The War was caused in part by a military doomsday machine, devised by war planners who lacked firm political guidance. General war came about because statesmen lost control over their military machines during an international confrontation. Before the War, Germany’s military leaders faced the difficult strategic problem of preparing for a two-front war. Their solution was to develop an audacious strategy known as the Schlieffen Plan. In an attempt to obtain a quick military decision, Germany employed the Schlieffen Plan at the War’s outbreak. When this quick decision failed to occur, Germany’s leaders found themselves embroiled in a grinding war of attrition against a powerful coalition of opposing states.
World War I, "the Great War," lasted from 1914 through 1918. The Western Front was stalemated by static trench warfare, in which hundreds of thousands of men died in senseless attacks, from the beginning of the war until the armistice of November 1918.
When the fighting came to an end with the Armistice of November 11, 1918, more than eight million soldiers had lost their lives. An estimated 12-million civilians also perished. The war ended without clear solutions, leaving future military and political leaders to grapple with a host of strategic, tactical and technological dilemmas.
The peace settlement of 1919 remains a controversial topic. The international order created by this settlement lasted barely twenty years. The 1919 Versailles settlement failed to establish a stable international order, illustrating that winning a war does not always mean winning the peace. In the aftermath of the war, huge changes occurred. The center of wealth transferred from Europe to the United States; the political map of Europe was significantly redrawn; and Germany was left in financial shambles, its people driven to the brink of starvation - a situation that helped lead to the rise of Adolf Hitler and, ultimately, World War Two.
Contents:
I.Backround
II.Central Powers
III.Allied Powers
IV.Central Losses
V.Allied Losses
VI.Conclusion
VII.Important Battles
VIII.Pictures
I.Backround
II.Central Powers
| Country | Total Men Mobilized | Aircraft | Tanks | Artillery | Ships | Germany | 11,000,000 | 2,951 | 20 | 10,000 | 124 | Austria-Hungary | 7,800,000 | *36 | -- | -- | 86 | Ottoman Empire | 2,850,000 | 266 | -- | 1,548 | 25 | Bulgaria | 1,200,000 | 82 | -- | -- | 7 |
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In 1914 Germany was the leading industrialized nation in Europe, surpassing England. One thing Germany did not rely on was tanks. However, Germany had a lot of artillery guns and they were the backbone of the German Army.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire faced a big problem with their military. Language was the main problem as many different nationalities made up the Austro-Hungarian Army.
The Ottoman Empire had problems of its own. Turkish soldiers had a century old reputation as fierce fighters and that tradition was confirmed during this war. However, they were hindered by a shortage of equipment and by officers more skilled in political intrigue than in military operations.
III.Allied Powers
| Country | Total Men Mobilized | Aircraft | Tanks | Ships | United States | 4,355,000 | *260 | 10 | *342 | Great Britain | 8,905,000 | 4,000 | 2,636 | 648 | France | 8,300,000 | 4,486 | 3,870 | 286 | Russia | 12,000,000 | **376 | -- | 96 | Italy | 5,615,000 | -- | -- | -- | Japan | 800,000 | -- | -- | 150 | Australia | 322,000 | -- | -- | 12 | Belgium | 267,000 | 25 | -- | -- | Canada | 600,000 | -- | -- | -- | Serbia | 707,000 | -- | -- | -- | Romania | 750,000 |
250 | -- | 7 | Greece | 230,000 | 8 | -- | 27 | New Zealand | 25,000 | -- | -- | -- | Portugal | 100,000 | -- | -- | -- | Montenegro | 50,000 | -- | -- | -- |
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** The Russians had 376 aircaft in 1914.
Click here for a detailed table on the United States Navy from 1917-18.
The dominant force from the Allies was England. At the time it had the best navy in the world and was also leading in the tanks field.
France was a leader in aircraft as well as tanks. The United States had pilots flying for France before it declared war on Germany. By wars end some 45 squadrons with US pilots were flying from France.
The United States was slow in the development of tanks and aircraft. It did however have a lot of resources and became the life line for the Allies.
