The Best World War I Story I Know: On the Point in the Argonne, September 26-October 16, 1918

The Best World War I Story I Know: On the Point in the Argonne is the breath-taking story of three US Army divisions tasked with capturing the Cote de Chatillon during the Meuse-Argonne offensive in autumn 1918. Readers will first follow in the footsteps of Missouri-Kansas Guard troops who were repulsed in the opening days of the battle; their courage in the face of heavy fire was not enough to overcome poor leadership. They were replaced by the 1st Division, the best of the Regular Army. This fine unit became physically and mentally exhausted after suffering horrendous casualties. Unable to fight on, The Big Red One was exchanged at the base of Cote de Chatillon, with the 42nd, the Rainbow Division. It too struggled to gain ground on the heavily-contested hill until General Douglas MacArthur’s determined 84th Brigade of Alabama cotton pickers and Iowa corn growers forced their way past the Germans. The Cote was finally in American hands and the war all but over.