Lost Battalion WWI by Thomas

Lost Battalion WWI by Thomas Johnson, Fletcher Pratt and Edward Coffman

Review of the Lost Battalion by Thomas Johnson, Fletcher Pratt and Edward Coffman

They were probably not the first men to become truly lost in the Argonne Forest, but during those fateful days from October 2 to October 7, 1918, the men of the so-called "Lost Battalion" did become the most famous to do so, if only for fives day, thereby earning them a place in history books that helps keep the memory of this costly and important battle from World War I alive today. Indeed, these men were not "lost" in terms of their physical whereabouts being unknown, but rather related to whether they could be saved at all. Given the number of American troops involved in the Argonne-Meuse battle and the fog of war that surrounded World War I battlefields in general and this one in particular, it is little wonder that the Lost Battalion was lost in the fashion it was, but the truly miraculous aspect of the encounter was that there were not far more of them placed in this untenable predicament. This paper provides a review of the book, The Lost Battalion, the story of the men from the American First Army who became lost in the Argonne Forest from October 2 to October 7, 1918. A summary of the research and important findings about the book are presented in the conclusion.

Review and Discussion

In the Lost Battalion, the authors preface their day-by-day first-hand accounts of the events from October 2 to October 7, 1918 with an introduction that provides the historical context in which the Lost Battalion's experiences took place. According to Coffman, "On 26 September 1918, the American First Army launched a massive assault along a front of some twenty miles, stretching from the depths of the Argonne Forest to the Meuse River. During the next six weeks, Gen. John J. Pershing pushed more men into the battle, and casualties mounted to more than 120,000" (v). General Pershing's intention in expending these numbers of troops and taking such large numbers of casualties was to break throughout the massive emplacements the German's had installed over time and finally end the stalemate that existed on the battlefield. In this regard, Coffman notes that, "The number of men involved -- more than a million -- and the heavy losses made this battle even greater than the major American actions that would follow in World War II" (v).

The Lost Battalion's saga began on October 2, 1918, when newly promoted Major Charles W. Whittlesey received orders to lead his exhausted and under-strength battalion into battle. Despite the major's protests, he followed the orders to attack when his objections were overruled. According to the authors, "This is the first publication of the important fact that Major Whittlesey himself advised against the attack that transformed his command into the 'Lost Battalion.' He advised against it not once but twice; not only on the morning of October 2 but on the night previous. Both times Colonel Stacey made the same reply, that he agreed with Major Whittlesey but that he had his orders to attack from higher authority" (Johnson, Pratt and Coffman 289). As a result, and based on orders to ignore the security on his flanks, Major Whittlesey led his battalion to an advanced position that would place them beyond American assistance and help ensure their place in the history books as well. According to Coffman, "They advanced and found a valley in the Argonne that took them beyond the German lines" (v).

After positioning his men along the slope that was their objective, the battalion commander radioed his position and waited for reinforcements, new orders - and supplies which always seemed to be just out of reach. Indeed, his men were woefully undersupplied, having only the provisions and ammunition they carried with them into battle, and the German commanders had apparently taken far more notice of them than their American counterparts. For example, recognizing the strategic position occupied by them, German troops surrounded the Lost Battalion and prevented relief efforts by the 77th Division while keeping up the pressure on them from all sides. The heavy losses being experienced by the troops of the Lost Battalion were further exacerbated by misdirected friendly artillery fire that killed or wounded hundreds of the bewildered U.S. forces that was only stopped by Whittlesey's use of a carrier pigeon to call off the barrage (Coffman viii). It was during this low phase of the battle that the battalion earned its now-famous but misplaced moniker: "While the five-day siege was in progress, war correspondents picked up on the story of what was then miscalled the 'Lost Battalion.' Everyone knew where they were. The issue was whether or not the division could fight its way to them" (Coffman vi). The day-by-day first-hand descriptions of the battlefield and how the men of the Lost Battalion reacted to the deteriorating conditions were among the most vivid accounts in this regard, with American resolve and fortitude being eroded by hunger, desperation and aggravated exhaustion.

Despite these setbacks and the fact that the German even tried a flamethrower attack to dislodge the men of the Lost Battalion and demanded their surrender, the brave souls of the Lost Battalion hung on until October 7 when they were relieved by American forces that broke through the German lines. Of the 554 officers and men that originally secured the slope that was their objective, the Lost Battalion consisted of fewer than 200 survivors. According to Coffman, "These men and their commander, who was promptly promoted to lieutenant colonel, were celebrated as heroes when they emerged from the Argonne Forest" (vi). Lieutenant Colonel Whittlesey would go on to receive a Medal of Honor and other accolades from an admiring and grateful American public, and while the circumstances of his death remain mysterious, many historians believe he took his own life by throwing himself overboard during a cruise as a result of the demons that were caused by these 5 days in hell in the Argonne Forest.

The organization of the rest of the book makes for interesting and colorful reading as well. For example, the authors provide a prologue that helps describe the region in which these events occurred more fully, and they provide a series of illustrations that support their vivid descriptions of the landscape and geographic features that both hindered and assisted Major Whittlesey's efforts to maintain an adequate defense of his position in the face of such overwhelming German offensive actions. The day-by-day, blow-by-blow aspects of the events of the 5-day battle provide some fascinating insights into just how terrifying this prolonged experience must have been for the Lost Battalion, and the illustrations confirm that the Argonne Forest is not a very cheerful place even under the best of circumstances. The manner in which the newly promoted major, Whittlesey, sought to care for his men in the face of such overwhelming adversity speaks highly of his leadership abilities and justifies his rapid promotion to lieutenant colonel.