Member Article: Cascading Failure: The Roman Disaster at Adrianople
AD 378
by Jeffrey R. Cox
So long as humanity has existed, war has existed as well. Yet given the size of
the earth, the relative youth of humanity the limitation of human habitation to
certain climates and environments, is should come as no surprise that the portion
of the earth that has experienced war, including major battles or significant combat
actions, is very small. What should be much more surprising is that relatively few
places have experienced such combat actions on more than one occasion. Of those
that do, most were the subject of a single campaign. For instance, two American
Revolutionary War battles near Saratoga, New York, combined to stop the British
drive down the Hudson River. Multiple major combat actions were fought in and around
Atlanta during the Civil War campaign to control that city. No less than five naval
clashes were fought in the waters immediately north of Guadalcanal as part of the
World War II campaign to control that island.
Giulio Douhet’s Command of the Air: Designing the Principles for Cyberwar in the 21st Century
by Holly Senatore
This piece will demonstrate that the theoretical basis for counter cyber offense
is innately related to the conceptual argument proposed by the early air war theorist,
Giulio Douhet (1869-1930). He foresaw the offensive use of aircraft/ bombers strategically
employed in warfare to aim at the psychological, moral, and physical destruction
of the enemy’s homeland in order to bring about swifter end to combat. In the World
War II Pacific Theater, in 1945 General Curtis Lemay successfully utilized Douhet’s
teachings and helped to facilitate the surrender of the Japanese Imperial Forces.
This piece will secondly explore an overall methodology for forming a cyber- strategy
(the end goal) as it relates to the argument espoused by this early air war theorist
who presaged the vulnerabilities of government, economic, and civilian institutions
caused by air attacks. The means of implementing and executing this goal would loosely
be based upon the US Intelligence Cycle. Since cyber threats are also offensive
in nature, the cyber strategy posed in this discussion would counter these threats
by creating a counter cyber - offense strategy based on denial and deception, and
strategic deflection. Theoretically, this strategy can be accomplished by enacting
the steps of the Intelligence Cycle in reverse.
Ninety Five Theses and the Revolution that followed
by Thomas Leckwold
Martin Luther's Ninety Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences was
nailed to the castle church in Wittenberg, in now modern day Germany, on October
31, 1517. This document was a protest that strongly criticized the practice of selling
indulgences of the Roman Catholic Church, known here after as the Church. The document
was a challenge to church authority that set forth events that permanently changed
the religious, political, and social factors of central Europe, and led to a series
of wars using the pretext of faith, and the role of the Church in the political
structure of Western Europe. Luther's document was not meant to be a call to revolution,
but the social conditions, and economic factors, along with religious convictions
did set in motion a revolution and subsequent conflicts in central Europe.
Member Article: Bullets Quickly Write New Tactics
by Roger Daene
Wilhelm Balck said about tactics, “Bullets quickly write new tactics.” He was a
divisional commander in the First World War and had written many articles and manuals
on tactics before the Great War.[1] After the Battle of the Marne in 1914 and the
subsequent German retreat, the war on the western front became more of a positional
war rather than a war of maneuver. The Allied and German nearly unattainable goal
was to penetrate the enemy’s main defense lines and exploit any breakthrough. New
tactics would be developed after the bullets started flying. The German Army made
some fundamental changes to both its offensive and defensive tactics during the
winter of 1916/1917 and again in the winter of 1917/1918. In spite of all the adjustments,
the spring offensive of 1918 failed. The Germans began questioning and studying
why they failed in their last gamble to win the war.
Member Article: Who Won the Second Lebanon War of 2006?
by Robert Werdine
On the morning of July 12, 2006, members of the Reserve Battalion of the IDF’s 300
Brigade, 91 Division were en route to a routine border patrol on the Israel-Lebanon
border around milepost 105. At about 9:00am, one of their two HUMVEE utility vehicles
struck an IED, and a hailstorm of ATGMs (Anti-Tank Guided Missiles) blanketed both
vehicles, killing three and wounding four. Hezbollah militants at once pulled two
of the wounded Israeli soldiers from the wrecked vehicles, and made off with them
across the border. As a diversion, Hezbollah militants elsewhere then launched a
salvo of rockets, mortars, and sniper fire at several Israeli villages and IDF outposts
in the vicinity of milepost 105 to sow confusion and cover the kidnapper’s escape.
