The St. Mihiel Offensive, 1918
US National Archives film of the St. Mihiel offensive of September 1918, the first large operation planned and led independently by the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I.
In September 1918, more than half a million American troops under General John J. Pershing attacked the St. Mihiel salient, a German-held bulge in the lines south of Verdun. It was the first offensive planned and commanded independently by the American Expeditionary Forces, and it pinched out the salient in little more than a day. This US National Archives film shows the artillery barrages, advancing infantry and early tanks in action. America's path into the war had been hastened the year before by British interception of the Zimmermann Telegram.
Public domain — source (US National Archives (via YouTube)). Free to reuse under the stated licence.
