The 32^D 'Red Arrow' Veteran Association
	The 32^D ‘Red Arrow’ Division in World War I From the ‘Iron Jaw Division’ to ‘Les Terribles’

The Price County Historical Society is planning an event on 12 November 2011 at the Harbor View (formerly Slat’s Harbor) in Phillips, WI, in order to celebrate Co. B, 119TH MG BN; acknowledge several gifts to the Price County Historical Society from relatives of Elmer “Slats” Martin who was a member of the 119TH MG BN; encourage other Price County citizens to share information about WWI veterans and memorabilia.

	Index:
	Activation and Mobilization of Wisconsin and Michigan National Guards
	Alsace
	Aisne-Marne
	Oise-Aisne
	Meuse-Argonne
	March to the Rhine
	Army of Occupation - Die Wacht am Rhein

On 15 July 1917 the National Guards of Wisconsin and Michigan were officially ordered into Federal Service and mobilization commenced at state camps.

The 32^D Division was organized under War Department orders of 18 July 1917 from National Guard troops from Wisconsin and Michigan.

While the official orders for the organization of the 32^D Division were dated 18 July, the actual organization of the Division did not start until around Sept., when most of the units had reached Camp MacArthur. The 32^D Division was to be a massive "square" division, like all American divisions being created at the time.

"A complete division is difficult to visualize. One must see it with all its armament, troops, and trains to begin to understand - infantry brigades, machine gun battalions, artillery, engineers, trench mortar battery, signal corps, ammunition trains, supply trains, sanitary trains, mobile repair shops, medical corps troops, field hospitals, ambulance companies, brigade staffs, division staff. In personnel 28,000, animals some 9,000, motor cars, motor trucks, tanks, balloons, airplanes, and last but not least, the military police. In a single close column - men marching in column of fours well closed up - the division is now more than 30 miles long." (Haan 8)

In early August 1917 the movement to the Division’s training camp at Camp MacArthur, Texas (near Waco) commenced. Battery F, 121^ST Field Artillery Regiment was the first unit to arrive on 4 August 1917.  The last (Wisconsin) unit arrived on 1 October; I currently have no information pertaining to the arrival of the Michigan units.

On 17 August 1917 Major General James 'Galloping Jim' Parker assumed command of the 32^D Division. On 18 September he left for France on special duty. He returned in early December, but was almost immediately transferred to the 85th Division at Camp Custer, Michigan.

On 18 September 1917 Brigadier General William G. 'Bunker' Haan (then commander of the 57^TH Field Artillery Brigade) became acting commander of the 32^D Division. BG Haan officially assumed command of the Division in December, when MG Parker was transferred to the 85^TH Division. Gen. McGlachlin assumed command of the 57^TH FA Brigade when BG Haan became 32^D Division commander.

A newspaper article from 2 October 1917 stated that the 32^D Division had been given the nickname, "The Iron Jaw Division."

Between 26 October and 3 November 1917, the Division received 4,000 draftees from Camp Custer, Michigan, and Camp Grant, Illinois, but it remained under strength by nearly 3,500 Soldiers and would remain below authorized strength at the time of its embarkation for Europe.

From C.P.I., from National Archives. Co. K, 127^TH Inf., Camp MacArthur, Waco, Texas.

Photographed by Gildersleeve, Waco, c. 1918, from National Archives. BG Haan and Staff of the 32^D Div. at Camp MacArthur, Waco, Texas.

The first troops left Camp MacArthur on 2 January 1918, bound for Camp Merritt, New Jersey and then onto the Port of Embarkation at Hoboken, New Jersey. Camp MacArthur was cleared by 1 March.

On 18 January the 127^TH Inf. left Camp MacArthur for Camp Merrit, New Jersey.

On 24 January 1918 the advance party of the 32^D Division arrived at Brest, France.

The 32^D Division suffered its first casualties of the war when, on 5 February, the Tuscania was sunk by a German submarine (UB-77, commanded by Lt. Cdr. Wilhelm Meyer) while crossing the Atlantic. The 107^TH Engineer Train,, 107^TH MP's, 107^TH Supply Train and parts of other 32^D Division units were aboard the Tuscania and 13 men of those 32^D Division units died as a result of the attack. In addition to the above mentioned 32^D Division units, there were also other Amercian units; about 230 Soldiers and ship's crew members died in the attack.

