Then and Now: First Aid in Septsarges

September 24, 2016 by Randy
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    Caption:  “If this wounded soldier can reach Septsarges, across the valley, he will find a first aid station.  To get there, he must crawl and scramble over the intervening space that is swept by a flanking machine gun fire.”   Location:  The un-numbered road that runs between Nantillois and Septsarges, closer to Septsarges.  The original photographer was standing a bit further in the field, and his picture did not capture the bend in the road.  There was also no farm and no tree Continue reading →

Re-Post: New Feature Article–Photo Essay: Western Front Association–USA Branch 2007 Tour

July 30, 2016 by Randy
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  With the recent announcement of the World War One Historical Association’s June 2017 Pilgrimage of the American Battlefields, the webmaster thought it timely to show pictures from the Western Front Association–USA Branch’s 2007 tour.  (The WFA–USA Branch was one of two entities that merged to form the WW1HA.)   The link below will take readers to a webpage that includes a collection of twenty photographs taken by tour participant Kevin Drake.  Readers who travel to France regularly know that the country is both a place Continue reading →

Why Visiting the Battlefields is Still Important in a Virtual World

June 12, 2016 by Randy
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  In today’s world:  One can use Google Earth to visit the Western Front;  One can watch videos of the battlefields and of the various battles on-line;  One can scour archives for photographs and letters, etc.  With the coming of virtual reality, one will even be able to walk a trench line.  So why is visiting the battlefields still important?   Last week the webmaster and his father were watching a (VHS) video of their 1993 battlefield tour with Stephen Skinner and his mother.  Stephen, Continue reading →

Your Assistance Please: Guest Content Providers, Sept. 26 – Nov. 11

May 21, 2016 by Randy
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Looking ahead, the webmaster is preparing to write a daily post throughout the dates of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive this fall.  Other popular WW1 blog sites and FB pages do this.  However, that is quite a daunting task when combined with work, family and other activities.  (Did he say he was learning French two nights a week?) Therefore, he is looking for content providers willing to contribute one or more articles, photo essays, etc.  Topics can range from the usual, well-known–Sgt. York, Lost Battalion, etc.–to a story about an Continue reading →

New Feature Article: A Drive with Section One of the American Field Service

April 30, 2016 by Randy
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Just a quick post to let readers know that a new feature article has been added to the website portion of this site.  It’s titled “A Drive with Section One of the American Field Service,” and it covers a detailed description of the route taken by the American Field Service ambulance drivers from a poste des brancardier at Jubécourt to the poste de secours at Esnes, closer to the front in 1917.  The 22km route can easily be retraced today.  

Meuse-Argonne.com by the Numbers: Thanks for Reading!

April 30, 2016 by Randy
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This is just a quick note from the Webmaster to thank all of the regular readers–on the web and on Facebook!  It’s been almost two years since the website was re-started (June 2014) its current format.  On a last twelve month basis, the website has received more than 13,000 hits and the number of blog followers currently is 42.  In addition, the Facebook group Meuse-Argonne.com grew from about 50 members in its first month (May 2015) to more than 177 members today.   And this growth Continue reading →

Then and Now: Varennes-en-Argonne (?)

April 14, 2016 by Randy
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    Caption:  The above U.S. Army Signal Corps photo serves as the dust jacket cover for Mitchell Yockelson’s recent book:  “Forty-Seven Days:  How Pershing’s Warriors came of age to Defeat the German Army in World War 1.”  The picture is captioned Varennes.  However, the street-scape in the “now” photo does not line up at all with the “then” photo.  Nevertheless, the webmaster is quite certain that the Google earth “now” photo is the right location for three reasons:  1) The angle of the hill and curve Continue reading →

Exploring the Battlefields Through the Years

April 12, 2016 by Randy
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Clarence to George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life: “Strange, isn’t it?  Each man’s life touches so many other lives.  When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”   In the summer of 2013 the Webmaster celebrated his 50th Birthday with family and friends at the Hotel du Commerce in Aubréville.  For that occasion Randal put together the slide show below (in .pdf format) that outlines many of his trips to the battlefields and many of the resulting friendships.   Birthday Slides–Through the Continue reading →

Mea Culpa Regarding Feedback on this Website

March 25, 2016 by Randy
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  The webmaster is definitely NOT a computer geek.  While exploring some of the tools on the WordPress toolbar, he came across the Feedback section.  This is different from the comment section.  Apparently, 107 feedback messages have been sent to the webmaster since this website began; and the webmaster was unaware of them; because current settings give no indication of an incoming feedback message. Over the next few weeks the webmaster will try to answer as many of these as possible. Regards, The Webmaster    

New Feature Article: The Greatest Battle Never Told: The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, 1918

January 24, 2016 by Randy
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It’s great to see young Americans show an interest in WW1 and in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.  This includes Ben Allen, a Senior at the University of Mary Washington, who chose to write his senior thesis on that battle.  This article introduces Ben and includes a .pdf file of his senior thesis, “The Greatest Battle Never Told:  The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, 1918.”  A link to the page is given below: http://meuseargonnerg.wpengine.com/?page_id=1089