Tag Archives: AEF

News & Events–Over There: The Allied Terms of the Armistice

November 11, 2018 by Randy
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    As the Centennial of the Armistice approaches, it is fitting to spend a little time reviewing and understanding the thirty-five terms of the Armistice.  After millions of deaths and the destruction of hundreds of miles of French and Belgian territory, Marshall Foch and other Allied leaders dictated the terms with no room for German negotiation.  The German representatives received the terms on 8 November and reluctantly signed the terms at 05h00 on 11 November.  The Armistice went into effect at 11h00 on 11 Continue reading →

La Vie en France #37: The Beauty and the Sorrow of the Armistice Centennial

November 9, 2018 by Randy
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As 11 November 2018–the Centennial of the Armistice–approaches, I find myself having very mixed feelings.  One hundred years ago the combined economic and military might of the Allied powers finally put an end to more than fours years of fighting an industrialized war–the likes of which had never been experienced before.  Certainly, for those soldiers that day was a wonderful day–once they got used to the deafening silence.  This “beauty” of the Armistice is reflected in these carefully staged photos of 5th Division soldiers near Continue reading →

La Vie en France #36: Telling the AEF Meuse-Argonne Story

November 9, 2018 by Randy
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    On a recon trip before the Western Front Association USA Branch 2007 tour I penned the following forward:   25 February, 2007 Hotel du Commerce, Aubreville It’s 23h30 and I cannot fall asleep.  The countless sites, roads, experiences of the past two days run through my mind. This area of France has been calling me since my first visits in the early 1990s, yet how do I tell the story of American participation in 1918? I reenact, but I’ve never experienced the terror Continue reading →

La Vie en France #35: Laundry Day–When You’ve run out of Clean Clothes

November 5, 2018 by Randy
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    So what does one do when one runs out of clean clothes on a vacation to the battlefields?  The answer can vary widely.  There is the “old wash socks and underwear in the sink trick.”  They can then air dry in the hotel room, using the radiator on cooler days.  If one is staying in a small hotel or B&B, one can ask the host / hostess politely if they could do a load.  Of course, one should pay them for their efforts!  Continue reading →

La Vie en France #34: Boureuilles: Jump-off Line for the 28th and 35th Divisions

November 5, 2018 by Randy
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  What a difference a year makes!  Last year, the Webmaster rented a gite in “The Punchbowl” of Doulcon for six months.  Doulcon was liberated by the 5th Division on 3 November, 1918–quite late in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.  This year the Webmaster is renting the “Gite les Rosiers” in Boureuilles.  This gite is basically on the 28th and 35th Division jump-off line of 26 September–just a few kilometers south of Varennes-en-Argonne.  Said another way, the front-line of 26 Sept. ran east-west from Vauquois Hill (about Continue reading →

Then and Now: Montfaucon d’Argonne 1918-19 Versus Today

October 29, 2018 by Randy
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    Few sites on the Meuse-Argonne American battlefield are as heavily visited as Montfaucon d’Argonne; and yet it remains difficult to “see” the town as it looked at the end of the war.  Moving from a destroyed village to a preserved memorial park that can be visited safely by thousands annually requires considerable clean-up and sanitization.  Thus, one sees the Memorial, the (enhanced) church ruins and a scattering of observation pillboxes, along with some good signage; but one does not see the ruined town Continue reading →

People of the Meuse-Argonne: Mike Cunha

September 2, 2018 by Randy
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    Even today French locals, other Europeans and Americans find themselves drawn to the Meuse-Argonne region of France.  Once drawn there, many return time and again; often working on a multi-year research or preservation project.  In this irregular series, the Webmaster hopes to introduce readers to some of these individuals and their labors of love.     1)  What are your name, nationality and occupation? My name is Mike Cunha.  I am an American, and I work as a social studies / history teacher.  Continue reading →

News & Events–Over There: August 20 Update on Harry Rupert and Chatel-Chehery Photo Exhibition

August 20, 2018 by Randy
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  The photo exhibition (about 150 photos) on the grounds of the Chateau in Chatel-Chehery is open for visitation during the times listed above.  However, the tent–which includes a slide show of several hundred additional photos–is closed for an indefinite period.  Harry Rupert has spent months planning this exhibition, so please support him by visiting it!   As reported in late July, Harry suffered a major health issue.  He is home and is recovering; but he still has very little energy and his recovery is Continue reading →

News & Events–Over There: Still Space Available on Meuse-Argonne.com Events this Fall

August 14, 2018 by Randy
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  Readers who do not yet have firm plans for Centennial Celebrations in France might like to know that there is still space available in certain Meuse-Argonne.com events this fall.  Specifically:   Small-Group Battlefield Walk Series, 20 – 27 Sept.  (Click on Title for Link to Details.) Three days still have openings: Tuesday, 25 Sept., Meuse-Argonne V Corps Wednesday, 26 Sept., Meuse-Argonne III Corps Thursday, 27 Sept., Meuse-Argonne Heights East of Meuse The tour is designed with flexibility so participants can select only the morning Continue reading →

Books and Movies: Back Over There… by Richard Rubin

July 30, 2018 by Randy
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  “Back Over There” is a fun-to-read travelogue; and it marks Richard Rubin’s second grand effort to educate an American public that is largely ignorant of or apathetic to the United States’ role in World War I.  In this book the author explores the American battlefields of Northeastern France; meeting a wide variety of Frenchmen, and other Europeans living in France, who show him the physical remains of the American WW1 battlefields in their backyard.  He intertwines these encounters and cultural vignettes with snippets of Continue reading →