On 5 February, the 120^TH FA left Camp MacArthur for Camp Merrit, New Jersey. Shortly after it went to Hoboken, New Jersey where it, and other units, embarked the U.S.S. Leviathan.

On 7 February 1918 General Haan was promoted to the rank of Major General.

On 15-16 February, the 127^TH Inf. boarded the transport U.S.S. George Washington. The convoy of 9 ships, headed by the cruiser U.S.S. Huntington, sailed an hour after midnight 18 February. The 128^TH Inf. also sailed on this convoy.

The first 32^D Division Command Post (in Europe) was set up on 20 February 1918 at Le Havre, Seine-Inférieure, France, the day the Division Headquarters landed. On 24 February the Command Post was moved and established near Prauthoy, France, the designated training ground for the Division.  The 32^D was the sixth Division to join the A.E.F. (American Expeditionary Force). The 1^ST ‘Big Red One’ Division (RA), 26^TH 'Yankee' Division (New England National Guard), 42^D 'Rainbow' Division (National Guard units from 26 states and Washington D.C.), 2^D ‘Indianhead’ Division (RA) and either the 3^D ‘Marne’ Division (RA) or the 28^TH 'Keystone' Division (Pennsylvania National Guard) arrived in France ahead of the 32^D Division.

On 3 March, the U.S.S. Leviathan left Hoboken, New Jersey, with the 120^TH FA, 121^ST FA, and other units, aboard.

On 4 March, the 127^TH Inf. and 128^TH Inf. arrived in Brest, France.

On 13 March, the U.S.S. Leviathan reached Liverpool, England, with the 120^TH FA, 121^ST FA, and other units, aboard.

On 20 March, the 120^TH FA and 121^ST FA landed at LeHarve, France.

Before the 32^D Division arrived in France, the General Headquarters of the American Expeditionary Force had made the decision that the sixth American division to arrive in France would be designated as a replacement organization. The 32^D Division had the misfortune of being the sixth division to arrive and was informed of its fate as soon as it debarked. This decision would soon be reversed (due, in part, to a German offensive), the 32^D Division would remain intact as a fighting unit, but not before approximately 7,000 of its soldiers were farmed out as replacements to other American units (the Division had 27,000 men when it left for France).

The 125^TH, 126^TH and 127^TH Infantry Regiments were assigned as temporary labor troops immediately after their arrival, and went to work on important projects in the Service of Supply (mainly constructing supply depots). Because of this, only scattered detachments reached the 10th Training Area during the first month the Division was in France. The 57^TH Artillery Brigade went to the artillery training area at Camp Coetquidan and the 107^TH Engineers were assigned to engineering work in the Service of Supply.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from National Archives. Replacing Detachment, 128^TH Inf. going to front, Royaumiex, France on 21 March 1918.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from National Archives. Replacement Detachment, 128^TH Inf. first gas mask drill, Menil-la-Tour, France on 21 March 1918.

The 128^TH Infantry, however, reached the 10th Training Area in March, and bore the brunt of the replacement blow. For about four weeks the Division functioned as a replacement organization and during that time all the privates and captains of the 128^TH who were present for duty were transferred to the 1^ST ‘Big Red One’ Division as replacements. The 1^ST Division had completed its training and was entering the trenches at Cantigny. Many NCOs of the 128^TH asked to be reduced in rank so they could accompany their comrades, but they were needed to train the new men the Division would soon get and their requests were not granted.

In early April, the Army designated the 41^ST Division (created from National Guard units from Idaho, Montana, Oregon, North Dakota and Washington) as a replacement division and reconstitution of the 32^D as a combat division began in earnest. As a result, the majority of the 7,000 replacements the 32^D Division received at the time came from the 41^ST Division.

Most of the Division, still minus the artillery and engineers, was finally assembled in the 10th Training Area on 10 April 1918.

Alsace

On 18 May 1918 the first troops (four battalions) of the 32^D Division were assigned to front line duty in Haute Alsace, as part of the 40th French Corps. Thus the 32^D Division were the first U.S. troops to set foot on German soil (Alsace was part of Germany when the war started in 1914).

On the night of 21-22 May, the 3^D Bn., 127^TH Inf., command by MAJ Charles S. Buck, entered the trenches in the Alsace sector.

