Soissons 1918

The Battle of Soissons (also known as the Battle of the Soissonnais and of the Ourcq (French: Bataille du Soissonnais et de L'Ourcq)[a] was a battle during World War I, waged from 18 to 22 July , between the French (with American and British assistance) and German armies.
Table of contents

Men died because of their unwillingness to cooperate against the German strongpoint, which held out for a long time. Though seriously wounded at Cantigny , he went AWOL from the hospital to rejoin his buddies just in time for Soissons.

Battle of Soissons () | Revolvy

A German shell shattered his right arm during the advance. He kept going, and crawled into a German trench clutching a pistol in his left hand. There he killed four Germans and took four more prisoner. For his courage and sacrifice, Edwards would receive the Medal of Honor. Cooke of the 5th Marines led his men in an assault against German artillery firing at them over open sights.

I thought a couple of boilers had blown up in my face.

Water welled into my eyes and my helmet jerked back against its chin strap. The shells had screamed past before I could duck but, half blinded, I hit the deck anyhow. Later, soldiers of the 9th Regiment assaulted a German machine gun nest. One Doughboy remembered a German gunner trying to surrender: The German crumpled into a pile of human flesh and bone behind the gun he had used in knocking down many Americans. The Battle of Soissons continued for several days. Exhausted by Belleau Wood, the 2nd Division tired quickly and had to be pulled out of the line.

The advantage of surprise would give them another victory like those of March 21 and May Unknown to them, however, the French had learned the time and place when the attack would come. Another attack was launched on the eastern side of the Marne. The 4th French Army, knowing the German plans, established a defense that turned the German attack into a catastrophe.

Around midnight, the German bombardment began and continued unabated for the next four and a half hours. The Germans attempted to cross the Marne in small boats and across a light pontoon footbridge.

Battle of Soissons: 1st and 2nd Divisions, July 18, 1918

With the enemy on three sides, the 38th fought the Germans to a standstill and earned the immortal name "the Rock of the Marne. Only German prisoners got to the other side of the river. July 15 was the worst day the Germans had in the war and they never regained the initiative.

It was time to go on the offensive, said the Allied supreme commander, Marshal Ferdinand Foch.


  1. stock photos, vectors and videos?
  2. Temp: Life in the Stagnant Lane?
  3. TimeRiders: The Doomsday Code (Book 3).

With the German army in confusion, and discouraged, the moment to strike was then, before they could reorganize. But, from where would the troops come? With the encouragement of Gen John J. They were the best assault division in the French army. A surprise attack was planned for 4: Harbord, who had been the commander of the Marine brigade at Belleau Wood, was on leave in Paris where he was promoted to major general and given command of the Second Division, effective July Colonel Wendell Neville, who had commanded the 5th Marines, was promoted to brigadier general and assumed command of the Marine brigade on July 17, with Col Logan Feland taking over the 5th Marines.

Retired Gen Gerald C. Thomas, now deceased, had been a gunnery sergeant in the 6th Marines and in wrote in the Marine Corps Gazette about Soissons, "When they were traveling away from the front they walked, but when higher headquarters wanted them in a hurry, trucks would be found for them to ride.

They rode all night and until noon of the 17th. They were dropped off in a field to rest, while officers made an effort to secure orders and gain information as to where they were headed and why. From Corps headquarters came orders that they would begin at 4: The march through the forest that night was never forgotten by anyone who made it.


  • Counterstroke.
  • Battle of Soissons () - WikiVisually.
  • Top 60 custom solutions built on Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010.
  • Bit Of A Blur: The Autobiography!
  • References.

    • It was hot and before long, thunderstorms with sheets of rain drenched the troops who were marching on the sides of the muddy road. It was pitch-black with only flashes of lightning to help keep the files in line. In the center of the road crawled the horse-drawn artillery, supply wagons, sawmills on wheels, and something that Marines had not seen before-mechanical monsters called tanks.

    Battle of Soissons (1918)

    Even French cavalry was moving up. In "Leaves From a War Diary," Gen Harbord wrote, "Our men in the Second Division had had no sleep for two nights; they were to attack over terrain devoid of water except what they carried, and only had their reserve rations. The attack began at the appointed hour of 4: It was out of my hands when they went 'over the top,' and there was nothing to do but pray for victory, and wait for news. The 5th Marines double-timed to reach the jump-off line, with the 9th and 23d Infantry on their right and the 1st Moroccan Division on their left.

    The 6th Marines was held in reserve. The objective of the Marines was the road between Chaudun and Vierzy.

    A Mad Race to the Front

    When the Marines cleared the woods, the tanks took the lead. Soon the Marines captured Verte Feville Farm. The 1st Bn veered out of its sector and captured Chaudun about 9: With few maps and compasses, the units were confused, but by noon they had advanced nearly six kilometers. When the Marines hit the German front line, they were met by murderous machine-gun fire. Two veteran Marine sergeants of the 66th Company, 5th Marines broke up some of these machine-gun nests that enabled the 1st Bn of the 5th Marines to continue the rapid advance. Matej Kocak and Louis Cukela had much in common and were good friends.

    Both were in the first contingent of Marines to arrive in France in June , and both had gone through the bitter fighting at Belleau Wood without a scratch.

    Please enter your password Forgotten your password? Continue Cancel Send email OK. Page 1 of 1. The white line from Arras to Soissons shows the front at the opening of the Battle of the Somme in July, Battle between Lens and Soissons Horizontal, sepia stereocard showing two uniformed soldiers manning a machine gun stationed behind a fallen tree.

    Cases of extra ammunition are stacked to the right. Keystone Stereograph number V To this day, the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments are the only U.