Campaign 139

Campaign 139 was a decisive series of Allied offensives on the Western Front in the final year of World War I. Launched in the late summer of 1918, it formed a critical component of the Hundred Days Offensive that ultimately broke the Imperial German Army's will to fight. The campaign is noted for its effective use of combined arms tactics and the large-scale involvement of the American Expeditionary Forces under General John J. Pershing. Its success directly contributed to the Armistice of 11 November 1918 and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles.

Background

The strategic context for the campaign was shaped by the failure of the German spring offensive, known as the Kaiserschlacht, which had expended Germany's last reserves of men and materiel. Following this, Allied Supreme Commander Ferdinand Foch seized the initiative, planning a series of coordinated blows against the overextended German lines. The arrival of fresh American troops in large numbers, following the Selective Service Act of 1917, provided the Allies with a crucial numerical advantage. Furthermore, the Battle of Amiens in August had demonstrated the devastating effectiveness of new Allied tactics integrating tanks, artillery, and infantry.

Planning and objectives

The operational plan, devised primarily by Foch's headquarters at Bombon, called for a sequential assault on multiple sectors of the front to prevent the German high command, led by Erich Ludendorff, from concentrating its reserves. The immediate objective was to eliminate the Saint-Mihiel salient, a longstanding German bulge threatening Verdun. The broader strategic aim was to sever vital German railway lines near Metz and Sedan, which supplied the entire front, thereby crippling German logistics. General John J. Pershing fought to keep the American Expeditionary Forces together as a distinct army to execute the Battle of Saint-Mihiel.

Execution

The campaign commenced on 12 September 1918 with the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, where Pershing's AEF, supported by French Army artillery and a contingent of the British Tank Corps, rapidly reduced the salient. This was immediately followed by the main effort, the Meuse-Argonne offensive, launched on 26 September. This massive engagement involved over one million American soldiers alongside French Army units, attacking through the difficult terrain of the Argonne Forest. Concurrently, other Allied armies launched supporting attacks, including the Battle of the Canal du Nord by the British Expeditionary Force under Douglas Haig and the Battle of Montfaucon.

Aftermath and legacy

The relentless pressure of Campaign 139 shattered German defensive positions and led to a full retreat. The capture of the railway hub at Sedan in early November was a decisive blow. The campaign's success, combined with the Bulgarian collapse and internal unrest in Germany, forced the German government to seek an armistice. Militarily, it validated Ferdinand Foch's strategy of relentless sequential offensives and demonstrated the AEF's combat effectiveness. The campaign's outcome heavily influenced the punitive terms of the Treaty of Versailles and the post-war writings of strategists like J.F.C. Fuller.

In popular culture

The brutal fighting of the Meuse-Argonne offensive phase has been depicted in several notable works, including episodes of the television series *The Great War* and the PBS documentary American Experience. It features prominently in literature, such as the novels of Willa Cather and the memoirs of Harry Truman, who commanded an artillery battery there. The campaign is a common setting in video games like Battlefield 1 and Valiant Hearts: The Great War. Annual commemorations are held at the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, the largest American military cemetery in Europe.

Category:World War I Category:Military campaigns Category:1918 in France