On 24 May 1918 the Division suffered its first KIA in combat in France when PVT Joseph W. Guyton was killed. This also meant that he was the first U.S. Soldier to be KIA on German soil. Born in Evart Township, MI, on 10 Jun. 1889, he was assigned to Co. I, 126^TH Inf. Near midnight on 24 May, Guyton was a machine gunner at an OP at the front line. He had been told to intermittently fire his gun toward the German trenches. After one of these bursts he was struck in the temple by a German machine gun burst and died instantly. On 25 May, the commander of the French 9^TH Infantry Division cited PVT Guyton in its orders: “Divisional Order No. 297 General Gamelin, commanding the 9th Infantry Division, cites in the Divisional Order: The soldier, Joseph W. Guyton, of the 126th American Infantry Regiment, 'on guard in the first line was killed by a machine gun bullet. He is the first soldier of the 32nd American Division to fall fighting for the cause of right and liberty on Alsacian soil, beside his French comrades.”

PVT Guyton’s comrades buried him in the cemetery of a nearby German church. His remains were repatriated in 1921. In May of that year, President Warren G. Harding placed a wreath on his flag-draped coffin during a ceremony for 5,000 repatriated American remains at the pier in Hoboken, NJ, where he said: "In the name of the republic, I bestow this tribute on the casket of the first soldier who perished on the soil of the enemy... I chose it because I am offering the tribute to the one returned whose death on enemy soil marked the day when our civilization went face forward and the assault on our present day civilization knew it had failed. May 24, 1918, is the date on which this soldier was killed, and the name is that of Joseph W. Guyton, Company I of the 126th Infantry, a resident patriot and hero of the State of Michigan of the United States of America." After the ceremony, he was transported to his hometown of Evart, MI, where he was reinterred at Forest Hill cemetery. Ten-thousand people turned out for his funeral in that tiny community on 5 Jun. The local VFW Post, a park, and a bridge are named in his honor.

On 27 May, the 127^TH Inf. suffered its first combat casualty when PVT Kenneth E. Counter, from Co. I, was killed.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War.

Co. A, 125^TH Inf., 32^D Division, crossing the German frontier at Sentheim, Alsace, 29 May 1918.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from National Archives. Soldiers of Co. A, 128^TH Inf., 32^D Div. cleaning up St. Ultrich, Alsace, Germany on 4 June 1918.	U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from National Archives. Soldiers of Machine Gun Co., 127^TH Inf., 32^D Div. returning from duty in the trenches, Manspach, Alsace, Germany on 4 June 1918.	U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from National Archives. Rolling kitchen of Co. E & F, 128^TH Inf., 32^D Div. at Austerlitz, Alsace, Germany on 5 June 1918.	U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from National Archives. PVT J. P. Borchers, Co. B, 127^TH Inf., 32^D Div. on duty in OP in Gerspach Woods, near Altkirch, Alsace, Germany on 6 June 1918.
U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from National Archives. Medical Detachment, 127^TH Inf., 2^D Bn., 32^D Div. at first aid station, Eglingen, Alsace, Germany on 6 June 1918.	U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from National Archives. PVT Albert V. Lems of 127^TH Inf., 2^D Bn., 32^D Div. on duty in OP at Lock 25 on Canal at Eglingen, Alsace, Germany on 6 June 1918.	U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from National Archives. Soldiers of Co. B, 127^TH Inf., 32^D Div. carrying in mess to men in the trenches, Carspach Woods, Alsace, Germany on 7 June 1918.

On 9 June, Battery A fired the first shot of the war for the 120th FA. Several days later the 120th FA suffered its first casualty of the war when PVT Kenneth Head, from Battery B, was seriously wounded on 16 June.

By 15 June, eight battalions of the 32^D Division were in the front line (the other four battalions were in support). The Divisions sector of the front stretched 27 kilometers, from Aspach le Bas to the Swiss border. In the middle of June the 57^TH Field Artillery Brigade joined the Division in Alsace, and a few days later was firing in support of the infantry. The 107^TH Engineers joined the Division about the same time, so that on 15 June 1918 the Division was practically complete, except for the shortage of about 2,000 enlisted men, mostly from the infantry. The 32^D was sent here to complete its combat training in order to prepare to be sent to a more active sector in the future. This area was considered a quiet sector; no major combat activity was taking place in this area at this time. Aggressive patrols and raids were the normal activity here, patrols from both sides met and clashed in no man’s land almost nightly.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War. Gen. Pershing, MG Haan and Col. Laucagne, 9th (French) Division, at Sentheim, 20 June 1918.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War. Mrs. Maude Radford Warren and Charles Winner, Y. M. C. A. workers with 32^D Division soldiers at Michelbach, Alsace, 22 June 1918.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War. Sgt. Charles Quick, Cpl. Mark Young and Pvt. Albert Lull, 126^TH Inf., 32^D Division, manning 37mm gun near Dieffmatten, Alsace, 25 June 1918.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War. Machine gunners from 126^TH Inf., 32^D Division, at Diefmatten, Alscace, 26 June 1918.

