Tag Archives: St. Mihiel

People of the Meuse-Argonne: James F. Shetler

May 16, 2019 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 interview series, the webmaster hopes to introduce readers to some of these individuals and their labors of love. The Webmaster had the pleasure of meeting Jim for a few days during the September 2018 Small Group Tour that he and Markus Klauer led.  Since then, the Continue reading →

News & Events–Over There: Deadline to Join the Reconstruction / Occupation Tour is 30 April. Sign up Today!

April 16, 2019 by Randy
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    Only two weeks remain (30 April) to sign up for the 1918-19 Reconstruction / Occupation of Germany Tour!  Readers who are interested in participating should reserve a space today by contacting Webmaster Randal Gaulke.         Tour guides Randal Gaulke and Markus Klauer hope to give participants a glimpse of France (or at least the Meuse-Argonne and St. Mihiel Regions) immediately post-war using maps, photos and documents such as the postcards of Avocourt shown in this blog post.  The second half Continue reading →

New Product Introduction: U.S. Army Tracings of German Situation Maps–German 5th Army and Army Detachment C

February 2, 2019 by Randy
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Throughout the 1920s and 1930s the Army War College had representatives at the German Reichsarchiv in Potsdam who were making exact copies of Imperial German military documents so they could be studied and analyzed by the U.S. military.  One subset of documents is the tracings of daily situation maps (singular, Lagenkarte) created by the individual German Armies.  These situation maps are an important resource for examining the German side of the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives.     Created at the individual Army-level, the original Continue reading →

News & Events Over There: Still Planning Your Centennial Trip to France?

June 26, 2018 by Randy
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  For those of you still planning your 2018 Centennial trip to France, the Webmaster hopes this summary of events and information sites will be helpful to readers:   Meuse-Argonne.com Events The Webmaster and German historian Markus Klauer are offering a Small Group Battlefield Walk Series–with great date flexibility–from 20 – 27 September.  Each day will focus on a different Army Corps and will include a driven “monuments tour” in the am and an intensive hike in the pm.  The tour has also been designed Continue reading →

About the Griffin Group Photo Archive: Q&A with Randal Gaulke

April 26, 2018 by Randy
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In early 1919 a group of professional Signal Corps photographers under the leadership of Major T.J. Griffin of the Intelligence Section <G-2> of the AEF General Staff took more than 2,300 high-quality b/w photographs of the American battlefields on the Western Front.  For years, the “Griffin Group” photo archive remained tucked away in the National Archives; known only to a handful of researchers.  In 2017 battlefield historian and tour guide Randal Gaulke viewed this photo collection and was astonished by the level of detail and Continue reading →

La Vie en France #18: Thoughts After four Months in France

September 19, 2017 by Randy
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Part 1–Thoughts on the big Adventure Many readers are not aware that the Webmaster quit his job as a financial analyst in March 2017 in order to live in France as a freelance tour guide to the American and Verdun battlefields of WW1.  He is doing this from 15 May to 15 November, 2017.  This is a follow up to his blogposts, “Taking Stock of the First Two Months–Part 1” and “Taking Stock of the First Two Months–Part 2” that appeared in mid July.   Continue reading →

La Vie en France #10: Finding Suitable Places for Ladies to Pee

June 9, 2017 by Randy
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War-Time German Postcard:  Caption Reads “A Height Record for the Air Ship Service”   After completing his first two tours with female clients, the Webmaster is again reminded that hiking the battlefields of rural France is much easier for men than for women.  Men can simply walk behind a bush or tree to urinate.  Anatomically speaking, the same is true–but a bit more complicated–for women.  However, American women tend to see this as an option of last resort.  Thus, from a male point of view, Continue reading →

Noteworthy Websites: Two St. Mihiel Facebook Pages

June 28, 2016 by Randy
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From time to time the webmaster provides information to members concerning FB pages and groups that could be of interest to readers.  While most of the posts concern the Meuse-Argonne Sector, a few posts cover other sectors or topics.  Friend, Mike Grams, has provided the following two FB pages that cover the Saint Mihiel Salient:   The first is titled “The St. Mihiel Salient” and is run by Christophe Wilvers.  It can be found at:  https://www.facebook.com/stmihielsalient/posts/513383755531125.   The second is titled “Histoires du Saillent de Saint-Mihiel” and is run by Erma Continue reading →

Books and Movies: Eyewitnesses to the Great War: American Writers, Reporters, Volunteers and Soldiers in France, 1914-1918 by Ed and Libby Klekowski

March 9, 2016 by Randy
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    This book was a delight to pick up and read; even though only the near-to-last chapters cover the American Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Most of the book focuses on telling the stories of Americans who got involved in the war months and years before the United States was officially at war.  This includes famous writers such as Edith Wharton, who made numerous aid trips to France.  It also includes volunteers of the American Field Service and the Lafayette Flying Corps; and it includes American reporters Continue reading →

People of the Meuse-Argonne: Stefan Schweitzer

October 24, 2015 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 interview 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? Stefan Schweitzer, German, attorney at law   2) Which languages do you speak, and how fluently do you speak Continue reading →