UNITED STATES ARMY

IN THE WORLD WAR

1917-1919

Military Operations
of the
American Expeditionary Forces

Volume 6

CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY

UNITED STATES ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C., I990
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
(Reviwd lbr ~01s. 4-6)

Unitrd States Army in the World War. 1917-1919

Reprint. Originally published: Washillgton, D.C.:

Historical Division. Dept. 01. the Army. 1948.
Contents: v. 1. Organization of thv American
Expeditionary Forws.----v. 2. Policy-forming docu-
ments of the American Expc‘ditionary Forws-
[etc.]--v. 4. Military operations of the American Ex-
peditionary Forces.
1. United States. Army-History-World War.
1914-1918. 2. World War. 1914-191H-United States.
1. Center of Military History.
DS570.U55 1988 940.4’0973 88-600367

A IICM’ introduction has bwn added to Volunlc 1.

npc has been rcsct. but original pagination has not
been altrred. Except for Iront matter. maps. illustra-
tions, and some tables, camera-ready copy was
producrd by Susan Blair using optical scanning and

laser printing twhnology.

First Printed 1948-CMH Pub 23-l I

 UNITED STATES ARMY IN THE WORLD WAR, 1917-1919

Volunlc 1 Organization of t hc American Expcdit ionary Forces

Volume 2 Policy-forming Documents of the American Expeditionary Forcrs

Volume 3 Training and Use of American Units With the British and Fwnch

Volumr 4-9 Military Operations of the American Expeditionary Forces

V0lun1c 10 The Armistice Agrcemcnt and Related Docutnrnls

Volume 11 American Occupation of Germany

Volume 12-15 Reports ol the Co~nrnandcr-irl-Chief. AEF. Staff %>ctions a11d Scrviccs

Volunlc 16 General Orders. GHQ. AEF

Volume 17 Bulletins. GHQ. AEF

111
 FOREWORD

Military historians and scholars ol operational art haw tend& to tleglwt tllc%role
played by the American Expeditionary For-cm in M’orld War I. Although the Army org:i-
nizcd a historical oft‘icc in 1918 to prc‘parc a m~~ltivolumc history of thv war. budgcr r-c‘s_
traints and other considerations frustrated Chic,f-of Staf‘l’l’askcr II. Bliss irlt(~ntion to
“record the thinjis that wc’rc well done. for future imitation . [and] the errors as
shown by cxpcricncc. for l‘uturc avoidanm.” The nionicntous wc‘nts of suc~c*c~c~dingelm-
adcs only strr~ngth~ned this tenclcncy to ovrrlook our AI-my’s role in the fic%lds of Frallcac,
in 1918. This nrglcc‘t. although undcrstandablc. is unli)rtunate: World War I posc>d
unique challcngit~s to American strategists. tact ic>ians. and lo~isticians-chall~~~l~~s t hr>!
met in wavs that could provide today’s military student with special insights into the
profeisior; of arms.
To cncwuragc I-urthvr rcswrch in t hc history 01‘ World War I and to 1111a @l) in t hc
Army’s historical documentation of that conllic-t, the (Ynter of Military History has (-r-c’-
ated a World War I scrims of publications consisting of new monographs and reprints.
Cornplcmentin~ our newly published lkcsimilt- reprint Order o/‘Hattk qf‘thc> IJrlitcd
States I)artd Forws irl the World Wclr-. WC arc rctprinting this scvc’ntccn-volilI11C cornpila-
tion ol~s~~lectcd AEF r-words along lvith a new iIltroduction by David F. Trask. Gathercd
bv Army historians during the> intcr\var years, this nlassivv collation in 11o \va~~rcprc‘-
scnts an csxhaustivc rword ol‘ the Army’s montlis in Franw. but it is c%crtainly \vorthy 01.
serious consideration and thoughtful rctview by studcsnts 01. military history and stratc)g?
and mrill sc‘rvc as a useful jumping 00’ point for any carncst scholarship on t hex [var.
Thvrc is a certain poignancy connwtt-d wit11 the publication of tllis collcc~tion iI1 111~.
scvcnticth annivcrsarv . _ \‘c‘;ir ol “tlic> mm- to vnd all ~vars.” Liter tllis sunini(‘r vvtc.rans 01.
that \var will gather togc%ther. pc~rhaps for thv last tinlc. to disc,uss t hv llistory 01. 111~.
Anlcrican Expeditionary Forws and to rcnliniscc‘ about their scr\,icc. ‘I?) t1lc.m c‘sl~-
cially. but to all live millior~ Anlc~ric~ans who scsrlwl in World W:lr I. WC dcdicS:rf(~ this
wholarly und~~I-taking.