IV.Central Losses
| Country | Killed | Wounded | Germany | 1,773,7000 | 4,216,058 | Austria-Hungary | 1,200,000 | 3,620,000 | Ottoman Empire | 325,000 | 400,000 | Bulgaria | 87,500 | 152,390 |
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The cost of WWI was more than anyone could have imagined. The sorrow it caused was unbelievable and it would be hard to imagine at the time that some 20 years later another war would create even more casualties. The Austro-Hungarian Empire paid the greatest price. Besides so many deaths, millions of ethnic Hungarians were now living in newly created countries. Many Hungarians went from citizens in a great empire to second class immigrants in these new countries.
V.Allied Losses |
| Country | Killed | Wounded | United States | *126,000 | 234,300 | Great Britain | 836,642 | 2,090,212 | France | 1,357,800 | 4,266,000 | Russia | 1,700,000 | 4,950,000 | Italy | 650,000 | 947,000 | Japan | 300 | 907 | Romania | 335,706 | 120,000 | Serbia | 45,000 | 133,148 | Montenegro | 3,000 | 10,000 | Greece | 5,000 | 21,000 | Belgium | 13,716 | 44,686 | Portugal | 7,222 | 13,751 | Canada | 56,500 | 210,000 | Australia | 60,000 | 220,000 | New Zealand | 17,000 | 41,000 |
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During the First World War the Royal Navy lost 2 dreadnoughts, 3 battlecruisers, 11 battleships, 25 cruisers, 54 submarines, 64 destroyers and 10 torpedo boats.
VI.Conclusion |
World War ended and it seemed that it was only a matter of time before another would start. Treaty of Versailles set out to punish the losing nations, blame was put on them. Because of this each lost some territory. Austria-Hungary was the biggest loser of WWI. Once a mighty empire, it was left a shadow of its former self after WWI. The United States became a world power, both militarily and industrially. Russia, which pulled out of the war in 1918, went through a bloody Civil War from 1918-22 in which 939,755 people died. The war brought communism to Russia and changed its name to the USSR. Germany, who was blamed the most, was ruined. This would lead to the Nazi Party taking Germany and looking to avenge WWI.
The military field saw many innovations. Tanks and aircraft took part on a limited basis. The most important weapon of WWI would have to be the artillery. Thousands of guns laid waste to everything in site. Because of the devastating power, soldiers were forced to entrench themselves. This however slowed the war down to a stalemate. Sometimes a side would charge across to the enemies trench only to be easily gunned down by machine guns. The land in between trenches became "no-mans land". It was filled with barb wire to slow a charging army down. On the other side machine gunners waited patiently to gun down anyone attempting to get across. Toxic gas was also used here. The Navy also saw some new weapons. The submarine played a devastating role in the Atlantic. The battleships still remained the most important vessel in a country's navy. A country strength was judged by how many battleships you had.
The United States chose to stay neutral at the beginning. Many isolationists viewed this as Europe's war and we should not get involved. We did however provide most of the weapons to the Allies. Supplies and weapons were shipped to Great Britain and this became a life line. The German submarines started to attack American ships claiming they were carrying weapons to Great Britain. As more and more US ships were sunk, the mood at home changed. People were angry and some wanted to enter the war. Yet President Woodrow Wilson wanted to stay out. Two things however would change our stance from neutral to Allies. The first was the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 in which 1,200 people died including 100 Americans. A German submarine was revealed to have sunk the Lusitania. Germany claimed the ship was carrying weapons to Great Britain. The second was the Zimmermann Telegram. In January of 1917, British cryptographers deciphered a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German Minister to Mexico, von Eckhardt. It offered United States territory (Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona) to Mexico in return for joining the German cause. This message helped draw the United States into the war and thus changed the course of history. In an effort to protect their intelligence from detection and to capitalize on growing anti-German sentiment in the United States, the British waited until February 24 to present the telegram to Woodrow Wilson. The American press published news of the telegram on March 1. On April 6, 1917, the United States Congress formally declared war on Germany and its allies. Once the US sent troops over the war was changed dramatically. Fresh and enthusiastic American soldiers turned the tide of the war and along with the Allies forced Germany to surrender. Kaiser Wilhelm II William was forced to abdicate on 9th November, 1918. He fled the country with the rest of his family and lived in Holland for the rest of his life. Wilhelm, who wrote two volumes of autobiography, Memoirs 1878-1918 (1922) and My Early Life (1926) died in 1941.
