The
two battles of St Mihiel are 4 years apart. On 20 September
1914 the Germans launched an attack from Metz that was designed
to outflank the fortress of Verdun from the south. Although
they crossed the Meuse at St Mihiel and held the town they
were unable to advance any further. However they occupied
a triangular salient from Les Eparges in the west below Verdun,
via St Mihiel in the south, to Pont a Mousson below Metz in
the east, and it remained in German hands until retaken by
the Americans four years later.
The
second battle opened on 12 September 1918 when the American
1st Army under General 'Black Jack' Pershing carried out its
first offensive. More than half a million Americans supported
by some 110,000 French attacked and within 36 hours reduced
the German St Mihiel Salient. American losses were about 7,000,
German 20,000.
This
is the sort of very brief summary that precedes each of the
27 different battles covered in our two books Western Front
- North, and Western Front - South. A more detailed description
follows in the books with a point to point battlefield tour
as well as up to date photographs.
HOW TO LEARN
MORE ABOUT THE BATTLES
This
battle is described in Western Front - South. Please click
here to go to details
of the guide book in which the Battles of St Mihiel are described
