'The Lost Battalion' - How 650 Americans held off the German Army (WW1 Documentary)

in early October 1918 across this war torn and shell shattered Hillside in northern France more than 600 doughbys of the American expeditionary Force surrounded and outnumbered fought for their lives over more than 5 days they sustained Relentless assaults by their German opponents who used machine guns mortars and flamethrowers in a bid to eradicate the pocket that had formed in the Argon Forest by the time that fight was over hundreds of men lay dead and wounded across this battlefield in this video using veteran testimony and the very latest technology to explore the battle like never before will recount the incredible story of the men history remembers as the Lost Battalion but just how did those men find themselves lost here let's take a look by mid 1918 the Western Front after an precedented period of movement which had seen the Germans make huge gains in their spring offensive had once again stabilized now though having lost many of their finest soldiers in a failed gamble to divide the British and French before the Americans arrived they were once again on the back foot but far from defeated with more than 1 million men in France by July 1918 the Americans too were ready to do their bit under the command of General John Blackjack per ping the doughbys had faced a steep learning curve in their first battles but had learned well and so when in September a new assault was planned in the heavily defended murar gun region they were eager to play their part the battlefield there were to assault was right here just north of the infamous verd sector covering a 19m stretch of the Western Front running from the MS River on the right to the formidable argon Forest on the left the objective of the assault which would ultimately be become the largest battle in American history was to drive through the hardpressed Enemy Lines in this area outflank their vaunted Hindenburg line to the west and continueous strategy of sustained Hammer blows up and down the Western Front which would ultimately Force the exhausted German Army to capitulate in order to achieve that in this area both French and American forces would be used their positions look something like this by mid-september Persian had three Army Core in this part of the line on the right in the MS River Valley were third core to their left and task with assaulting the stronghold of mon Falcon were the men of the fifth Corp and on the left of the American line on the flank of the French army which included the African-American 92nd division Buffalo soldiers who were under French command were the men of General Walter Li's first call consisting of the 35th 28 and 77th divisions it's with this last unit that Al Focus will lie so who were those men of the 77th well they were a typically broad mix from all over the world the 77th itself known as the Liberty division had been formed from men mostly drawn from New York State once War had been declared despite being an American Division the unit itself boasted almost 50% foreign born soldiers and amongst the Liberty boys are staggering 42 different languages were spoken amongst those were these men the soldiers of first Battalion 3 e8th Infantry Regiment led by 34-year-old major Charles witley born into a middle-class family in Florence Wisconsin Charles had excelled at school earning a place at Harvard Law before starting his own Law Firm the unassuming and highly conscientious man took leave from his work shortly after the outbreak of war and volunteered for the US Army being commissioned into the 77th ultimately rising to the rank of major commanding first Battalion 308 under his command was 18-year-old private at L Hollings head an Ohio native he had enlisted at Fort Thomas Kentucky on the 2nd of January 1918 and arrived in France as a member of H company only a few weeks before going into action in the Argon so what about the task in the coming fight well it was an extremely tough one let's take a look at the ground to understand why the Argon itself was a formidable defensive site Not only was it heavily wooded and covered with undergrowth and mile after mile but that ground had also over the last four years been steadily fortified by the occupying Germans of the second land division they had used numerous Ravines and gullies to sight three major trench systems along prominent ridges named for Varner's Ride of the Valkyries understanding just how difficult the Argon was to Traverse is not easy today but with the use of liar imagery which removes the above ground foliage we can penetrate the forest and see what even more than 100 years later Lies Beneath here by focusing in on this sector of the battlefield and using these key roads to align the modern satellite with the liar shot we can strip back the Woodland and reveal an incredibly complex and widespread series of trenches mine craters and even shell holes ever since 1915 this area had been bitterly contested by the French and Germans and so trenches had sprung up here and formed an intricate web which had to be carried by any attacker to stand any chance of success but what was the view like on the ground by dropping into into the battlefield we see just how difficult this area was to Traverse Not only was the undulating terrain a major problem but the densely packed and badly crated ground meant that every single yard of forest would be an almost Point Blank fight with barbed wies strung between trees hidden trenches