VII.Important Battles
Key Battles:
Western Front
Cantigny
Belleau Wood
Marne River II
Saint Mihiel
Meuse River-Argonne Forest
Cantigny
(May 28, 1918)
As the first American troops began coming into the Allied line on the Western Front, Gen. John Pershing insisted that they be committed as units under his direct command. This was agreed to by the Allied commander in chief, Gen. Ferdinand Foch. In the Somme River sector the American 1st Division under Gen. Robert Bullard took over a part of the front occupied by the French 1st Army of Gen. Marie Debeney. To the east stood the village of Cantigny, held by the German 18th Army under Gen. Oskar von Hutier. On May 28, the second day of the huge German offensive on the Aisne River to the south, the Americans attacked and captured Cantigny, taking 200 prisoners. The new troops held the village despite fierce counterattacks. Although the tactical significance of the battle was small, the first American division size offensive provided a psychological lift to the Allies. The battle cost the victors 1,607 casualties, including 199 killed.
Belleau Wood
(June 6 - July 1, 1918)
Early in June the third German offensive of 1918 bogged down northeast of Paris, ending the battle of Aisne River III. At their deepest penetration the troops of Gen. Erich Ludendorff held Vaux on the vital Metz-Paris road and Belleau Wood, just to the northwest. To drive the Germans out of Belleau Wood, the American commander, Gen. John Pershing, sent the 2nd Division under Gen. Omar Bundy forward in a counterattack on June 6. The major burden of the attack fell to the Marine brigade of Gen. James Harbord, assisted by the 3rd Infantry Brigade of Gen. Edward Lewis. Day after day the Americans slugged their way through Belleau Wood against four German divisions. The mile square, forested area was not cleared until July 1, Vaux was recaptured the same day. The first large scale battle fought by American soldiers in the war cost the 2nd Division 9,777 casualties, including 1,811 killed. More than 900 Germans were killed and 1,600 were taken prisoners. The prisoners said they were glad of the chance to surrender and get out of the woods, because the American artillery fire for three days had cut off their food and other supplies and they had lived in a hell on earth. The Germans seemed deeply impressed by the fury of the American attack. One of the captured officers, when asked what he thought of the Americans as fighters, answered that the artillery was crazy and the infantry drunk. A little German private, taking up his master's thought, pointed to three tousled but smiling Marines, and said: "Vin rouge, vin blanc, beaucoup vin." He meant he thought the Americans must be intoxicated, to fight as they did for that wood.
A famous quote was also uttered here: "Retreat, hell. We just got here!" by Captain Lloyd Williams, USMC to a French major, June 3, 1918. These American Marines were cocky, full of fight, and determined. They fought fiercely, from trench to trench, tree to tree, driving the Germans from their positions and effectively stalling Ludendorff's drive to Paris. The Germans then self-considered this group of combatants as storm troops. Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Daley and his Marines systematically attacked German machine gun positions with disregard for themselves. The Germans were shaken by these acts of heroism and bravery. The Germans called these young warriors "Devil Dogs". The French to this day refer to the area of Belleau Wood as "The Wood of the Brigade of Marines."
Marne River II
(July 15 - August 6, 1918)
Despite the limited successes of his four offensives, the German commander, Gen. Erich Ludendorff, launched still another all-out assault on the Western Front on July 15. This attack, from both sides of Reims, was sheduled to reach the Marne River, east of Paris. On the German left flank the 1st Army now under Gen. Bruno von Mudra and 3rd Army under Gen. Karl von Einem made only small gains before being stopped at 11:00 AM by the French 1st Army of Gen. Henri Gouraud. West of Reims, however, Gen. Max von Boehn's 7th Army smashed forward to the marne between Chateau-Thierry and Epernay. A bridgehead nine miles long and four miles deep was seized south of the river before the advance was halted on July 17 by the French 9th Army under Gen. Marie Mitry, which had moved up to the east of the shaken 6th Army under Gen. Jean Degoutte. In the defense of this sector the American 3rd Division played a strong role. In all, 52 German divisions were held in check by 36 Allied divisions, 23 French, 9 American, 2 British, and 2 Italian. This so-called Champagne-Marne offensive was the last major German drive on the Western Front. Ludendorff's five separate attacks had cost him more than 800,000 casualties and so weakened his armies that the initiative now passed to the Allies.
