Battle of St. Mihiel

St. Mihiel was fought between September 12-15, 1918. This battle involved the American Expeditionary force and 48,000 French troops under the command of U.S. general John J. Pershing against German positions. The United States Army Air Force played a significant role in this action. The battle marked the first use of the terms "D-Day" and "H-Hour" by the Americans. This attack on the St. Mihiel salient was part of a plan by Pershing in which he hoped that the U.S. would break through the German lines and capture the city of Metz which was highly fortified. The attack caught the Germans retreating. Since the German artillery was out of place, this gave the Americans the advantage. The battle increased the stature of the Americans in the eyes of the French and British forces. The attack of Metz was not realized since the Germans refortified their positions. The Americans then turned their efforts to the Meuse-Argonne offensive. General Pershing believed that a successful attack in the region of St. Mihiel would have a debilitating effect on the Germans. If the Allied forces could clear the rail and road communications into Verdun and capture the German's railroad center at Metz then it would have been devastating to the German military. Afterwards, the Allies could have launched offensives into Germany.
The weather during the battle was rain during the parts of day and night. The wind was heavy and the roads muddy. In some parts of the road, the men were almost knee deep in mud and water. After five days of rain, the ground was muddy and was nearly impassable to both the American tanks and the infantry. Some tanks were stuck while others were wrecked due to water leakage into the engine. Infantry were showing the first stages of trench foot before trenches were dug.
Before the American operation, the Germans installed many in-depth series of trenches, wire obstacles, and machine gun nests. Three villages were nearby: Vigneulles, Thiaucourt, and Hannonville-sous-les-Cotes. Their capture would help accelerate the envelopment of the German divisions near St. Mihiel. The American's plan was to breach the trenches and then advance along the enemy's logistical road network. The Germans knew the date, time, and duration of the prepatatory barrage from a Swiss newspaper. Still, they lacked sufficient manpower, firepower, and effective leadership to launch a counter-attack against the Allies. They decided to pull out of the area and consolidate their forces near the Hindenburg line.