Early in July 1918, General Pershing inspected the 32^D Division. General Haan expressed the opinion that his men would give a good account of themselves, and hoped that he would soon get orders to go to an active front. General Pershing replied, “I like the snap in your Division, and unless I am mistaken you will be on your way to a more active front in the very near future. Tell your men I like their spirit.”

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War. Pvt. Leo R. Hahn, sniper, Intelligence Section, 127^TH Inf., 32^D Division, in trench at Benholz, Alsace, 1 July 1918.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War. Soldiers of Co. K, 127^TH Inf., 32^D Division, in trenches at Benholz, Alsace, 1 July 1918.

SGT Willard D. Purdy, from Marshfield, Wis., a soldier in Co. A, 127^TH Inf., sacrificed his own life in order to save the lives of his soldiers during a patrol near Hagenback, Alsace, on 4 July 1918, and was posthumously awarded the DSC for his self-less act. SGT Purdy's citation reads: “Upon returning with his patrol after a reconnaissance of the enemy’s line, Sergeant Purdy was calling the roll of his men and collecting their hand grenades when the pin of one of the grenades became disengaged. Seeing that the grenade could not be thrown away without injuring some of the men, Sergeant Purdy called on them all to run, while he picked up three of the grenades and bending over them against his stomach, the grenade exploded, killing Sergeant Purdy instantly, but his presence of mind and self-sacrificing act saved the lives of his comrades.”

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War.

125^TH Inf., 32^D Division, passing through Massevaux, Alsace, 14 July 1918.

On 12 July COL Russell C. Langdon assumed command of the 127th Inf. from COL Wilbur M. Lee.

On 19 July 1918 the Division began to pull out of Alsace, bound for a different sector of the front. There had been three German Divisions, the 30th Bavarian Reserve Division, the 44th Landwehr and the 25th Landwehr, in the trenches opposite the 32nd Division in the Alsace sector. The Division suffered 440 losses from all causes, including: killed, 1 officer and 39 men; severely wounded, 3 officers and 79 men; slightly wounded, 9 officers and 211 men; gassed, 7 officers and 67 men; died of wounds, 1 officer and 15 men; taken prisoner, 8 (8 German prisoners were captured).

Aisne-Marne Campaign (a.k.a. Second Battle of the Marne)

On 26 July 1918 the Division proceeded to the region of Chateau-Thierry, as part of the 38th French Corps, 6th French Army, in the tip of the famous Marne salient.

After nightfall on 29 July, the 64^TH Brigade (127^TH and 128^TH Infantry) began to filter forward to relieve the 3^D Infantry Division in the front line, on the Ourcq in the vicinity of Roncheres. The 3^D Division had been fighting continuously since the German offensive started about 15 July and was exhausted, being at the time held up by strong German resistance in the Bois de Grimpettes.

The 32^D Division received its baptism of fire (first major offensive action) at 1430 hrs on 30 July 1918 when the 127^TH Infantry went over the top and followed a rolling barrage into the Bois des Grimpettes. The 127^TH pushed through the woods until they were stopped by machine gun fire from the right flank. On this flank, from positions in the Bois de Cierges, the Germans continued to oppose every effort to advance, but the 127^TH Infantry gained the edge of those woods and established themselves there. During the night the Germans launched a counter attack from the Bois de Meuniere and a bayonet melee raged for hours in the dark, tangled woods, until the attacking force was finally routed.

PVT Edwin Austin, from Shawano, Wis., a soldier in Co. F, 127^TH Inf., was KIA in this attack near Roncheres, France, on 30 July 1918, and was postumously awarded the DSC for his actions that day. PVT Austin's citation reads: “He volunteered to go out in advance of our front lines and bring back wounded who had been left there when his company was withdrawn. He made two trips, under heavy fire, bringing back wounded with the aid of another soldier, but was killed by machine-gun fire when he went out the third time.”