On the day after the German offensive stalled, July 18, the Allied commander in chief, Gen. Ferdinand Foch, launched a massive counterattack against the Marne salient. On the east and south the French 5th Army under Gen. Henri Berthlot and 9th armies made secondary assaults. On the west the main attack came from the 6th and 10th (Gen. Mangin) armies. Supplementing the four French armies were 14 Allied divisions, 8 American, 4 British and 2 Italian. Mangin jumped off early in the mourning, followed by the other armies in a counterclockwise direction. Aided by 350 tanks, the two western armies advanced from 2 to 5 miles on the first day. When their continued thrust into the salient threatened to cut the vital Soissons-Chateau-Thierry road, Ludendorff began to withdraw from the Marne. Soissons was liberated on August 2. By August 3 the Germans had fallen back to a line along the Vesle and Aisne rivers at the base of the former salient. An American attack on August 6 found the enemy solidly entrenched. This closed the battle, which had begun with a German offensive and ended with an Allied victory.
Saint Mihiel
(September 12, 1918)
The newly arrived and activated American 1st Army of Gen. John Pershing formally took over the Saint Mihiel sector on August 30. This was a salient jutting to the Meuse River southeast of Verdun that the Germans, now under the supreme command of Gen. Erich Ludendorff, had carved out in 1914. After the two successful Allied offenses on the Marne River and east of Amiens during the summer, the Germans began withdrawing from the salient on September 11. They were too late. Early the following morning 16 American divisions attacked, aided by French artillery and tanks and an air force of mixed units commanded by the U.S. colonel William Mitchel. Two American corps, the I and IV, struck the south face of the salient, while the French II Colonial Corps hit the nose and the American V moved in from the west. Within 36 hours the surprised Germans were driven from the salient with the loss of 15,000 prisoners and more than 250 guns. Pershing suffered 7,000 casualties.
The American attack could have carried deeper into the German lines, but the offensive had been deliberately limited by the Allied commander in chief, Marshal Ferdinand Foch. Pershing's troops were now moved westward to the Argonne Forest to begin a major offensive.
Meuse River-Argonne Forest
(November 1-11, 1918)
With the elimination of the Saint Mihiel salient, the Allied commander in chief, Marshal Ferdinand Foch, stood ready to launch two all-out attacks against the Germans on the Western Front. The offensive was planned as a huge pincers: British and French armies attacking from the west, the American Expeditionary Force from the south. On September 26 Gen. John Pershing's 1st Army jumped off, three corps abreast, III, V, and I, from the Meuse River westward to the far side of the Argonne Forest. A few minutes earlier the French 4th Army under Gen. Henri Gouraud had begun its advance on the left. Holding a defensive zone almost 12 miles deep were the German armies of Gen. Max von Gallwitz on the east, those of Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm on the west.
In hilly, tangled terrain, German resistance held the French army to a gain of nine miles during the first five days of the assault. The Americans pushed five miles along the heights of the Meuse but only two miles in the more difficult Argonne. After a pause of three days, the Americans resumed the attack on October 4. For the next four weeks a series of grueling frontal attacks gradually pushed back the German defenders. This was the fighting that produced the famed Lost Battalion under Charles Whittlesey of the 77th Division. It is also here that Sgt. Alvin York single handily killed 25 German soldiers and captured another 132 prisoners all by himself. On October 12 Pershing divided his command. Gen. Hunter Liggett took over the 1st Army, while Gen. Robert Bullard assumed charge of the new 2nd Army, which was making a secondary attack east of the Meuse. Finally, on October 31, the Argonne Forest was cleared, marking a ten-mile American advance. At the same time Gouraud's French 4th Army had reached the Aisne River, 20 miles from its starting point.
On November 1 the Americans and French resumed their offensive against the German armies, which were now under Gen. Wilhelm Groener, who has replaced Gen. Erich Ludendorff as chief operations officer on the Western Front. By the time of the armistice, on November 11, the Allied units had moved forward another 21 miles to reach Sedan on the east and to within 6 miles of Montmedy, on the west. The battle cost the Germans 100,000 casualties, while the Americans suffered 117,000 casualties.
