William A. Snow-- Part 3: Distinguished Service Cross for Belleau Wood

He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross.

From his citation:

For extraordinary herosim  in action while serving  with2nd Engineers, 2nd Division, American Expeditionary Force (World War I), in the Belleau Wood, France, June 12-15, 1918.

On order to consolidate the  position of his brigade, Major Snow personally led one company from his battalion through a heavy barrage.  After passing through the barrage, he discovered that part of his company had become separated because of the violent fire.

He returned through the barrage and in so doing, was wounded in the neck.   After having his wound  dressed at the aid station,  he refused to go to the rear, but went back and  conducted the remainder of his men through the barrage.

Despite his wound,  he remained on duty for 16 hours until ordered to the rear.

*******************************

U.S. casualties at Belleau Wood, June 1-26, 1918, amounted to 1,811 killed and 7,966 wounded.

Other Facts About the Battle of Princeton

From the Mt. Vernon Organization.

**  WEATHER:  21 degrees at 8 am  "Fair & Frosty."    Some reported "shin deep snow" on the Clarke Farm battlefield.

**  STRENGTHS:    American - 4,500 est. with 35 artillery pieces.  British - 1,200 est. with  6 to 9 artillery pieces.

**  CASUALTIES:  Exact numbers are not known and estimates vary.  Fischer reports 232 killed and wounded for the British with maybe another  200 to 300 captured.  American losses were likely 31-37 killed, upwards of  37 wounded and 1 captured.

**  At the time of the battle, Princeton University was known as the College of New Jersey.  The name was changed to Princeton in 1896.

**  The Continental Congress convened in Nassau Hall from June 30, 1783, to November 4, 1783.  Congress moved here from Philadelphia to avoid risk from mutinous Continental  Army officers in and near Philadelphia.

--Cooter

These Are the Wars the U.S. Has Fought-- Part 2: The World Wars, Korea and Vietnam

**  WORLD WAR I (1917-1918)

The U.S. declared war on Germany April 6, 1917.

A total of 4,734,991 Americans served.     There were 116,516 killed and 204,002 wounded.

**  WORLD WAR II   (1941-1945)

16,112,566 Americans were called into service.  

405,339 were killed and 670,846 wounded.

******************************

**  KOREAN WAR   (1950-1953)

The Republic of Korea (South Korea) versus the Democratic  People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).  The United States and United Nations countries supported South Korea and China and the Soviet Union supported North Korea.

The war ended with an armistice that persists to this day.

5,720,000 Americans fought.

54,246 died and 103,284 were wounded.

**  VIETNAM WAR  (1955-1975)

There is some discussion as to when the war began for the United States.

It was North Vietnam (Communists) versus South Vietnam supported by the United States.

It really picked up for the U.S. after what was called the Gulf of Tonkin Incident.

In this war, 8,744,000 served and 90,220 died and 153,303 were wounded.

--Cooter

These Are the Wars the U.S. Has Fought-- Part 1 (With Casualties)

From the November 12, 2021, CVBJ.biz.

**   WAR OF INDEPENDENCE  (1775-1783) 

Estimated 184,000 to 250,000 Americans    4,435 killed, 6,188 wounded

**   ANGLO-AMERICAN WAR  (War of 1812)  (1812-1815)

286,730 Americans served   2,260 deaths, 4,505 wounded

**   MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR   (1846-1848)

78,718 Americans served   13,283 died, 4,152 wounded

**   CIVIL WAR  (1861-1865)

2,213,363 Americans served in Union forces   364,511 dead    Between 600,000 and 1,500,000 Americans fought for the Confederacy    133,821 died

**   SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR   (1898)

306,760 Americans served   2,446 killed, 1,662 wounded

--Cooter

He Fired When Ready-- Part 6: The Losses at the Battle of Manila Bay

The Asiatic Squadron had suffered few casualties.  Only six wounded.  However, on the Spanish side, nearly 400 sailors died and ten warships either destroyed or captured according to The History Channel site.

This source says that after two hours of the fight, the Spanish fleet was so decimated that Dewey met with his captains and ordered his crews to have a second breakfast.

Wikipedia says that American losses were 

1 dead of illness

9 wounded

1 protected cruiser damaged

*******************************

Spanish losses were

77 killed

271 wounded

2 protected cruisers scuttled

5 unprotected cruisers sunk

1 transport ship sunk

Anyway you want to look at it, this was one big disaster of a battle for Spain.

Like I Said, It Was Very One-Sided.  --Cooter

Corporal Edward J. Aumack, Killed in the Korean War-- Part 2

From HonorStates.com.

