Battle of Saint-Mihiel

Battle of Saint-Mihiel
Part of the Western Front of World War I
A Renault FT tank ploughing its way through a trench and starting toward the German line near Saint Michel, France.
Date 12–15 September 1918 Location Saint-Mihiel salient, France 48°53′21″N 05°32′37″E / 48.88917°N 5.54361°E / 48.88917; 5.54361 Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United States  France	German Empire  Austria-Hungary
Commanders and leaders
John J. Pershing Hunter Liggett Joseph T. Dickman George H. Cameron Ernest Joseph Blondlat	Max von Gallwitz Georg Fuchs Eduard von Below Ludwig Goiginger[1]
Units involved
First Army I Corps IV Corps V Corps II Colonial Corps Division Aérienne	5th Army
Strength
: 216,000 men, 144 tanks : 48,000 men, 275 tanks 1,481 aircraft 2,900 artillery pieces	: 75,000 men, 213 aircraft[2]
Casualties and losses
7,000[3]	22,500 (2,000 KIA, 5,500 WIA, 15,000 POW) 450 guns captured[4]

The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12 to 15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against German positions. The U.S. Army Air Service played a significant role in this action.^[5][6]

This battle marked the first use of the terms "D-Day" and "H-Hour" by the Americans. ^{[citation needed]}

The attack at the Saint-Mihiel salient was part of a plan by Pershing in which he hoped that the Americans would break through the German lines and capture the fortified city of Metz. It was the first large offensive launched mainly by the United States Army in World War I, and the attack caught the Germans in the process of retreating.^[6] This meant that their artillery was out of place and the American attack, coming up against disorganized German forces, proved more successful than expected. The Saint-Mihiel attack established the stature of the U.S. Army in the eyes of the French and British forces, and again demonstrated the critical role of artillery during World War I and the difficulty of supplying such massive armies while they were on the move. The U.S. attack faltered as artillery and food supplies were left behind on the muddy roads.^[7] The attack on Metz was not realized, as the Supreme Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch ordered the American troops to march towards Sedan and Mézières, which would lead to the Meuse–Argonne offensive.^[8]