VIII.Pictures
Map of 1914 Europe
Map of 1919 Europe
Destroyed German Bunker
Dead Russian Soldier
Dead French Soldiers
Corporal Adolf Hitler during WWI
After the Battle of Cantigny
Marines arriving in France
American armor in France
American soldier throwing a greenade
Trench Warfare
Passing through France
US Artillery
Americans in captured German trench, drinking from captured German beer steins
US Browning Machine Gunners
US tanks moving through France
US 340mm artillery gun
US soldiers toasting with captured German beer steins
German prisoners in US camp
US 155mm artillery
US snipers
US troops crossing into Germany
US artillery in action
Americans with captured German guns
US 75mm artillery
Sources Used
Cantigny |
As the first American troops began coming into the Allied line on the Western Front, Gen. John Pershing insisted that they be committed as units under his direct command. This was agreed to by the Allied commander in chief, Gen. Ferdinand Foch. In the Somme River sector the American 1st Division under Gen. Robert Bullard took over a part of the front occupied by the French 1st Army of Gen. Marie Debeney. To the east stood the village of Cantigny, held by the German 18th Army under Gen. Oskar von Hutier. On May 28, the second day of the huge German offensive on the Aisne River to the south, the Americans attacked and captured Cantigny, taking 200 prisoners. The new troops held the village despite fierce counterattacks. Although the tactical significance of the battle was small, the first American division size offensive provided a psychological lift to the Allies. The battle cost the victors 1,607 casualties, including 199 killed.
Belleau Wood |
Early in June the third German offensive of 1918 bogged down northeast of Paris, ending the battle of Aisne River III. At their deepest penetration the troops of Gen. Erich Ludendorff held Vaux on the vital Metz-Paris road and Belleau Wood, just to the northwest. To drive the Germans out of Belleau Wood, the American commander, Gen. John Pershing, sent the 2nd Division under Gen. Omar Bundy forward in a counterattack on June 6. The major burden of the attack fell to the Marine brigade of Gen. James Harbord, assisted by the 3rd Infantry Brigade of Gen. Edward Lewis. Day after day the Americans slugged their way through Belleau Wood against four German divisions. The mile square, forested area was not cleared until July 1, Vaux was recaptured the same day. The first large scale battle fought by American soldiers in the war cost the 2nd Division 9,777 casualties, including 1,811 killed. More than 900 Germans were killed and 1,600 were taken prisoners. The prisoners said they were glad of the chance to surrender and get out of the woods, because the American artillery fire for three days had cut off their food and other supplies and they had lived in a hell on earth. The Germans seemed deeply impressed by the fury of the American attack. One of the captured officers, when asked what he thought of the Americans as fighters, answered that the artillery was crazy and the infantry drunk. A little German private, taking up his master's thought, pointed to three tousled but smiling Marines, and said: "Vin rouge, vin blanc, beaucoup vin." He meant he thought the Americans must be intoxicated, to fight as they did for that wood.
A famous quote was also uttered here: "Retreat, hell. We just got here!" by Captain Lloyd Williams, USMC to a French major, June 3, 1918. These American Marines were cocky, full of fight, and determined. They fought fiercely, from trench to trench, tree to tree, driving the Germans from their positions and effectively stalling Ludendorff's drive to Paris. The Germans then self-considered this group of combatants as storm troops. Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Daley and his Marines systematically attacked German machine gun positions with disregard for themselves. The Germans were shaken by these acts of heroism and bravery. The Germans called these young warriors "Devil Dogs". The French to this day refer to the area of Belleau Wood as "The Wood of the Brigade of Marines."
Marne River II |
Despite the limited successes of his four offensives, the German commander, Gen. Erich Ludendorff, launched still another all-out assault on the Western Front on July 15. This attack, from both sides of Reims, was sheduled to reach the Marne River, east of Paris. On the German left flank the 1st Army now under Gen. Bruno von Mudra and 3rd Army under Gen. Karl von Einem made only small gains before being stopped at 11:00 AM by the French 1st Army of Gen. Henri Gouraud. West of Reims, however, Gen. Max von Boehn's 7th Army smashed forward to the marne between Chateau-Thierry and Epernay. A bridgehead nine miles long and four miles deep was seized south of the river before the advance was halted on July 17 by the French 9th Army under Gen. Marie Mitry, which had moved up to the east of the shaken 6th Army under Gen. Jean Degoutte. In the defense of this sector the American 3rd Division played a strong role. In all, 52 German divisions were held in check by 36 Allied divisions, 23 French, 9 American, 2 British, and 2 Italian. This so-called Champagne-Marne offensive was the last major German drive on the Western Front. Ludendorff's five separate attacks had cost him more than 800,000 casualties and so weakened his armies that the initiative now passed to the Allies.