A few Israeli Merkeva tanks sent across the border in pursuit yielded nothing, and
one of the tanks hit an IED and was blown to bits, killing the crew. A rescue attempt
to retrieve the dead crew encountered a firefight with Hezbollah, killing two IDF,
and a stream of airstrikes hitting some 69 bridges in S. Lebanon failed to cut off
the kidnappers escape. The Hezbollah cross-border raid/kidnapping was a complete
success.[1]
Interview with WWII Veteran Walter Holy
Interview by Tony Welch
 An
astounding number of American teenagers, both male and female, altered their birth
dates in order to serve their country during World War 11. The practice reached
its peak in 1943. Over time, nearly 50,000 were detected and sent home. Among the
many who eventually managed to enlist, a handful was discovered – court martialed
– and then stripped of any valor awards they might have earned. But the great majority
– some 200,000 -- went unnoticed and served honorably for the duration. Among those
sworn in was Walter Holy (rhymes with ‘moly,’ as in ‘holy moly’). Walter and his
wife Frances reside in Vancouver, Washington, just over the Columbia River from
Portland. There’s a possibility that Walt’s combat boots are still stashed in the
hall closet, just in case. What might Walter be thinking? If you’re never too young,
then you’re also never too old…?
Book Review: Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the
Civil War
Review by Bruce L. Brager
 At night, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, can be a world class
spooky place. The tiny town sits in a triangle of land, a valley surrounded on all
sides by hills, at the point where the Shenandoah River flows north into the Potomac
River. Across the Potomac is Maryland, most dramatically represented by Maryland
Heights, almost literarily looming over the town. Just a few hundred years to the
east is the border of Virginia. To the south and west is West Virginia. Harpers
Ferry was part of Virginia before the American Civil War, before the creation of
the state of West Virginia. Militarily it was in an odd situation. Before the war,
one of the two major Federal armories was in Harpers Ferry, taking advantage of
the ready source of water for hydropower. The war took care of the armory rather
quickly. The Federals tried to burn; the Confederate took what did not burn.
Book Review: Lions of Kandahar: The Story of a Fight Against All Odds
Review by Bob Seals
 Since the horrific events of September 11, 2001, the United
States Army has been engaged continuously in combat operations across the globe.
Army Special Forces, employed in the Foreign Internal Defense mode, have often been
the nation’s weapon of choice against terror, working “by, with and through,” a
partner nation’s security forces. Perhaps due to the nature of Special Forces operations,
and the “quiet professionals” themselves, realistic and first person accounts of
Army SF operations during the past ten years have not been plentiful, or particularly
well written. The recently published Lions of Kandahar, by U.S. Army Special Forces
officer Rusty Bradley and journalist Kevin Maurer, has now broken this paradigm.
The two authors have crafted a superb work which gives the reader a thorough understanding
of SF operations masterfully executed in Afghanistan by the basic building block
of the branch, the Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha (SFODA). Commonly
known as the “A Team,” these small, highly trained 12-man units are often little
understood, or appreciated. This book should help to correct any misunderstanding.
Member Article: The influence of Neurotechnology on Just War
by Holly Senatore
This paper will discuss the use of neuroscience[3] by the United States Armed Forces
to further develop emerging technologies in the field of neurotechnology for purposes
of National Security in conjunction with a discussion of its use in terms of Just
War Theory. It will secondly pose the question as to whether or not it is ethical
to continue the use of human research experimentation within the United States Armed
Forces for the development of neurotechnology. The second portion of this question
is examined in conjunction with regard to the possible undermining effects that
this emerging military technology will have on integral aspects innate to any warrior
ethos, such as courage, bravery, and honor and are hence trans-cultural. Neurotechnology
is intended to alter the capability of human cognitive[4] function and manipulate
mental states of US Service-members. As such, neurotechnology and the testing of
it on human research subjects within the United States Armed Forces, or the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) sponsored human experimentation for the
development of neurotechnological enhancements or should only be considered moral
or ethical if used in a defensive war waged for a Just Cause.