running through the undergrowth and concealed machine guns just like this one which would open fire at only a few yards distance in short it was hell for an attacker but attacked it had to be and so on the 27th September 1918 all along this front 10 American divisions with French infantry supporting each flank would begin their advance in the bloodiest battle in American history signaling the start of the mogon offensive was a 3-hour long Hurrican bombardment of such intensity that in just that short time period more shells were fired by American Gunners than in the entirity of the US Civil War the battle in all fairness opened relatively well for the dove Bo who in both the air and M river valleys and despite a horrifically bloody fight around the Fortified Hilltop of mon Falon made some good progress the French attackers 2 which included that of the 92nd division on the left also made some gains but the real issue was unsurprisingly here in the Aron the terrain let alone the enemy meant that quite simply the pace of Advance could not be maintained and with the Germans retaining control of key ridges in the Argon they could also pour artillery fire into the flanks of the advancing allies those ridges simply had to be taken if success was to be achieved day after day with the 77th division in the lead the Doughboys battered their way forwards against a well- entrenched and determined enemy despite the difficulties the fight simply had to go on if the offensive was not to stall and in terrain where communication and maintaining contact with neighboring units was problematic to say the least much of the fighting descended into company and Battalion sized actions by by the 1st of October the American line have reached about here though with the French 9th cassier and the 307th Infantry Regiment meeting stubborn resistance little progress could be made in fact when attacks continued at 7:00 a.m. on the second only one unit in this part of the line could make any real Headway it was something of a mixed force and here's a quick point the Lost Battalion wasn't actually a battalion and in fact it wasn't even lost but it makes for a catchy title and the newspapers at home liked it at the time so will keep it it was right here that major Whitty along with four companies directly under his command two more from the second Battalion and a scattering of other troops perhaps 650 men in total had attacked except they had met practically no resistance they weren't aware at the time they had inadvertently stumbled across an undefended Gap in the German line despite serious concerns about his flanks with whom he had no contact wit's orders were clear push on and drive the enemy back so that's exactly what he did yard by yard and now under enemy fire from the front his ad hoc Force Advanced through this area of the forest towards his assigned objective the bavil lavier Jette Road and the nearby shavo Mill by Nightfall on the 2nd of October his men were exactly on their objective digging in and waiting to establish contact with their neighboring units a job well done or so they thought in fact it would soon become clear that although they had reached their objective no no one else had and wit's force was now alone almost a mile Behind Enemy Lines if you've enjoyed this video so far why not check out our first world war podcast not so Quiet on the Western Front where each Friday Dr Spencer Jones and I delve deep into the untold stories and surprising truths of a conflict that shaped the course of the 20th century you can find the link in the video description so back to the action so how do we know exactly where they were well again we can turn to modern technology this liar image of the exact location today provides a fascinating and previously unseen understanding of the battlefield here we see the valley up which major Whitty and his men moved on the second finding this exact Gap in the still visible German trenches on The High Ground above passing through unseen they reached what is today a modern Lake damned in recent years the water of which came from this small stream flowing along the next West East running Valley this remarkable view even shows us the remains of fox holes and shell craters in the valley floor historical accounts tell us that whitty's Force occupied this area between an unmade track and baville road on the steeply sloping north side of the Ravine more ominously as we look North slightly and focus above the road the liar picks up traces of something that today we know was present but at the time the Americans did not overlooking the their positions on The High Ground are the remnants of German machine gun imp placements with strong fields of fire across the entire area the route North was blocked and the storm clouds were gathering as the 650 men in this area dug in Whitty sent a number of Runners carrying handwritten messages back in the direction they had come to try and ascertain the situation not one returned the reason soon became clear the Germans had counterattacked and had pushed back the ninth cassier and the American 307th on either flank at the same time closing the gap which his Force had used to reach their objective were still the front lines were now almost one mile to their South and all German eyes turned on the surrounded Force realizing they were cut off and already low on water food and ammunition Whitty dispatched the bulk of e company to attempt a breakthrough back along the valley to reestablish contact with the rest