My great-grandfather, Alexander Houck Mosier, served in WWI with the 79th Division during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, which took place from September 26, 1918, to November 11th, 1918. This is his story.

I have in my possession the transcription of a diary he wrote while deployed. A major help in writing this story is the book History of the Seventy-Ninth Division A.E.F. during the World War: 1917-1919, published in 1922. The book was extremely helpful, as Alexander had trouble spelling the French names. Reading along helped me to narrow down the towns he traveled through. I also have created a google map (https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1Q49-SJTkOTM5jPSWg-qH7cAeFjOtm68&usp=drive_link ) , which plots where I think he was. Especially in later parts where his division is in combat, the pins mark the general area. The map covers his whole diary, so minor spoilers for where he traveled.

In this story, I have picked specific entries from his diary, marked in bold, to tell the story, with my comments/ summary along with quotes from the book, in italics. There are entries for each day, but some are removed to shorten the length of the story.

This story is continued from PART 4, The Troyon Sector

Wednesday - 23 October - Clear. Had reveille and exercise. Received orders to pack up. Drew rations and left about 5 PM. Walked about 8 miles to billets in woods Rupt.

Thursday - 24 October - Clear. Only had one meal. Had general policing up, manual of arms and exercise. Conditions very bad.

Friday - 25 October - Cloudy. Reveille and drills, policing up schedule and drills. Received replacement. Had water detail. Went after rations.

Saturday - 26 October - Cloudy. Company was issued underwear. Taking a bath down at town at Rupt.

Sunday - 27 October - Clear. No drill or formation. Received orders to move. Left about 3 PM. Passed through Rupt to Genicomo. Prepared to stay all night. Received orders to move. Left about 9 PM. Walked all night. Were placed in billets in morning.

Some of the 313th were given billets in the Citadel of Verdun.

Monday - 28 October - Cloudy. Was very tired. Lay around on bunks in Cantonment de Neil, French artillery training camp in France.

Since the 79th’s departure from the Meuse-Argonne, the Allied forces had cleared the Argonne forest and advanced 21km. The Germans had retreated to a set of imposing hills across the Meuse whose artillery had savaged the Americans during the second phase of the offensive.

Because of ongoing operations, only half of the 79th division were initially sent as relief, the 158th Brigade (315th and 316th).

Tuesday - 29 October - Clear. Heard Austria, Hungary laid down arms. Left Billets and started towards front about 5S PM. Hiked about 10 miles, went in dugouts near Germonville. Got lost on road, the whole Company.

Wednesday - 30 October - Clear. Done nothing but lay around. Were stationed in French camp. Packed up and left about 5 PM. Walked about 12 miles and sleep in shell holes on hill among 106 Field Artiollery beside the Meuse River.

By the 30th, the 157th Brigade had arrived and took up positions in the Cote de Roches, just north of the Meuse and the small town of Samogneux, relieving the 29th Division.

With the relief completed, the Seventy-ninth Division found itself in a position, the plan of which might be likened to the cross section of a funnel, with the circular rim representing the front line and the axial road through Samogneux the narrow funnel mouth. The German positions circled from la Borne de Cornouiller (The German strongpoint on their defensive line) on the north or left over a series of ridges toward the southeast, forming the rim of a bowl always higher than the body of the funnel. Part of this low land so encompassed was the ravine leading due east from Samogneux which had already been named "Death Valley" by the French during the Battle of Verdun long before the Seventy-ninth Division arrived. And never was name more apt. "Death Valley" is described most convincingly by Frederick Palmer, the war correspondent, as follows:

“For five or six miles stretched an area of desolation without any billeting places where troops could rest, except a few rat-infested and odorous, moist dugouts and cellars, roofed by the debris of villages. The young soldier who was going under fire for the first time, as he marched forward past that grayish, mottled, hideous landscape, might see the physical results of war upon earth, trees and houses. When he came into Death Valley, he was to know its effects upon men. For two or three miles the road was always under shell fire. By day, visible to the enemy's observers, by night his gunners could be sure that guns registered upon it, if they fired into the darkness, would find a target on its congested reaches. It was inadequate to the traffic of the divisions engaged. Troops marching into battle must run its deadly gamut before they could deploy. It was the neck of the fanshaped funnel of the battle line. Transport was halted by shell-torn cars and motor trucks and dead horses until they were removed, and by fresh craters from large calibres until they were refilled. There was no rest for the engineers; all the branches which were not ordinarily in the front line knew what it was to be under fire."

