Marne, Second Battle of the
Marne, Second Battle of the (1918).Marne was the area west of Reims, France, in which the Germans made their greatest gains in World War I since the battle in the same area in 1914. On 15 June 1918, fourteen German divisions forced the Marne River against French and British armies. A French division and two Italian divisions folded. Earlier, at Cantigny, the U.S. 1st Division had halted the Germans, and the 2nd Division helped recapture Belleau Wood and Vaux. The U.S. 3rd Division, hastily committed against the point of the German drive, stopped the advance, in bloody, hand‐to‐hand fighting, although the Americans were beset on three sides. The German drive continued around the Americans, establishing a sizable bridgehead across the Marne. British divisions from the north arrived and blunted the German offensive, as they and the French reconstituted defenses on the river line, building on the 3rd Division's positions. Through the ranks of...
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