CORPORAL EDWARD J. AUMACK

From Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Death:  October 20, 1951  Fighting near Yongon-ni, North Korea.

Corporal U.S. Army, Korean War 

Light Weapons Infantryman

Company C, 1st Battalion,  5th Infantry Regimental Combat Team.

Service Number:  51026861

Killed in Action.  Received Purple Heart.

I was unable to find out where he was buried.

Doughboy Convalescents Going Through DeKalb in 1919

From the February 27, 2019, MidWeek  (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1919, 100 Years Ago.

"A special train of soldier lads went through here yesterday afternoon about four o'clock going west with Camp Dodge, Iowa, as their destination.

"The soldier lads were convalescents, as many of them were seen  with bandages on their  arms and heads and it is probable, they are some of the more recently returned boys  from over there, who 'got theirs'  from stray Hun bullets."

--Cooter

Last Casualties of World War I-- Part 2: France, British, Commonwealth, American and German

**  Augustin Trebuchon was the last Frenchman to die when he was shot on his way to tell  fellow soldiers that hot soup would be available  after the ceasefire.

**  The last British soldier to die was George Edwin Ellison of the 5th Royal Lancers who was killed at 9:30 a.m. while on a scouting mission.

**  The final Canadian and Commonwealth soldier to die was Private George Lawrence Price who was killed in his trench just two minutes before 11 a.m..

**  The last American was Henry Gunther, who is generally recognized as the very last soldier killed in the war.  He was killed 60 seconds before the Armistice went into effect.  He was killed by German troops, who knew about the Armistice, but Gunther was charging them.

**  The last reported German death was Leutnant Tomas who was killed after the Armistice.  he approached advancing American soldiers saying he and his men would be evacuating houses they occupied, but the Americans did not know about the Armistice.

--Cooter

Last Casualties of World War I-- Part 1: So Sad, 2,738 Deaths On last Day

From ANSWERS:  "Who Was the Last Casualty of World War I?"

Even after word reached units that the war was to stop at 11 a.m., firing continued right up to that time.  Some Allied artillery units continued firing so as to use up ammunition so they wouldn't have to cart it off.  Allies also wanted to ensure that should the fighting start again, they would be in the best possible situation.

As mentioned in the last post, there was also the "honor" of firing the last shot.

As a result, there were 10,944 casualties on that last day, including 2,738 deaths.

All For Nothing.  --Cooter

End of War, Nov. 1, 1918: Casualties

ARMISTICE ENDS WORLD WAR I

2,171,560 Americans serve on Europe (1.39 million see active service on the front).

Casualties:

53,513 combat deaths

63,195 other deaths (mostly due to pneumonia and influenza)

204,002 wounded in action

58,000 gas casualties (2,000 fatal).

WW I Sep. 26-Nov.11: Meuse-Argonne Offensive

SEPTEMBER 26-NOVEMBER 11, 1918

THE MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE

Up until then, the largest U.S. field army (1st and 2nd Armies)  ever assembled -- more than 1.2 million men in 23 divisions (or elements of).

The first phase of the offensive ended October 3; Phase 2 October 30.  The final phase was the first eleven days of November.

Sedan is captured.

U.S. casualties:  26,277 KIA and 95,786 WIA in 47 days.

Th End Is Near.  --Cooter

WW I, August 1918: Offensives Leading To the End of the War

AUGUST 18, 1918 to NOVEMBER 11, 1918

OISE-AISNE OFFENSIVE

28th, 32nd, 77th, 88th (artillery) and 93rd  (370th Infantry) Infantry Divisions participate.

U.S. casualties:  1,919 Killed in Action, 8,248 Wounded in Action.


AUGUST 19, 1918 to NOVEMBER 11, 1918

BELGIUM: YPRES-LYS OFFENSIVE

27th, 28th (artillery) 30th, 37th and 91st Infantry Divisions drive to the Scheldt River.

U.S. casualties:  894 Killed in Action, 3,002 Wounded in Action

These two operations brought about the Armistice ending the war.

--Cooter

MLB Catcher Hank Gowdy Enters Military Service in WW I

June 27, 2018, Chicago Tribune  On This Date.

JUNE 27, 1917

Catch Hank Gowdy of the Boston Braves becomes the first major league player to enter military service in World War I.

Eight Major League Players Died during the war.

A total of 250 Major League Baseball players served in the military during the war.

--Cooter

WW I, August 8-Nov. 11 1918: The Somme Offensive

AUGUST 8 TO NOVEMBER 11, 1918  Belgium

The 27th and 30th Infantry Divisions hold the East Poperingh Line and fight the Battle of Vierstraat Ridge.