The battle plan was for the 158th Brigade to “reduce” la Borne de Cornouiller (Hill 378) and for the 157th Brigade to push into the Woevre when the hill was taken. Here is a small description of the objective that the 158th were to take: It was unquestionably the most important position and the center of the enemy artillery resistance east of the Meuse. From this commanding artillery position came most of the devastating flanking long range fire which was proving and had from the beginning of the Meuse-Argonne proven, so disastrous to the advancing Divisions on the west.

Before we go further, I need to add another variable. During this chapter, the book stated that the infantry regiments were split up into battalions and those were moved around separately. Alexander, in Company D, appears to be part of the First Battalion.

Thursday - 31 October - Clear. Both sides some firing. Lay around on big hill. Issued some leather coats and ammunitions. Hiked to front. Taken possession of front line trenches held by L. Company 104 Inf 26" Division. Very close to German lines bout 50 yards away. Soldiers lay dead on ground in front of post. Sniper in tree out from my post. Lots of machine gun fire over our trenches. Gas signal given. Put on mask for 1 hour tear gas. Got in eyes and hurt all next day.

Friday - 1 November - Lay in trenches, very cold and disagreeable. Not much to eat. Germans kept flares up all the time. Came over went in the water at my post. Had orders not to shoot. Lt. Uses my gun to shout out at the Germans Hill 360.

The German guns pounded the American positions from the 31st into the 1st, the men working through constant artillery fire to strengthen their trenches. All day long the men in the front line companies, working with a limited number of entrenching tools, dug deeper trenches, while the support companies labored to provide dugout shelters capable of withstanding anything except a direct hit. Throughout the day the enemy fire never slackened, and as night fell it still showed signs of continuing as it had before.

Saturday - 2 November - Foggy and damp. Received rations. Lay around in holes in bank. Lots of shrapnel bursting between German trenches and American trenches. One man from our Company was hit in head. Rudolph mans name next post to mine. Rained all day and night.

During the daylight hours of November 2, while there was little aerial activity on the part of the enemy, hostile gas shells were hurled constantly into the three woods where the 157th Brigade lay, making it necessary to wear gas masks for long stretches and rendering "the situation grave. " To make matters worse, in several instances the gas shells ruined the one hot meal a day which the regiments were seeking to serve their first line battalions, and the men were compelled to resort to their reserve rations.

Sunday - 3 November - Very foggy in day. Airplane came over in the evening, German.

Monday - 4 November - Clear. Received rations. Candy was sent through trenches, two pieces to one man. Rained at night. Blankets and clothing wet.

Tuesday - 5 November - Artillery very heavy on both sides. Cloudy and cold, very wet and disagreeable in trenches. Were relieved by K Company about 2 AM. Stayed in woods and going down the Dead Man Valley.

The diary has the following included in it. Without the original, I’m not sure what the purpose of this text is.

Mlle Marie Louise Laurent (LAURENT). Plau di la Mairie, Vals les

Baurs Ardeche

Mlle Audrie Peifrownet “Le Chateau” Vals les Baurs-Ardeche

PEYRONNET

Bon Sowverus

Thanks to u/skyli826 and u/Jyster1804 over at r/translator for their help in translating. The translated text, best we can figure, is:

Miss Marie Louise Laurent. Town hall plaza, Vals-les-Bains, Ardèche (commune in the south of France)

Miss Audrie Peifrownet. “The castle” Vals-les-Bains, Ardèche.

Peyronnet

Good memories

My theory is that these are two women Alexander met sometime during his march to the front. The Dead Man Valley had a fearsome reputation so this may be some kind of farewell message. I’m guessing these two were nurses because Vals-les-Bains is roughly 200 miles south of Alexander’s farthest south position that I can figure. Maybe they gave him these hints as a way to find them after the war?

I think all caps PEYRONNET is a correction, the actual last name of the second person, we know Alexander wasn’t a good speller of French names.

Bon Sowverus is likely Bon souvenirs, or good memories.

Still a mystery, both for content and placement in the diary.

(Continued) Germans sent over gas when we left trenches and we put on our gas mask and stood along the hillside and Captain Norris said boys take off mask and started down the hillside. Very slippery, men falling into trenches and fell in trench. Medical man helped me out. Germans put over a barrage and Captain Norris took us in a dugout. Big shells hit near dugout. Very cloudy that day.

