100 years ago, US fought its deadliest battle in France

ROMAGNE-SOUS-MONTFAUCON, France (AP) — It was America’s deadliest battle ever, with 26,000 U.S. soldiers killed, tens of thousands wounded and more ammunition fired than in the whole of the Civil War. The Meuse-Argonne offensive of 1918 was also a great American victory that helped bringing an end to World War 1.

Officials, descendants of soldiers and visitors have braved strong winds and rain to attend a remembrance ceremony on Sunday afternoon in the Meuse-Argonne cemetery, which is surrounded by green fields and forests in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, a village in northeastern France.

All day, volunteers have read the soldiers’ names aloud, to honor those who sacrificed their lives for liberty, freedom and democracy. Covering 52 hectares (130 acres), Meuse-Argonne is the largest American cemetery in Europe.

Organizers were forced to cancel the planned lighting of 14,000 candles

In this 1918 file photo, a U.S. Army 37-mm gun crew man their position during the World War I Meuse-Argonne Allied offensive in France. AP Photo

because of the bad weather.

Gerald York, grandson of World War I hero Sgt. Alvin York, praised a “beautiful commemoration”.

“The weather’s a little dreary, but that’s the way it was 100 years ago for the battle. So we’re kind of getting a view of what they did, what they fought in and the conditions they had to endure,” he said.

His grandfather earned the Medal of Honor for his efforts during the Meuse-Argonne battle. Sgt. York led an attack on a German machine gun nest, killing at least 25 enemy soldiers, and capturing 132 Germans.

“It was the first real modern warfare that the U.S. was in. Machine guns, airplanes, tanks, mustard gas that killed many,” York said. “In that area was the largest battle and the most casualties because you had men going up against machine guns. And machine guns were just mowing folks down.”

William M. Matz, secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) that maintains the site, told The Associated Press that this piece of history must be retold to younger generations.