Member Article: Turning East: Hitler's only option
by Thomas Tripp
The invasion of the Soviet Union arguably was the most important military decision
Adolf Hitler made in his life. In just a little under four years, it destroyed the
Thousand Year Reich along with tens of millions of innocent lives. Did this
fatal decision go against his belief of avoiding a two-front war or did Hitler feel
he had a small window of opportunity to win a campaign in the East, provided it
was swift, while the British remained isolated on their island? He felt this would
bring about a settlement with Great Britain without the risk of a cross channel
invasion. Hitler in one of his last recorded conversations in the Reich Chancellery
Bunker in April 1945, stated:
Member Article: Fury, Fumaroles and Brimstone - Interview with
George Pickett
by Tony Welch
For seven months – May through November, 1945 – George E. Pickett and three fellow
sailors held sway over what would soon become the world’s most iconic and instantly
recognizable piece of real estate. None of them held a trust deed to the property,
and yet this foursome lorded over their patch of ground with all the authority of
a cop on the beat. Trespassers and interlopers were warned away by a sign reading:
“DANGER – 5,000 VOLTS! KEEP OUT.”
Member Article: The Club Runs: Allied Aircraft Resupply Operations
to Malta, 1942
by Brick Billing
By early 1942 the tiny island of Malta, approximately 100 km south of Sicily, was
effectively under siege. German and Italian advances in North Africa had transformed
the Mediterranean an Axis-held lake, with the nearest Allied bases in Gibraltar
on the eastern end and Egypt on the west. The Axis, realizing Malta’s strategic
position, subjected the tiny island to daily aerial bombardments. Over the course
of two years Malta became one of the most heavily bombed places on Earth as the
German Luftwaffe, and the Italian Regia Aeronautica flew over 3,000
bombing raids in an attempt to neutralize the island .[1] For as long as Malta remained
in Allied hands, British air and sea forces could mount attacks against Axis shipping,
threatening General Erwin Rommel’s supply lines in North Africa. As early as May
1941, Rommel had warned his superiors that: "without Malta the Axis will end
by losing control of North Africa."[2] Standing against this Axis threat were
a series of fighter, bomber, and torpedo squadrons based at Malta’s three airfields;
Luqa, Hal Far, and Takali.[3]
Member Article: Son of an Artilleryman Follows In His Father’s
Footsteps
by Tony Welch
“I was standing on the back porch as he drove away in his car,” says Bob Lamkin.
“And that’s the last I ever saw of him. I was six years old.” Lamkin, now 91, is
referring to his father, Robert L. Lamkin, a veteran of the Spanish-American War
(1898-99) and the Philippine Insurrection that closely followed. The senior Lamkin
served during the latter conflict, which claimed over 4,000 American lives. And
then -- a quarter-century later -- he simply disappeared. What ties could possibly
link – much less bind -- a child to a father who suddenly abandons his family? “What
I remember of my father is that he fought as an artilleryman in the U.S. Army,”
Bob recalls. “My only image of him is from an old photograph. He’s in his uniform
standing beside a 155 millimeter cannon.” This single connective thread, fragile
though it be, would eventually lead Lamkin to a different battlefield half a world
away. In his own time and in his own way, Lamkin managed to forge a path that reunited
him with the father he would never come to know.
Member Article: Colonel Patrick O'Rorke: Unsung hero of Little
Round Top
by Roger Daene
The one who writes the history is oftentimes the one who receives the glory. This
is especially true in military history. Those who survive the battle are able to
tell their story known to the public. In some cases, those who die in battle can
either be relegated to obscurity or their achievements are underrated because there
is no one to tell their story. The Lieutenant-Colonel of the 140th New York at the
Battle of Gettysburg was one whose story is relatively unknown.
The town of Gettysburg had grown in size and importance once the railroad had come
to town. Gettysburg was a crossroads town and after the war had begun, supplies
had moved through this bustling Pennsylvania town. In the waning days of June 1863
both armies began to move toward Gettysburg. The town was about to move into immortality
and hold a place forever in American history.
Member Article: Plague of the Spanish Lady
by David W. Tschanz
In August 1918 while World War I raged from Finland to Mesopotamia an epidemic began.
In two months it covered the globe, sparing only Tristan da Cunha in the extreme
South Atlantic. No one has ever figured out how it traveled such great distances
in so short a time. Coast Guard search parties, for example, discovered Eskimo villages
in remote, seemingly inaccessible locations wiped out to the last adult and child.
Most of its victims were young men aged 18 to 45. Many of them went from perfect
health to the coldness of the grave in less than a day. It crippled troop movements,
slowed the reinforcement of Pershing, broke the already fragile German morale and
shattered the Kaiser's war effort. Only the Black Death of the 14th Century and
the Plague of Justinian of the 6th Century, would rival it in the rate it claimed
human lives. Neither would match it in its speed.