Washington, DC:.
1 June 1988
 CONTENTS
OISE-AISNE P#?
Prctace 1
High-Lcvcl Headquarters 5
French Tenth Army 17
French XXX Army Corps. 29
French 59th Division 46
American 370th Infantry Regiment 56
Frcnrh Sixth Army 59
Amrrican III Army Corps 77
American 28th Division 114
American 32d Division 141
American 77th Division 169
Annex-Translated German Documents 204

YPKES-LYS
Prefaw .._...._ .__........... _..... 285
Init ial Phase
Canal and Dickebusch Sectors-Allied Order of Battle 285
Annex-Translated German Documents 313
Final Phase
Flanders Oflensivc-Allied Order of Bat tie 325
Preparations for Crossing the Escaut (Schcldt) 327
Operation for Crossing the Escaut-First Phase 357
Operation for Crossing thy Escau-Second Phase 416
Annex-Translated Documents-Final Phase 464

VITTORIO-VENETO
Prcfacc .._.. _...... __.......... 518
American 332d Infantry Dcsignatcd for Service in Italy 527
American 332d Arrives in Italy 534
Battlc of- Vittorio 560

Maps

P&r

79. American 77th and 28th Divisions, August 1%Septcmbcr 16. 1918 4
80. Situation, American III Corps, August 24, 1918. 51
81. Situation. American 32d Division. August 29. 1918 95
82. Situation, American 32d Division, August 31. 1918 153
NC1

83. Situation, American 32d Division, September l-2, 1918 156

84. 370th Infantry (93d Division) near Vauxaillon, September 24-October 12. 1918 162
85. Oise-Aisne Offensive, August 18-November 11, 19 18 203
86. Proposed Strategic Position Between Oise and Vesle. German Seventh Army 214
87. Preparations for Withdrawal, German XXXVIII Reserve Corps, Septcmbcr 18. 1918 266
88. Resume of Operations in the Ypres-Lys Offensive. August 18-September 4. 1918 322
89. Resume of Operations in the Ypres-Lys Offensive, October 31-November 11. 1918 463
90. Allied Operations, Italian Front, October 24-November 4, 1918 548
91. Activities of American 332d Infantry Regiment. October-November. 1918 558
92. American Expeditionary Forces Activities in Italy. October 25. 1918 559

Illustrations

Blanzy-Fismes Area ............................. 115

Baslieux-Courlandon Arca ........................ 130
Fismes-Baslieux ................................ 143
Juvigny-Bois d’Alsace Area ....................... 159
Paars-Bazoches Area ............................. 175
Revillon-Butte de Bourmont Area .................. 194
Merval-Serval Area .............................. 199
Vierstraat-Kemmel Area .......................... 308
Voormezeele-Zillebeke Area ....................... 310
Audenarde-Eyne Area ............................ 401
Nokere-Waereghem Area ......................... 433
Dickele-Beilegem Area ........................... 442
Bovestraat---Boucle-St-Blaise Area .................. 461
Typical Italian Terrain Where American Units Fought 550

Vlll
 Military Operations
of the
American Expeditionary Forces