Seicheprey, Crucible of the 26th Division, Part II

Today's post was written by Jan Hodges, volunteer at the National Archives at College Park, MD. This is a continuation from Part I. Bleary eyed American soldiers were jolted to full wakefulness by the tremendous noise of the barrage in a fog created by nature and intensified by haze from exploding shells.  Both explosive and … Continue reading Seicheprey, Crucible of the 26th Division, Part II

Seicheprey, Crucible of the 26th Division

Today's post is by Jan Hodges, volunteer at the National Archives at College Park, MD. In April 1918, after World War I had ground along for nearly four years, the 26th Division of the American army was assigned to the front lines under French command.  A large German raid on April 20th penetrated the American … Continue reading Seicheprey, Crucible of the 26th Division

Towards a History of Mexican Americans in World War I, Part Two: Soldiers of the 360th Infantry Regiment, 90th Division in France, 1918-1919

Today’s post is by Victoria-María MacDonald and Emma Taylor, dedicated volunteers at the National Archives at College Park, MD. This is Part 2 of Towards a History of Mexican Americans in World War I. It evolved out of a volunteer project with the textual records of the American Expeditionary Forces. Introduction      Towards a History of … Continue reading Towards a History of Mexican Americans in World War I, Part Two: Soldiers of the 360th Infantry Regiment, 90th Division in France, 1918-1919

Now Available Online: Burial Cards of World War I Soldiers

Today’s post is written by Suzanne Zoumbaris, an Archives Specialist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. On November 11, 1918, before hostilities ended, the 313th Infantry Regiment continued to fight along with other Allied units on the front of the Meuse-Argonne offensive. At 10:59 a.m. only one minute before … Continue reading Now Available Online: Burial Cards of World War I Soldiers

World War I Experiences of the Lone Star Division

Today’s post was written by Judy Luis-Watson, Manager of Volunteer & Education Programs at the National Archives at College Park The series, Records of Divisions (NAID 301641) of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in Record Group 120, document the service of each combat division during its participation in World War I (WWI). Of the 59 Divisions that were formed, with 28,000 … Continue reading World War I Experiences of the Lone Star Division

New Webpage for World War I Records on the Meuse-Argonne Offensive

Today’s post is written by Scott Ludwig, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. The 26th of September marks the 98th Anniversary of the start of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, which was the largest operation of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in World War I.  Commanded by General of the Armies John J. "Black Jack" Pershing … Continue reading New Webpage for World War I Records on the Meuse-Argonne Offensive

Photographs of the 3rd Infantry Division in France During World War I

This post was written by Harry B. Kidd, a volunteer at the National Archives in College Park, MD (Archives II), for the volunteer newsletter, The Columns. In the spring of 1918, the German Army launched a major offensive in the hope of achieving a quick victory before the full weight of American Forces could be … Continue reading Photographs of the 3rd Infantry Division in France During World War I

The Blue Arrow Head

Today's post is written by Judy Luis-Watson, volunteer coordinator at Archives II in College Park, Maryland. During World War I (WWI), more than 12,000 American Indians served in the armed forces of the United States.  In the army, their many roles included serving as gunners, snipers, patrol workers, messengers, scouts, medical personnel, radio operators, as … Continue reading The Blue Arrow Head

Lessons from Verdun

Today's post is by Lee Preston, a National Archives volunteer. During the Cold War, I was drafted into the U.S. Army and in 1955-56 stationed in Verdun, France. Verdun is the principal city of the Meuse River valley, a historic corridor of aggressive contact between French and German interests. The Verdun area had been fortified … Continue reading Lessons from Verdun

How World War I Also Became Known as The Chemist’s War

Today’s post is the second in an occasional series where we will highlight some of the work of our volunteers. Jean Onufrak is a volunteer with the Volunteer Office at the National Archives at College Park.  When you think of the term “chemical weapons”, you probably think of their use nowadays in terrorist actions or contentious … Continue reading How World War I Also Became Known as The Chemist’s War