St Mihiel 1918 by David Bonk

Author:David Bonk
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: St Mihiel 1918- The American Expeditionary Forces’ Trial by Fire
ISBN: 9781849088800
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Published: 2011-09-02T16:00:00+00:00

American tanks suffered from mechanical breakdowns and the difficulties of moving through water-soaked terrain. This tank is being removed from a ditch.

The FT-17 Renault tank spearheaded the American advance of the 1st and 42nd divisions.

Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was a popular automotive racecar driver before joining the Army and eventually entering the Army Air Service. Already an ace, Rickenbacker would shoot down an enemy aircraft on both September 14 and 15.

By 1100hrs the first objective line had been reached. At noon, orders came to continue the advance and the 42nd moved quickly toward Essey. Elements of both the 1/165th and 3/166th, supported by a section of French Schneider tanks and tanks from the 327th Tank Battalion, advanced against Essey. Patton, who had spent the morning trying to keep in touch with Compton’s 327th Tank Battalion, joined the infantry south of the village. Patton conferred with Brigadier-General Douglas MacArthur on a small hill, watching the German retreat.

By this time several groups of American tanks were approaching the town and Patton directed a platoon into Essey, followed by MacArthur and Donovan’s 1/165th infantry. After securing the village, Donovan sheltered his men in walled gardens to protect them from random artillery rounds. French civilians and groups of Germans bailed out of their dugouts and surrendered to the infantry and supporting tanks. The supporting battalion, 2/165th, began organizing the prisoners and collecting captured material, including several barrels of beer, which Colonel Anderson, commander of the 2/165th, ordered destroyed.

MacArthur and Patton continued their advance toward Pannes, passing the remains of German artillery, men, and horses that had been caught in the American artillery barrage. Patton and several of his tanks pushed through Pannes, heading for Beney. German machine-gun fire riddled the turret of the tank Patton was riding, forcing him to take cover in a nearby shellhole. After unsuccessfully requesting support from the nearby infantry, Patton caught up with the single tank and guided it back to Pannes.

By 1230hrs the remainder of the tank platoon arrived and a coordinated assault was organized. The 3/166th supported Patton’s tanks in a direct approach to Beney while the 3/167th outflanked the village on the right. A platoon of 3/167th accompanied by tanks entered Beney, cleared the town, and continued to the Bois de Beney. The infantry and tanks captured 16 machine guns and a battery of four 77mm guns in Beney. Donovan’s infantry, accompanied by the tanks, moved through Pannes, headed for the second objective line, the Bois de Thiaucourt, to the west of Beney. Supported by Patton’s tanks, the 1/165th drove the Germans from the woods and secured the Bois de Thiaucourt.

In Pannes the American infantry discovered a German quartermaster’s storehouse, yielding a treasure trove of souvenirs including pistols, spurs, hats, helmets, underwear, and musical instruments. The Germans waited for their captors in their dugouts. One German was found with a bottle of schnapps and a glass; he immediately offered his captor a drink, saying, “I don’t drink it myself, but I thought it would be a good thing to offer to an American who would find me.

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