PVT James C. Hix, from Beloit, Wis., a soldier in Co. F., 127^TH Inf., was wounded in this attack near Roncheres, France, on 30 July 1918, and was awarded the DSC for his actions that day. The award was recieved posthumously, because CPL Hix was KIA near Gesnes on either 7 or 9 Oct. 1918. PVT Hix's citation reads: “With another soldier, he volunteered to go out in advance of our lines to rescue wounded soldiers who had been left there when the company withdrew. Under heavy fire they made two trips, bringing back wounded men. Private Hix was wounded by machine-gun fire when he went out the third time.”

During the night of 30 July, the 63^D Brigade (125^TH and 126^TH Infantry) moved up from support to relieve the 28^TH Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National Guard (adjacent and on the left of the 64^TH Brigade, the 4th French Division was on our right).

On the morning of 31 July, both Infantry Brigades of the 32^D Division went into action side by side. Directly in front of us was the long, open slope of the Ourcq Valley, reaching to the woods of Les Jomblettes on Hill 212, a spur of Hill 230. This objective constituted one of the strongest German positions on the line of the Ourcq, and the success of the contemplated operation meant the breaking of the Kaiser’s last formidable line of resistance south of the Vesle. Les Jomblettes was not only holding up the 32^D Division, machine gun nests there and in the Bois Pelger, further back, flanked the open ground in front of the 42^D Division and absolutely prevented any advance by the “Rainbows”. On the left, the 63^D Brigade promptly reached its objective, Hill 212, after some wicked fighting. They dove into Les Jomblettes and mopped it up and then cleaned out the Bois Pelger, allowing the 42^D Division to advance. On the right, the127^TH Infantry pushed their attack through the village of Cierges and passed beyond, only to be held up by a withering hail of machine gun bullets from Bellevue Farm, which had been organized into a very strong center of resistance which the artillery had failed to smother.

The attack was renewed on the morning of 1 August 1918. The objective of the 63^D Brigade was Hill 230. The mission of the 64^TH was to take Bellevue Farm, which had stopped the attack the day before. The Germans resisted desperately and were amply supported by machine guns and artillery. But “Les Terribles” were not to be denied. The objectives were gained and after dark the 32^D Division dominated Hill 230. The Germans were forced to retreat after they lost this commanding high ground.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War. Soldiers of the 126^TH Inf., 32^D Division, assembling for an attack near Coutmont, 1 Aug. 1918.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War. Soldiers of the 2^D Battalion, 126^TH Inf., 32^D Division, assembling in a wheatfield prepatory to an attack near Coutmont, 1 Aug. 1918.

The situation was now such that the commander of the 6th French Army thought it probable that a consolidated advance could break through. Such an advance was ordered to begin on the morning of 2 August. The German resistance was not as stubborn as it had been over the last few days. As a result, the 32^D Division advanced rapidly. The pursuit was continued to a line north of the village of Dravegny, which the 32^D reached by nightfall, after an advance of about 6 km.

On 3 August, the pursuit was resumed and our troops continued to steadily gain ground, although meeting with increased resistance, especially on the left flank, where the 42^D Division was unable to advance as rapidly as the 32^D. By the end of the day, the Division’s front line had advanced about 7 km to the hills overlooking the valley of the Vesle, about 1 km south of the Vesle on the left and 2 km south of Fismes on the right. Here considerable resistance was met from the German rear guard, which was making a stand to protect the withdrawal over the river.

1LT Clarence G. Noble, from Soperton, Wis., an officer in Co. G, 128^TH Inf., was KIA in this attack near St. Giles, France, on 3 August 1918, and was posthumously awarded the DSC for his actions that day. 1LT Noble's citation reads: “He voluntarily exposed himself to heavy shell fire in placing his men under cover during a heavy bombardment. While assisting a wounded soldier he was struck by a shell and killed.”

On 4 August the 127^TH moved out toward Fismes, while the 63^D Brigade attacked the railroad yards on their front. The enemy had no intentions of yielding without a bitter battle and by means of very heavy artillery and machine gun fire was able to hold the town and railroad yards during the early hours of the afternoon. In its attack on Fismes, the 127^TH was badly cut up and late in the day Colonel Langdon organized a provisional battalion out of what was left of his regiment and sent it forward to storm the town. His shattered companies made a desperate assault and finally suceeded, about nightfall, in passing through the town and establishing a position on the south bank of the river. On the left, the 63^D Brigade took the railroad yards and succeeded in getting a few small patrols across the river during the night, but was unable to maintain them there so they were withdrawn.