Cairo's Fortress on the Mountain
by David W. Tschanz
Cairo residents call it the Qal'at al-Jabal, the Fortress on the Mountain, or just
al-Qal'ah, the Fortress. The rest of the world simply calls it “The Citadel.” For
nearly a millennium it has stood as a silent sentinel, residence, and symbol of
power. Standing on its battlements, and looking westwards provides a view of over
4500 years of architectural marvels from the mosque of Sultan Hasan, just below
to the Pyramids of Giza across the Nile. From atop this fortress the awesome sweep
of history is a vivid reality. It is a view that must have given even the sultans
who ruled from here, cause to reflect.
Interview with a World War II Veteran
by Robert C. Daniels
In preparation for writing a book, tentatively entitled “World War II in Mid-America,”
I have conducted oral interviews on 33 people of a small mid-western American community
that had lived during and through the war. These people represent a wide and diverse
range of those living in that area at the time: male, female, military, civilian,
adult, children, farmer, factory worker, etc. These interviews were designed to
gather information on how World War II affected the interviewees’ lives. As such,
questions were asked during the interviews about their lives prior to, during, and
after the war.
Why Arnhem?
by Thomas Leckwold
Operation Market-Garden, the largest airborne operation in history, is a
well known failure because of the inability to capture a bridge over the Rhine River,
and the resulting destruction of the British 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem. Many
opinions of the Battle of Arnhem were established by Cornelius Ryan in his book
A Bridge Too Far which became an epic 1977 movie by Joseph Levine and Richard
Attenborough. These works provided readers and movie goers an understanding of the
defeat that Allies suffered. However, these works fail in answering the basic question
of how events on the Western Front influenced the decision of choosing Arnhem as
the objective for such a daring and risky operation to force a crossing of the Rhine?
Hell Ship - From the Philippines to Japan
by Robert C. Daniels
U.S. Marine Edmond Babler was forced to surrender to the Japanese Imperial Army
in April 1942 with the fall of the Island fortress of Corregidor in the Philippines.
Like many of his fellow POWs, after spending two years of hard labor under what
can only be described as horrendous and savage slave labor conditions in the Philippine
Islands of Luzon and Palawan, he was transported to the Japanese main islands in
what would be known to the prisoners as a Hell Ship. What follows comprises Chapter
7 of 1220 Days: The story of U.S. Marine Edmond Babler and his experiences in Japanese
Prisoner of War Camps during World War II, and is his personal account of
that trip using his vernacular and colloquialisms whenever possible, including the
phonetic form in which Ed originally wrote and remembered several Japanese phrases.
It is his views and memories, with no apologies made nor intended to conform to
the modern concept of political correctness. The author has sparingly inserted clarifications
and corroborating information in encapsulated brackets where deemed necessary to
give the reader a better understanding of the ‘overall picture’ of the war in relation
to what Ed was experiencing.
“She Hastens Onward Still”: The Battleship USS Oregon And its
Place in National Memory
by Dr. Christopher M. Jannings
Ship breakers claimed the vast majority of 19th Pre-dreadnought and 20th century
United States battleships like the USS Oregon upon decommission.[1] Masts,
guns, anchors, smoke stacks, and other elements of the most famous remain on public
display at historic sites, serving as substitutes for full-sized memorials that
require private donations or taxpayer dollars to maintain. The USS Oregon
was the centerpiece for the State of Oregon Marine Park from 1927 to 1942, and seemed
destined for honorable retirement until the outbreak of World War II, but was sacrificed
because of misguided patriotism in the State of Oregon and misappropriation of war
materials and building contracts, particularly involving the use of steel, within
the highest levels of government and industry.[2]
Member Article: SMS Dresden's War: The Benefits of Protracted Evasion
Over Spirit of Enterprise,1914-1915
by Dr. Christopher M. Jannings
How highly mobile German commerce raiders (light cruisers) performed at sea and
met their fate is one of the more compelling and controversial stories of World
War I. One such account is that of the SMS Dresden and how it successfully
eluded capture or sinking at the hands of a far superior British navy and their
allies in 1914-1915. This essay charts the performance of the light cruiser from
its prewar position off the eastern coast of Mexico to its scuttling in Chilean
national waters on March 15, 1915.[1] It asks: In terms of carrying out cruiser
warfare, what expectations did the German navy have for its overseas cruiser squadron
at the beginning of the war? Was SMS Dresden under capable command and prepared
to take on the role of an independent commerce raider?