On the day after the German offensive stalled, July 18, the Allied commander in chief, Gen. Ferdinand Foch, launched a massive counterattack against the Marne salient. On the east and south the French 5th Army under Gen. Henri Berthlot and 9th armies made secondary assaults. On the west the main attack came from the 6th and 10th (Gen. Mangin) armies. Supplementing the four French armies were 14 Allied divisions, 8 American, 4 British and 2 Italian. Mangin jumped off early in the mourning, followed by the other armies in a counterclockwise direction. Aided by 350 tanks, the two western armies advanced from 2 to 5 miles on the first day. When their continued thrust into the salient threatened to cut the vital Soissons-Chateau-Thierry road, Ludendorff began to withdraw from the Marne. Soissons was liberated on August 2. By August 3 the Germans had fallen back to a line along the Vesle and Aisne rivers at the base of the former salient. An American attack on August 6 found the enemy solidly entrenched. This closed the battle, which had begun with a German offensive and ended with an Allied victory.
Saint Mihiel |
The newly arrived and activated American 1st Army of Gen. John Pershing formally took over the Saint Mihiel sector on August 30. This was a salient jutting to the Meuse River southeast of Verdun that the Germans, now under the supreme command of Gen. Erich Ludendorff, had carved out in 1914. After the two successful Allied offenses on the Marne River and east of Amiens during the summer, the Germans began withdrawing from the salient on September 11. They were too late. Early the following morning 16 American divisions attacked, aided by French artillery and tanks and an air force of mixed units commanded by the U.S. colonel William Mitchel. Two American corps, the I and IV, struck the south face of the salient, while the French II Colonial Corps hit the nose and the American V moved in from the west. Within 36 hours the surprised Germans were driven from the salient with the loss of 15,000 prisoners and more than 250 guns. Pershing suffered 7,000 casualties.
The American attack could have carried deeper into the German lines, but the offensive had been deliberately limited by the Allied commander in chief, Marshal Ferdinand Foch. Pershing's troops were now moved westward to the Argonne Forest to begin a major offensive.
Meuse River-Argonne Forest |
With the elimination of the Saint Mihiel salient, the Allied commander in chief, Marshal Ferdinand Foch, stood ready to launch two all-out attacks against the Germans on the Western Front. The offensive was planned as a huge pincers: British and French armies attacking from the west, the American Expeditionary Force from the south. On September 26 Gen. John Pershing's 1st Army jumped off, three corps abreast, III, V, and I, from the Meuse River westward to the far side of the Argonne Forest. A few minutes earlier the French 4th Army under Gen. Henri Gouraud had begun its advance on the left. Holding a defensive zone almost 12 miles deep were the German armies of Gen. Max von Gallwitz on the east, those of Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm on the west.
In hilly, tangled terrain, German resistance held the French army to a gain of nine miles during the first five days of the assault. The Americans pushed five miles along the heights of the Meuse but only two miles in the more difficult Argonne. After a pause of three days, the Americans resumed the attack on October 4. For the next four weeks a series of grueling frontal attacks gradually pushed back the German defenders. This was the fighting that produced the famed Lost Battalion under Charles Whittlesey of the 77th Division. It is also here that Sgt. Alvin York single handily killed 25 German soldiers and captured another 132 prisoners all by himself. On October 12 Pershing divided his command. Gen. Hunter Liggett took over the 1st Army, while Gen. Robert Bullard assumed charge of the new 2nd Army, which was making a secondary attack east of the Meuse. Finally, on October 31, the Argonne Forest was cleared, marking a ten-mile American advance. At the same time Gouraud's French 4th Army had reached the Aisne River, 20 miles from its starting point.
On November 1 the Americans and French resumed their offensive against the German armies, which were now under Gen. Wilhelm Groener, who has replaced Gen. Erich Ludendorff as chief operations officer on the Western Front. By the time of the armistice, on November 11, the Allied units had moved forward another 21 miles to reach Sedan on the east and to within 6 miles of Montmedy, on the west. The battle cost the Germans 100,000 casualties, while the Americans suffered 117,000 casualties.
VIII.Pictures