Wednesday - 6 November Went into dugout in hill in range of German Artillery and I went for water way up along the hill side. On the way up I saw German shell hit our artillery and blow it all to pieces. Men suffering with trench feet.

Thursday - 7 November Cloudy and rainy. Checked up my health. Received orders to pack up. Left for another front. Stayed up all night in dugouts.

The previous 5 days were marked by constant German Artillery and raiding parties from both sides. Alexander appears to have taken part in one of these on the 5th. Reports from prisoners taken by the Americans confirmed “that the enemy is holding his position with machine guns echeloned in depth, lightly supported by infantry.”

Friday - 8 November - Cloudy and rainy. Company in woods. Lost lots of men but gain ground. Was sent for rations at night. Could not locate kitchen. Engineers working on road. Had heavy loads, horses and wagons blown up and gas signal was given. We put mask on and lost couple men.

By the night of the 7th, the 158th Infantry had taken their objectives. Multiple divisions came into the front line and linked up with the 79th division. The First battalion of the 313th was moved into a provisional regiment with the First and Second battalions of the 315th and were to attack along a front of two kilometers between the Sivry-sur-Meuse-Reville road as far south as the Consenvoye-Etraye road, a front of two kilometers, which would narrow as the advance progressed. (This is marked on the google map).

The leading battalions of the 313th, advancing in line of skirmishers and with wide intervals between companies, found at once that the enemy had vacated the ground during the night. Progress, however, had to be slow. There was no knowledge at what point the enemy had stopped the retreat and every thick growth of underbrush, every ravine, every former hostile dugout or trench, had to be reconnoitered and every precaution taken as the men advanced.

The entire advance was made in a driving rain. It had been raining during most of the preceding day but, toward dusk on November 8, it became a heavy downpour, the thick mud adding to the discomforts of the movement. Added to this, German aviators came sweeping westward, flying low above the roads and trails, and raked them with machine guns.'' Aside from the aviators, the only Germans seen were several machine gunners who had deliberately loitered behind the retreating columns so they could surrender.

O’Connor blown to pieces. Slept in woods near hospital with gas mask on. Nothing to eat that day and night.

The only listed fatality of the day in the 313th is listed as Private Roy O. Kelbaugh, maybe this is O’Connor? A nickname maybe?

Rumors that the war was soon to end began to circulate during the first few days in November, the sources being, of course, untraceable. Perhaps they came in part from the natural deductions to be gleaned from the daily intelligence bulletins which told of the collapse of Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary and the progress being made everywhere along the Western Front. These rumors naturally circulated rapidly. The Division took cognizance of the wild rumors and covered the matter in a paragraph of G-1 Order No. 46, of November 8, which stated:

"All members of this command are prohibited from starting or repeating rumors relative to the war, intentions of the enemy or intentions of the Allies. Rumors at present being circulated in this command are not substantiated by facts and tend towards careless conservation and the spreading of false information. All authentic information and news will be published from time to time as soon as received."

Saturday - 9 November - Cloudy. Started next day on drive. Lost several men.

The 313th was rotated out with other regiments as support for the drive on this day, pushing through the towns of Crepion and Etraye, entering Wavrille, and pushing into Gibercy. German artillery fire hounded the Americans throughout.

The two battalions of the 313th Infantry started out shortly before daylight and crossed southeasterly through a woods saturated with mustard gas, until they entered Wavrille an hour or two after the 314th Infantry had taken the town.

Sunday - 10 November - Cloudy. Formed Company and kept on driving. Stopped in woods at night. Had little to eat.

The First and Second battalions of the 313th were moved to the northern edge of the Bois de Brabant for the night in reserve.

Monday - 11 November – Started over plains and was in a trap. Germans up on a hillside and we in the valley. Machine guns could sweep up the hole hill taking several towns.

The First Battalion of the 313th was ordered to march six kilometers eastward from the woods to link up with the 314th to attack another set of woods. A short time after dawn on the 11th, an order arrived at division headquarters.

From: Marshal Foch To: The Commander in Chief

1. Hostilities will cease on the whole front beginning at 11h (French time) November 11.

2. The Allied Troops will not pass until further orders the line reached upon that date and that hour,

(Signed) Marshal Foch.