The 33rd and 80th Infantry Divisions also serve in the offensive.

U.S. casualties:

3,221 Killed in Action
12,428 Wounded in Action

--Cooter

Second Battle of the Marne July 18 to August 6, 1918: Began 100 Years Ago

The previous post mentioned this battle as the Aisne-Marne Offensive.

This was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War I.  The attack failed when an Allied counterattack, supported by several hundred tanks, overwhelmed the Germans on their right flank, inflicting many casualties.

The German defeat marked the beginning of the relentless Allied advance that resulting in the Armistice with  Germany about 100 days later.

There were, on the Allied side, 44 French, 8 American, 4 British and 2 Italian divisions,408 heavy guns, 360 field batteries and 346 tanks,

German strength:  52 divisions, 609 heavy guns and 1,047 field batteries

CASUALTIES:

France:  95,165 dead or wounded
Britain:  16,552 dead or wounded
USA:  12,00 dead or wounded
Italy:  9,00 dead or wounded

GERMAN CASUALTIES:

139,000 dead or wounded, 29,367 captured, 793 guns lost

Some Jawdropping Numbers.  --DaCoot

World War I Chronology, May 1918: Battle of Cantigny

From the April 2017 VFW magazine.

MAY 3-4--  18th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division loses 200 KIA and 600 WIA gassed in one night of shelling in the Picardy Sector

MAY 27-JUNE 5--  AISNE DEFENSIVE   U.S. 2nd and 3rd Infantry Divisions participate.  Stop German advance on Paris.

MAY 28--    BATTLE OF CANTIGNY   First U.S. offensive action of the war.  3,150 men of the 28th Infantry, 1st Division, sustain 187 KIA, 636 WIA in capturing Cantigny and 200 German POWs.

--Cooter

The Rainbow Division-- Part 3: World War I

In 1918, the Rainbow Division participated in four major operations:  Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, Battle of Saint Mihel and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

In total, the division saw 264 days of combat in France.

During this time, they suffered 14,683 casualties:  2,058 killed in action and 12,625 wounded in action.

Commanders included Major General W.A. Mann, Brigadier general Charles T. Menoher, Major General Charles D. Rhodes and Brigadier General Douglas MacArthur.

--Cooter

First Americans Killed in WW I Action-- Part 4: Thomas Enright

From Wikipedia

Thomas F. Enright, private.  First Pennsylvanian serviceman killed in action WW I and perhaps the first American to die.  (It is not known in what order the  three men were killed.)

Born May 8, 1887.  His parents were Irish immigrants.  Enlisted in the Army in 1909 and served in the Chinese Boxer Rebellion and the Philippines Insurrection.  In 1914 he was in Vera Cruz, Mexico, with Pershing looking for Pancho Villa.

In 1916, he left the Army and went home to Pittsburgh.  He reenlisted in the 16th Infantry at Fort Bliss, Texas.  On June 26, 1917 he and his regiment disembarked in France.

--Cooter

First Americans Killed in Action World War I-- Part 3: "He Stayed At His Post of Duty and Fought to the Last"

Upon arrival in England, they sailed to Artois in northern France and immediately engaged in trench warfare.

Early in the morning of November 3, 240 German soldiers attacked the American trenches.  The Americans were vastly outnumbered and hand-to-hand fighting took place.

Besides these three men who were killed in this action, there were 5 Americans wounded and twelve captured, but the Germans retreated back to their trenches.  Hay, Enright and Greshan were buried at the scene.

Hay's commander wrote to his father:  "He was a faithful soldier, one we could trust.  At all times his work was of high quality but especially at the time of his death did he prove real worth.  He stayed at his post of duty and fought to the last.

"We are proud of the true American spirit shown by him and his comrades."

The remains of all three were returned to their home towns for proper internment and memorial.

The First of Many Americans to Fall.  --Cooter

First Americans Killed in Action in WW I-- Part 2

Continued from November 6.

The three men killed:

**  THomas F. Enright, private:  Sister Mrs. Mary Irwin, No. 6641 Premo St., Pittsburgh.

**  James P. Gresham, private:  Mother, Mrs. Alice Dodd, No. 1001 West Ohio street, Evansville, Indiana.

**  Merle D. Hay, private:  father, Harvey D. Hay, Glidden, Iowa.

All three enlisted, not drafted.  Enright joined in 1909, Gresham 1913 and Hay in May 1917.  Enright was 30, Greshan and Hay in their early to mid-20s.

All were members of the First Division, Co. F, Second Battalion, 16th Infantry.

--Cooter