The 3^D Battalion, commanded by CPT Byron Beveridge, was the assault battalion for the 127^TH Infantry's attack on Fismes. The 3^D Bn. commenced their attack at 1430, covered by machine gun fire from Co. A, 121^ST Machine Gun Battalion and some artillery from the 120^TH Field Artillery. The authorized strength of the battalion was 20 officers and 1,000 men, the 3^D Bn. was down to 12 officers and 350 men when they started their assault on 4 August. They suffered many more casualties as they advanced over 2,100 yards of mostly open ground while subjected to intense German artillery and machine gun fire. The 2^D Bn., 127^TH Inf., commanded by CPT George F. O'Connell, also understrength due to the recent fighting, was brought into to assist the 3^D Battalion's push toward Fismes. The 127^TH Inf. was able to capture Fismes, but at terrific cost. That night, the 3^D Bn. was down to 2 officers and 94 men; the 2^D Bn. had 5 officers and 104 men. The 1^ST Bn., commanded by CPT William Smith, was held in reserve during this attack.

1LT Ray C. Dickop, from Beloit, Wis., CO of Co. L, 127^TH Inf. was KIA in this attack on Fismes, France, on 4 August 1918, and was posthumously awarded the DSC for his actions that day. 1LT Dickop's citation reads: “On reaching Chezelles Farm, he was shot in the head, body and legs. Although thus fatally wounded, when orders came for another assault, he gave the command ‘Charge’ to his company and led the assault until he fell dead.”

Near the end of the war, General Pershing compiled a list of the 100 greatest American heroes of the war. The list became known as Pershing's 100. Gen. Pershing included 1LT Ray C. Dickop on his list.

PVT Wilford Lloyd, a soldier in Co. L, 127^TH Inf., was awarded the DSC for his actions during the attack on Fismes, France, on 4 August 1918. He was serving as 1LT Dickop's orderly and was wounded at the same time as 1LT Dickop. As PVT Lloyd fell wounded, he lost his pistol. He then crawled over to a dead soldier, picked up the dead man’s rifle and joined a squad in a successful attack on the strongly fortified stone wall surrounding Chezelles Farm on the outskirts of Fismes.

On 5 August, the 127^TH gave their attention to mopping up the town. Attempts were also made to cross the river, but without success. On the night of 5 August, the 3^D Battalion of the 128^TH, the only strong battalion left in the 64^TH Brigade, was ordered into Fismes to reinforce the 127^TH. On the morning of 6 August, the 127^TH was relieved from Fismes. There were still German snipers in the town, and the 128^TH continued to mop up the place. In the eastern half of the town German and American patrols clashed and it was nightfall before the Americans could claim anything like control of the city.

It was during this action that the 32^D Division earned the nickname of “Les Terribles”. When this fight first started General de Mondesir, the 38th French Corps Commander, under whose orders the 32^D was serving at the time, went to the front to see how the Americans were conducting the battle. After he personally observed the 32nd clearing the Germans out of their powerful positions with regularity and determination, he exclaimed “Oui, Oui, Les soldats terrible, tres bien, tres bien!”  General Mangin heard of it and referred to the 32^D Division as “Les Terribles” when he asked for the Division to join his famous 10th French Army of shock troops north of Soissons. He later made the nickname official when he incorporated it in his citation for their terrific punch at Juvigny.

The 32^D Division was the only American division to bestowed a nom-de-guerre by an Allied nation during the war.

On 7 August 1918 the 32^D Division was relieved in the front by the 28^TH Infantry Division. In the savage fighting that occurred since 30 July, the German line was forced steadily back, over difficult ground, from the strongly fortified position on the Ouraq River to the Vesle River, a distance of 19 kilometers. The brilliant and determined American attacks culminated in the 64^TH Infantry Brigade’s capture of the important town of Fismes (on the Vesle) on 7 August, and the 63^D Brigade’s capture of the important German railhead on the Vesle (in the left of the Division’s sector) on 4 August. During the past week the Division had captured 18 villages and fortified farms, captured 4 pieces of heavy artillery, five pieces of light artillery, ten trench mortars, 28 machine guns and hundreds of rifles. The Division had faced three German Divisions in this offensive: the Fourth Prussian Guards, the 200th and the 216th. One German officer and 96 soldiers were taken prisoner. The 32^D Division casualties were 4,597 losses from all causes, including: killed and died of wounds, 797; severely wounded, 1,153; slightly wounded, 2009; gassed, 618; missing, 12; captured, 2 officers and 6 men.

