1918 10 07 Argonne, Sturmtruppen - John ShumateThe final German attack on the lost battalion j
1918 10 07 Argonne, Sturmtruppen - John ShumateThe final German attack on the lost battalion just after 1700hrs on 7 October 1918. Just two of the Americans’ original nine Hotchkiss machine guns were still functional. After days without food and medicine, and with little water and sleep, surviving Americans were weak and in poor health. Nevertheless, according to multiple accounts, once the final German assault began, wounded men rose from their foxholes with their rifles, while those too injured to move loaded rifles for the rest. From behind the American pocket, and uphill, the Germans attacked with potato masher grenades. The 16 Strosstruppen attached that afternoon attacked the Americans’ left flank with a handful of flamethrowers. On the right flank, Captain Nelson Holderman and a sergeant repulsed a German attack almost single-handedly. The attack lasted at least an hour and a half and virtually exhausted the Americans’ last ammunition. Throughout the nearly week-long siege, both sides had engaged in shouted psychological warfare, as many of the besieging Germans spoke English, while many of the encircled Americans spoke German. As the attack failed, the surviving Americans began screaming taunts at the Germans. Minutes later, an American patrol broke through to Whittlesey’s pocket, ending the siege. -- source link
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