of his regiment Lieutenant James leak was amongst them on the morning of October 3rd just before daylight my company was ordered back to the position where on the preceding day we had assaulted and driven the Germans from their trenches as we started back we were attacked by a machine gun on the hill on our right this machine gun was silenced and the crew taken prisoner then we proceeded on toward our objective and just before we reached it we were fired upon from each flank and from the front of the 58 men in E company only 18 returned to Whitted to share the news he had for some time been suspecting they were surrounded it was now that things changed no longer was this an offensive action but a defensive one in which the men trapped in what became known as the pocket would fight for their lives thankfully as yet the Germans have made no concerted attack though mortar and machine gun fire was taking its toll it allowed just enough time for Whitt SE to sketch out a rough defensive Hollow Square between the beerville Road and the unmade track on the valley floor using the slopes of the hill to offer at least a little protection the real danger lay to the rear where only a scattering of men and two light machine guns held the line each man now dug the best defensive position he could working by hand to create a foxter for at least some cover it was just in time throughout the morning German forces have been converging on the Ravine with machine guns mortars and Riflemen in all directions clearly preparing for an attack when it came it was from all sides with a bombardment of grenades and mortars followed by infantry assault under a withering fire The Defenders managed to fight the attack to a standstill eventually driving the Germans back to their positions but at heavy cost to both sides at 5:00 p.m. yet another hail of grenades from the top of the hill signaled a further assault this one a firefight lasting 45 minutes was also repulsed but again took its toll and the cries of wounded men unable to be Evac evacuated will become an everpresent feature in the Ravine over the coming days seeing the clear possibility of disaster on the horizon Captain Holdman attempted another breakout toward the American lines but this too failed and the dejected survivors could only return to their foxholes and wait for Knight to descend across the battlefield throughout the third Whitt SE had released his units carrier pigeons to try and get a message back to headquarters asking for reinforcement and artillery support but when eventually it did arrive shortly before 300 p.m. on the 4th it did so in a horrific manner in an episode that still debated today somehow inaccurate coordinates were provided and instead that barrage of high explosive and shrapnel shells slammed not into the enemy but into wit's own men causing as many as 110 casualties including 30 dead in desperation Whitty released his final carrier pigeon named Sher Ami with the famous message we're along the road parallel to [Music] 276.50 Incredibly Close and part of the E company line have been overrun with a wounded Lieutenant leak amongst those taken prisoner despite holding the enemy at Bay the American casualties were mounting by the minute ammunition was running perilously low and both medical supplies and food were by now completely exhausted one thing that was available was water though at Great risk the small stream running through the Ravine provided a vital Lifeline for the Defenders especially the wounded but it meant running a gauntlet of heavy fire from The High Ground above in order to reach it many men fell in the attempt by the following morning 5th of October the situation was desperate having lost upwards of 40% of his total Force by now the survivors were simply too exhausted to even bury their dead many of whom had been hit again by the artillery bombardment the day before leaving the entire area scattered with the body parts of Fallen friends the wounded two were suffering badly with infection inevitably beginning to set in throughout that day yet more fire was poured into the pocket and further German attacks held off often with bullets and grenades taken from the bodies of the Fallen of both sides there was though a glimmer of hope for the men in the pocket as a deavin dh4 scout aircraft was seen flying slowly over wht's position during the day in an attempt to locate the isolated Force but as this view shows locating dugin men in this terrain was extremely difficult and no positive identification was made one more hellish night passed which claimed yet more lives but when the sun rose on the 6th of October the 250 or so unwounded survivors of more than 650 that had entered the Ravine had yet more to endure further attacks throughout the day including one using Liquid Fire was stubbornly resisted the almost unbelievable fortitude of the men in the pocket was perhaps bolstered that day by the sounds of Fire and closer as other American troops made renewed attempts to smash through the German line and reach their comrades increasingly desperate to support their stranded men a novel new approach was authorized by senior American commanders which saw Pilots of the 50th AOS Squadron bravely overfly the area at low level to drop supplies into the pocket despite incredible courage and the loss of several aircraft the attempts failed with the closest container dropping just outside the American perimeter by 10:00 a.m. on the 7th of June the utterly desperate men still living in the