Member Article: Air Reconnaissance in World War One
by Del Kostka
For most people, the great aces are the most enduring personalities of World War
I. Almost 100 years after they blazed across the skies of Europe, names like Richthofen,
Bishop, Guynemer and Rickenbacker are still memorialized as the chivalrous "knights
of the air". Yet few people today give thought or credence to the pilots and observers
of reconnaissance aircraft. Often portrayed as lumbering and defenseless victims
of air combat, aerial reconnaissance crews actually made an impact and contribution
to the war effort far greater than their glamorized brethren. The accuracy and timeliness
of the intelligence they gathered changed the nature of warfare, and the devastating
artillery barrages they orchestrated from high above the battlefield accounted for
more casualties than any other weapon system of the Great War.[1] Simply put, the
reconnaissance aircrew was the most lethal killing machine of World War One.
From Liberation to Confrontation: The U.S. Army and Czechoslovakia
1945 to 1948
by Bryan J. Dickerson
In the closing days of World War II in Europe, soldiers of the U.S. Army were welcomed
as Liberators by crowds of Czech civilians exuberant at being freed from six long
years of Nazi tyranny and occupation. Just three short years later, the relation-ship
between the U.S. Army and Czechoslovakia was dramatically different. Instead of
allies, they were now adversaries. Due to the rapidly changing political situation
in central Europe and the emergence of a Cold War between the United States and
the Soviet Union, the U.S. Army in Europe underwent a series of major changes in
mission and structure which culminated with it being forced to assume a combat posture
against the very same country and ally that it had helped liberate from the Nazi
Germany in the spring of 1945. In just three and a half years, the U.S. Army performed
the roles of a combat force / liberator, an occupation force / rebuilder, a police
or constabulary force and ultimately, a combat force again in rapid succession.
Jewish Resistance during the Holocaust: Fact or Fiction?
by Abigail Pfeiffer
For close to fifteen years after the Holocaust there was little written about the
resistance of the European Jewish population against the Nazis and their collaborators.
According to Michael Marrus in his article “Jewish Resistance to the Holocaust”
the reason for this is “…most Jews had little stomach for myth-making of any kind
about Jewish resistance in the immediate shock of the war. It was all Jews could
do in the first postwar years to absorb the reality of mass murder on an unimagined
scale…”[2] Only after the shock of the attempted liquidation of the whole population
of European Jews wore off did some solid historiography emerge about Jewish resistance.
The trial of Adolf Eichmann in Israel also prompted more historians to examine Jewish
resistance, especially outside of Israel and Yiddish speaking populations.
Member Article: Betrayed by a Mason? The Tragic Mission of Lieutenant
Thomas Boyd
by Michael Karpovage
Moments before deploying on the longest military campaign of the Revolutionary War,
Freemason Thomas Boyd was given a final ultimatum by his repeatedly spurned and
pregnant lover. In front of his superior officers she warned Boyd, a lieutenant
with Morgan’s Rifle Corps of the Continental Army, “If you go off without marrying
me, I hope and pray to the great God of heaven that you will be tortured and cut
to pieces by the savages.” An embarrassed Boyd, his pride tarnished, responded by
drawing his sword and threatening to stab her unless she removed herself.[1] She
acquiesced. Unfortunately for the young lieutenant, he should have heeded her ominous
prediction for that was exactly the fate that befell him.
Member Article: Smoke without fire: A re-examination of the Angel of
Mons
by Steve MacGregor
During World War One there was a widespread belief in Britain that some form of
supernatural intervention saved allied troops during the retreat from Mons. Since
the war this event, generally known as the “Angel of Mons” has been variously used
as evidence of supernatural intervention in combat, an example of a collective hallucination
or as an urban myth unwittingly originated by a piece of fiction. The most prosaic
explanation is that the Angel was no more than a misinterpretation of odd cloud
formations seen by weary troops. The only thing that most theories agree on is that
something strange happened during the retreat from Mons in August 1914 and that
this was witnessed by British (and possibly German) troops.