Oise-Aisne Campaign

On 23 August 1918 the Division started movement to a new sector, in the vicinity of Perrefonds, near Soissons. After a few days in the Army reserve the Division was sent across the Aisne to a position in the rear of the 127th French Infantry Division, with orders to relieve that division on short notice.

The relief of the 127th French Infantry Division took place on the night of 27-28 August. The 63^D Brigade went into the line and the 64^TH Brigade went into support (of the 63^D). (The Infantry companies were down to 50% of their authorized strength of 250 soldiers as the 32^D Division prepared to enter its second battle.) The relief was completed at 0200 hrs. The first attack was set for 0700 hrs, the precise hour that command of the sector passed to the 32^D Commander, General Haan.

The 63^D went over the top at 0700 hrs on 28 August to participate in a limited attack to eliminate a dangerous salient in the sector of the 59th French Division to the right of the 32^D. During the morning the 32^D readily gained their objective, the railroad track west of the village of Juvigny, the village was destined to be one of the high spots in the career of “Les Terribles”. The 63^D Brigade turned in over 100 prisoners as a result of their push, and the captured Germans all testified to their complete surprise at the presence of Americans in the sector. Later the 32^D found that the position they had captured was difficult to hold. They were on high, open ground on the slope of a hill facing the enemy. There was little cover, except shell holes, and they were subjected to artillery and machine gun fire from positions that had excellent observation of our front. The exposed position could not be abandoned without endangering the French, as a result, the casualties were high. Shortly after noon, the Germans counter attacked to attempt to dislodge the Americans. Our machine gunners held their ground and, aided by our artillery, were able to repel the German counter attack. After that, the Germans continued their harassing artillery and machine gun fire on the troops in the vicinity of the railroad tracks.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War. Soldiers of the 121^ST Machine Gun Battalion, 32^D Division, resting in a shell hole near Valpries Farm, Juvigny, 29 Aug. 1918.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War. Men of the 107^TH Field Signal Battalion, 32^D Division, repair telephone wires broken by enemy shells near Juvigny, 29 Aug. 1918.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War. Men of Co. K, 128^TH Inf., 32^D Division, in line on Valpries Farm in front of Juvigny, 29 Aug. 1918.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War. French tanks moving to the support of French troops operating on the left of the 32^D Division, 29 Aug. 1918.

General Mangin ordered a general attack by the entire 10th French Army (of which the 32^D was a part of at this time) to take place at 0525 hrs on 29 August, with the objective of a complete break through the German line. Two companies of tanks and a troop of Moroccan Cavalry were attached to the 32^D Division (several French Artillery units were also attached to the 57^TH Field Artillery Brigade of the 32^D Division). A tremendous artillery preparation had been delivered during the night, followed by a rolling barrage in front of the attacking infantry in the morning, but all this seemed to have little effect on the German machine gun nests, some of which took good advantage of numerous caves in the area. The Germans also laid down an effective counter barrage, just as our troops jumped off. The entire 10th French Army met a determined German defense occupying well sited and protected positions. Casualties were heavy on both sides and very little ground was gained. Because of the heavy casualties, the 63^D Brigade was relieved by the 64^TH Brigade on the night of 29-30 August in preparation for the next general attack, planned for 30 August. The 127^TH was on the right and the 128^TH on the left, each with two battalions in the line and one in support.

The planned attack for 30 August was not ordered. This situation left the 32^D Division front line still exposed on the hill west of Juvigny, with the troops suffering heavily. While corrective measures were being considered, word was received from the 59th French Division on our right that its right flank had advanced in close liaison with the division to their right, which had found a weak spot in the German line and had broken through. It became apparent that this movement was going to meet with success and preparations were made for the 32^D to participate in the shove. This would give us the opportunity to attack Juvigny. When the attack was launched, the left flank, together with the 66th French Division on our left, was held up by heavy fire coming from the northeast. The right flank, however, moved forward, and while it encountered determined opposition in going through the woods, it succeeded in making its way through the ravine to a position to the south of Juvigny with the extreme right partially enveloping the town to the east. One battalion of the 128^TH Infantry moved forward west of Juvigny and reached a position north of the town, in this way the village was practically surrounded. The enemy was taken by surprise by the attack, but recovered and delivered a counter attack on our left flank. This attack was repulsed by the 128^TH, which had been reinforced on its left by a battalion of the 125^TH Infantry. With Juvigny surrounded, the support battalion of the 127^TH Infantry entered the town from the southwest and mopped up, encountering some wicked fighting. Nearly all of the German troops holding the village were either killed or captured.

