Offensive
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
- Author:
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MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE
MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE
(26 September
–
11 November 1918). In April 1917, when the United States declared war against the Central Powers, the contending European powers had long been deadlocked in trench warfare. The entry of the United States gave hope to the French and British, but hostilities persisted for another bloody year and a half before the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) were ready for a major part in the decisive Allied offensive.
When the war began in 1914, U.S. regulars consisted of only 5,033 officers and 93,511 soldiers. The National Guard had about 67,000 men; the U.S. Marines, a mere 10,386. The sinking of the
Lusitania
in May 1915 ...