Member Article: Who Killed the Red Baron?
by Steven Wilson
In the skies above Vauz sur Somme, France, April 21, 1918, the highest-scoring ace
of World War I was shot down by enemy fire and died. Almost immediately, his legend
was born. Manfred von Richthofen, forever known in history as "The Red Baron," was
credited with 80 air-to-air victories in World War I. He was chasing victory number
81 at the time of his death. He was 25. At the time of his shoot down, Canadian
Capt. Roy Brown of the Royal Air Force's 209th squadron was credited with firing
the fatal shots that killed the famous aviator. However, recent evidence has surfaced
that indicates the old history books may, in fact, be wrong.
Member Article: Armenian Warriors, Japanese Samurai
by Dr. Armen Ayvazyan
Armenian historiography contains considerable information about ancient and medieval
Armenian military ideology. In the works of fifth century historians Pavstos Buzand
and Movses Khorenatzi, the commands and legacy of the Armenian sparapets
(commanders in chief) to their successors articulate in detail the obligations and
responsibilities of Armenian warriors. Their norms of conduct share striking similarities
with the system of values of the Japanese samurai codified during the 16th to 18th
centuries, as well as with later medieval West European chivalry of the eight to
14th centuries. “Fight and offer your life for the Armenian World just as your brave
forefathers did, consciously sacrificing their lives for this Homeland…”
Member Article: Benedict Arnold in Canada
by Roger Daene
The summer of 1775 began with the Americans laying siege to Boston. The Battle of
Bunker Hill was a British victory, but the severe losses prevented them from being
able to lift the siege. To the north, in the Hudson River Valley, a combined force
under Captain Benedict Arnold and Colonel Ethan Allen of Vermont, had surprised
the British garrison at Fort Ticonderoga. Following the capture of Ticonderoga,
Arnold led a bold attack on the British fleet on Lake Champlain. He either captured
or destroyed all the British ships there. He was soon to prove that these two earlier
successes were just portents of future events.
Member Article: Len Hornbeck Interview, WWII Veteran "D-Day Gate
Crasher"
Interview by Tony Welch
Barely recognizable in the false dawn of D-Day, a German grenade skitters across
the roadway. Walking directly into its oncoming path is an American paratrooper.
At age 23, Leonard Hornbeck's reflexes have never been sharper. Instinctively, he
jumps straight up just as the “potato masher” disappears beneath his combat boots.
In that frozen moment of time the grenade explodes between Leonard's legs, propelling
him skyward. If the German soldat who tossed the grenade tried to duplicate
his feat – performed in the dark – he would have gone through a case of explosives
without coming close.
Member Article: Interviewing The Interviewer. "Vets Tell All --
He Listens."
Interview by Avery Chalmers
You've been doing World War Two oral histories now -- how many years?"
“Well…in a serious way, since around 1973. I was the first one in my family to serve
in the military since the Civil War – a span of ninety years. Back in the mid-fifties
I worked in the same Eighth Naval District headquarters office as Howard Gilmore’s
widow. Her husband skippered the submarine Growler and was the first sub
sailor to be awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. Mrs. Gilmore held an administrative
job with the Navy – guaranteed employment for life. She told me this story and I’m
sure that’s when I first got hooked. She began by saying she was personally responsible
for having sent hundreds of mules to a watery grave. Mules? Mules in the Navy? Well…I
was all ears. It turns out these mules were rounded up during the war from sharecropper
farms throughout the southern states. Mrs. Gilmore was the project manager and co-ordinated
various civilian contractors whose job it was to purchase, assemble and arrange
the mules’ transportation to various war zones in the Pacific where they’d serve
as infantry pack animals.
Member Article: The 308th Infantry during the Argonne Offensive October
1918
by Kevin Mulberger
During the American involvement in World War I, there were various battles that
caught the American public's attention, but none were like the one like the story
of the "Lost Battalion". This battalion consisted of about five hundred men of the
308th Infantry of the 77th Division along with attachments from other units. The
commander of the 1st Battalion 308th Infantry Regiment was Maj. Charles Whittlesey,
a former New York City lawyer. The 308th also consisted of attachments from the
306th Machine Gun Battalion and K Company from the 307th Infantry for their mission.
This mission was to capture the Charlevaux Ravine in the Argonne Forest during the
Meuse-Argonne offensive in October 1918. The offensive through the Argonne Forest
would be a tough battle for the Americans since the Germans had dug themselves in
over the last four years. Also the rough terrain would add to the difficulty in
any attack in the Argonne. In theory, if the AEF broke through here, they could
punch a hole all the way past the main lateral rail line the German Army needed
to keep the front supplied. A major break through here would then be catastrophic
for the Germans.[1]
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