witz’s men along a 50-mile front. Preparations
were intense and included bombardment by
2,900 artillery pieces, sorties by 1,500 aircraft,
and support from 267 tanks. German resis-
tance was fierce and professional, but the Al-
lied advance scored impressive gains. How-
ever, Pershing’s progress proved deceptively
easy. Gallwitz had already concluded that Al-
lied advances elsewhere made St. Mihiel un-
tenable, and he ordered a strategic withdrawal
to straighten out the German line. Making ex-
cellent use of the terrain, the badly outnum-
bered Germans fell back in good order, fight-
ing a series of tenacious rear-guard actions. By
the time Pershing ordered a halt on September
16, the St. Mihiel Salient, which had existed
since 1914, was finally erased. Furthermore,
Pershing had proved a point to both Allies and
Germans alike: that his inexperienced Ameri-
cans could fight effectively. To that end they
captured 15,000 prisoners and 450 artillery
pieces at a cost of 7,000 casualties. The dough-
boys had made an auspicious debut.
The next trial of strength came at Meuse-
Argonne, a critical sector on the Western
Front. It was also heavily defended, as the
Germans had three years to prepare numerous
and interlocking fields of fire, several belts
deep. Gallwitz’s forces may have been bled
white from months of continuous combat;
being well-trained, experienced, and profes-
sionally led, however, they still evinced plenty
of fight. At length Pershing massed upward of
600,000 French and American troops, 500 can-
nons, nearly 500 tanks, and a 500-plane strike
force under Gen. William “Billy” Mitchell. Lo-
gistical arrangements for the entire operation
were entrusted to a lowly colonel, George C.
Marshal, who subsequently gained renown for
his efforts. Pershing intended this final battle
to be a fight to the finish.
The offensive kicked off on September 26,
1918, into terrain that was heavily forested
and favoring the defense. The inexperienced
Americans charged manfully into prepared
German positions and were mowed down by
intense machine-gun fire. The process was
slow and costly, but Gallwitz simply fed a con-
tinuous stream of reserve divisions to threat-
ened points, and the Germans held. Casual-
ties mounted as the Allies inched north
toward the Belgium border, but four days
later Gallwitz’s defenses had completely de-
railed the offensive. Pershing then frantically
reorganized and resupplied his battered divi-
sions before resuming the attack on October
4, 1918. The exhausted Germans gave ground
slowly and in good order, making the Ameri-
cans pay heavily at every step. But the end
was in sight. After four years of continuous
warfare, Germany was at the breaking point,
and the arrival of millions of American troops
underscored the futility of further combat. All
fighting ceased on November 11 when the
Armistice was signed. The Americans had
made better progress during the later phase
of the campaign, which cost them 117,000
men in 47 days of intense combat. German
losses were nearly as heavy and included up-
ward of 20,000 prisoners.
The Meuse-Argonne offensive was the
most important operation ever mounted by
U.S. forces in World War I and was a direct
factor in the collapse of Germany. Once again,
Pershing demonstrated the value of his enthu-
siastic but inexperienced men. But if the vic-
torious Yankees could claim that they had
“learned to fight by fighting,” the indomitable
Gallwitz proved to be a stern teacher. He was
subsequently one of a handful of diehards
who opposed the Armistice and urged the
government to rally the people for a defense
of the homeland. As an indication of how
highly Gallwitz was regarded, many politi-
cians spoke of him as a successor to the now
disgraced Hindenburg.
After the war, the general mustered out
and parleyed his popularity into politics.
From 1920 to 1924 he completed several
terms in the Reichstag (national assembly) as
a deputy of the German National People’s
Party. He died in Naples on April 17, 1937, the
most accomplished enemy that America en-
countered during World War I.GALLWITZ, MAXVON