Ravine stealed themselves for yet another day for some though the temptation of supplies was too strong and nine H Company Men including L Hollings head at around 10:00 a.m. made for the nearest container just a few hundred yards away as they approached a spray of machine gun fire hammered into the group killing five and wounding the other four including Hollings head who was taken prisoner brought in front of a German officer officer liutenant Hinrich Fritz prince who to Holly surprise spoke faultless English and had in fact lived for many years before the war in Seattle Washington he was asked and agreed to return to the pocket and give this powerful message to Major Whitty sir the barer of this present private Lowel air holding head had been taken prisoner by us he refused to give the German intelligence officer any answers to his questions and is quite an honorable fellow doing the honor to his Fatherland in the strictest sense of the word he has been charged against his will believing that he's doing the wrong to his country to carry forward this present letter to the officer in charge of the Battalion of the 77th division with the purpose to recommend this Commander to surrender with his forces as it would be quite useless to resist anymore in view of the present conditions the suffering of your wounded can be he over here in the German lions and we appeal to your humane sentiment to stop a white flag shown by one of your men will tell us that you agree to these conditions please treat private LEL R huling hat as an honorable man he's quite a soldier we Envy you the German commanding officer contrary to popular belief whtl se's response was not go to hell but simply to refuse to reply and instead order his men to prepare to defend yet another attack it came an hour later at 5:00 p.m. each man present knew it was all or nothing loading the last few rounds into their rifles and fixing bayet they endured another storm of grenades and jets of flame as the Germans assaulted from all sides at once in a fight lasting 90 minutes incredibly the Americans once more prevailed and the equally exhausted Germans withdrew once again to their hilltops it would be the last of the attacks on the Lost battalion by now both the 307th and the remnants of the 308th Infantry were pressing in on the German cordon and on either flank outside the Argon Forest French and American troops had turned inwards threatening to cut off the besiegers with time clearly up and the American pocket still holding they slipped northwards during the night of the 7th of October leaving the exhausted men of the Lost Battalion to count their losses it was a long list of more than 650 men who had entered the Ravine on the 2nd of October 1918 only 194 were on their feet when they left with the survivors standing proudly for this iconic photograph a short time later close to 200 men would not make it home either being killed outright or dying of wounds sustained during those awful days Under Siege many of whom originally buried at the location where they fell and captured in this powerful photograph today lie in the stunning murar gon American cemetery alongside 14,000 Fallen doughbys of the Great War for those who did go home when hostilities finally came to an end a little over a month later there was instant Acclaim L holling head The Prisoner who delivered the surrender message to Whitty eventually returned to Mount Sterling Ohio where he married and became a prison guard often lecturing to local groups about his time with the Lost Battalion in the postwar Years Holly even managed to make contact with lutant Prince his former enemy who had been so impressed with his conduct the two stayed in touch until the start of the second world war where Prince's fate was lost to the pages of History 44 years after the actions in the pocket L holling head had a chance to return to France and pay his respect at the site where so many of his comrades fell he died in his hometown in Ohio 4 years later age 66 even those with the more unusual story found Fame sheramy the pigeon that had brought out whitty's last message was treated by medics in the 77th division for wounds to the breast and wing and the loss of a leg and an eye but survived he was awarded the quadar with palm and died on the 13th of June 1919 in New Jersey after his death he was stuffed and is today on display in the Smith Sonia museum in Washington DC for others their postwar years were far more troubled major Whitty one of seven men to be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions may have physically left the Argon but his experiences never left him struggling to return to peacetime life and the demands that came with his Celebrity Status he booked a passage to Havana Cuba aboard the steam ship to lower on the 26th of November 1921 after an evening meal on board he went on Deck alone at 11:15 p.m. and was never seen again thanks for watching we hope you found this video interesting if you enjoy first award content then why not check out our podcast not so Quiet on the Western Front where each week we explore battles and topics that shaped that extraordinary conflict and if you'd like to support what we do here on YouTube why not consider joining our amazing patreon Community whose support makes videos like this one possible that's all this time we'll see you again soon

Channel: Battle Guide

Views: 201,620

Keywords:

Id: uhnazjpm1Ag

Length: 23min 25sec (1405 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 20 2024