1LT Henry S. Blomberg, from Superior, Wis., an officer in Co. D, 127^TH Inf., was awarded the DSC for his bravery during this attack at Juvigny, France, on 30 August 1918. 1LT Blomberg's citation reads: “Inspiring his men by his own personal bravery, he vigorously led his company forward in the face of heavy machine-gun and artillery fire, capturing the heights overlooking Juvigny with many prisoners. After reaching the objective he repeatedly exposed himself to hostile fire time after time in reorganizing the line. During the defense of the position won he personally set up and operated a captured German machine gun against the enemy while under terrific fire.” 1LT Blomberg was later KIA on 4 October 1918.

General Mangin ordered his second general attack to take place at 1600 hrs on 31 August 1918. This attack was needed to straighten out the front line and improve the positions of some of the forward units. He ordered an artillery preparation of four hours to preceded the infantry attack. The entire 57^TH Artillery Brigade, commanded by BG George L. Irwin, and the artillery of the 1st Moroccan Division, which was supporting the 32^D, was assigned to General Haan for this attack. Novel use was made of this abnormal abundance of artillery in the form of a triple, rolling barrage, to cover a depth of about 1 ½ km. Some of the German prisoners taken during the day remarked that there were so many artillery shells bursting around them that they thought the Americans had a machine gun that sprayed 75 mm shells. Even after all this, the 32^D Division still suffered considerable casualties as they progressed to the Terny-Sorny-Bethancourt road, where the general advance stopped.

In an operation against a determined enemy, disposed in great depth, supported be adequate artillery and entrenched in highly organized positions in country that lent itself naturally to defense, the 32^D Division had again broken through a German key position, had penetrated his line to a depth of 5 ½ km, and started an enemy withdrawal, thus paving the way for a forward movement by the whole French 10th Army.

The 32^D was relieved by the First Moroccan Division, this division included the Foreign Legion and other famous units, on the night of 1-2 September and went into support for the 10th French Army.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War. Cave at Tartiers used as 32nd Division command post and first aid station.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War . Lord Reading, Chief Justice of England, at Tarteirs, 4 Sept. 1918, congratulating MG Haan on the victory at Juvigny.

On 5 September orders were received stating that the 32^D was being transferred to the First American Army, thus effecting the 32^D Division’s withdrawal from the Oise-Aisne offensive. General Mangin later decorated the Division for its actions in this offensive. He decorated the colors of all four Infantry regiments, all three artillery regiments and all three machine gun battalions with the Croix de Guerre with Palm, the highest order of the Croix de Guerre. These were the only National Guard units bestowed with the highest order of the Croix de Guerre during WWI. Gen. Mangin also cited over 500 officers and men for gallantry in action while under his command. The 32^D Division casualties were 2908 losses from all causes, including: killed and died of wounds, 485; severely wounded, 599; slightly wounded, 1251; gassed, 574; missing, 14; captured, 5 men. Five German Divisions were used up in an attempt to hold the position which the 32nd stormed-the 7th, 7th Reserve, the 223rd, the 238th and the 237th. From these Divisions 937 prisoners were captured, 9 of them officers. The material captured included 2 pieces of heavy artillery, 2 pieces of light artillery, 16 trench mortars, 112 machine guns, 700 rifles and great quantities of ammunition and material.

The Division was moved to a rest area in the vicinity of Joinville, north of Chaumont, on 10 September 1918. About 5,000 new men arrived in the Division, but the rifle companies were still short three officers and 50 men each.

On 15 September General Pershing visited the 32^D Division and congratulated them on their accomplishments during the Oise-Aisne campaign.

Part 2 - Meuse – Argonne, March to the Rhine and Army of Occupation

Bibliography:

Haan, William G., Major General.  "The Division as a Fighting Machine". The Wisconsin Magazine of History.  Volume 04, Issue 1. Menasha, WI: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1920.

Hanton, Carl, Captain. The 32nd Division in the World War. Madison, WI: Wisconsin War History Commission, 1920.
Souvenir of the First Annual Reunion of the 32nd Division (Les Terribles). Milwaukee, WI: 121^ST F. A. Veterans’ Association, 1920.
U.S. Official Pictures of the World War - Showing America's Participation.

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revised 6 May 2011
since 27 February 1999