Posted on 07/10/2018 2:28:07 PM PDT by huldah1776
One hundred years ago, Allied troops readied themselves for a forgotten battle that turned the tide of World War I. Thousands of American servicemen marched through the night to position themselves for a surprise strike against the Germans.
A thunderstorm raged the third week of July 1918. Other than the occasional arcs of white-hot lightning, the night was so dark that the American Marines marched with each man holding one hand on the pack of the man in front of him to avoid getting lost. They hadn’t eaten in more than a day, and the men were bone-weary. Still, they were moving as quickly as possible on the slippery footing in the Retz Forest. Screened by the trees and the weather, they were rushing to get into position for a morning attack, hopefully before the Germans noticed what was happening.
Some men fell asleep while marching or while riding their horses. Along the way, they passed the grisly remains of previous battles: horses sliced into pieces and left to rot where they lay. Many were cut clean in half, and one, blown off the ground by artillery shells, dangled from a tree like a gruesome piñata. The sights and smells spooked the living horses, and the cavalrymen and artillerymen found it difficult to get their mounts to proceed through the forest.
The story ... is retold in my new best-selling book, The Unknowns: The Untold Story of America’s Unknown Soldier and WWI’s Most Decorated Heroes Who Brought Him Home. Recently released, The Unknowns follows eight American heroes who accomplished extraordinary feats in some of the war’s most important battles. As a result of their bravery, these eight men were selected to serve as Body Bearers at the ceremony where the Unknown Soldier was laid to rest at Arlington Cemetery.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
The Unknowns: The Untold Story of America’s Unknown Soldier and WWI’s Most Decorated Heroes Who Brought Him Home
while trying to copy and paste the authors name I got forwarded to the list of his articles.
https://www.breitbart.com/author/patrick-k-o-donnell/
bump
Bump!
Two US Divisions participated in the Battle of Soissons, July, 1918. The 1st Division (Big Red One)included two infantry brigades with the 16th, 18th, 26th and 28th Infantry. The 2d Division included an Army infantry brigade with the 9th and 23d Infantry Regiments and the Marine Brigade with the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments.
Like most battle where the USMC participated, Army units were seldom mentioned. The press and the Marines have always had a good relationship and the Marines knew what to do with that.
I play this on Battlefield I, beautiful countryside.
Soissons was probably most important in making a hero of a young German corporal who was awarded the Iron Cross First Class. How might history have been different if the US had kept its nose out of that foreign mess.
God has His reasons. Israel becoming a nation is the most important IMHO.
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