This message was sent to the brigade commanders:

Hostilities will cease on the whole front at 11h, today, French time. Until that hour the operations previously ordered will be pressed with vigor. At 11h our lines will halt in place and no man will move one step backward or forward. All men will cease firing and dig in. In case the enemy does not likewise suspend fire, firing will be resumed but no further advance be permitted. No fraternization will be allowed. Brigade and other commanders concerned are charged with the important duty of transmitting these orders to the troops and securing their strict enforcement. Rockets or other signals may be used to notify the front line of the arrival of 11 H."

General Kuhn sent these orders as ground rules for the armistice.

"(a) Outposts will be established on our front line as outlined by our most advanced elements or patrols. The balance of the command will be disposed in depth for defense, and the strictest vigilance and discipline will be maintained.

(b) Our wounded and dead, including any which may be between our front line and that of the enemy, will be recovered and the enemy will be permitted to do likewise. Property and equipment between the opposing lines will not be removed by either our troops or the enemy.

(c) None of the enemy will be permitted to move in our direction except to recover dead and wounded, and no fraternization of any kind whatsoever will be permitted. This includes conversation from line to line between individuals of our forces and those of the enemy. Drastic measures will, if necessary, be resorted to to enforce this.

(d) Units disorganized by preceding operations will be reorganized as quickly as possible, shortage in arms and equipment made good, and every preparation made for resuming the offensive or following up the retreating enemy upon receipt of orders.

(e) Our front line as outlined by our most advanced elements or patrols will be reported, with the least practicable delay, accurately by coordinates, to these headquarters by the speediest means of communication, to be followed by a sketch also prepared and transmitted without delay to these headquarters showing the position of our front line and approximately that of the enemy.

(f) It must be emphatically impressed upon all ranks that the situation which will exist subsequent to 11h, Nov. 11, 1918, is a cessation of hostilities and not peace."

While the word of the Armistice was passing through the ranks, part of the 79th of the division began their advance, the first battalion of the 313th among them. The 313th managed to reach the edge of the woods known as the Cote de Romagne, the armistice message reaching them at 10:44.

Right ahead of the 313th were German machine gun nests being defended to the last. On the right of the line, at 11h 59, Private Henry Gunther, Company "A", charging headlong upon an enemy weapon, was shot to death, and, almost as he fell, the firing died away and an appalling silence prevailed. The fighting was over. The roar of the guns had ceased as if by magic.

At 11 AM when orders came to cease firing, 11th day, 11th month, 11th hour and went back and lay on hill in reserves. Germans celebrated by sending up flares.

Armistice hour — 11h, 11th day, 11th month — and, in the final thrust of the final day, the Seventy-ninth Division had gained a threefold distinction. The 313th Infantry had, in the death of Private Gunther, the sad honor of losing perhaps the last man killed in action on the Western Front.

The war was over.

In the first few moments of suspense the men literally held their breath, expecting momentarily to hear the gun fire break forth with renewed vigor. Only as the minutes sped past and the silence remained unbroken, was it finally borne in upon them that the hostilities had ceased for good. Even then there was little of elation or excitement on the front of the Seventy-ninth Division. The artillerymen down in Death Valley were hilarious, but the infantry, on the slopes of the Cotes de Mormont and de Romagne, preserved an almost stoical calm. Perhaps the greatest relief was the knowledge that an exposed head would not draw rifle fire, that a man could stand erect without being sprayed by machine gun bullets, that shell holes no longer were necessary as protections against enemy fire, and that real hot food was coming up from the rear.

There was much to be done which permitted of no time for celebration. The advance positions, whether established by patrol or combat groups, had to be plotted and described, a map had to be drawn, — the positions made sufficiently strong to hold in case of a counter-attack.

While they worked, the men gazed curiously upon the enemy lines. Every where the Boche had come out in the open, evidently, from the noise, vociferously happy. In one or two instances small parties of Germans sought to fraternize with the men of the Division, but without success. The supplemental order from the Division Commander forbade it, but it would have been unsuccessful anyhow. The Seventy-ninth was in no mood to converse with the enemy. Its dead, already being gathered up tenderly by burying details, spoke silently — prohibiting such sacrilege.

By dusk the advance positions had been fully organized. The troops, still on the alert but relaxing at last with the knowledge that no night of artillery horror was ahead of them, settled themselves comfortably and were treated to a gorgeous display of fireworks. The enemy, from the Cotes de Romagne, de Morimont and d'Orne, was setting off its entire pyrotechnic supply on that front. Rockets and Very candles, red fire, blue fire, green fire, all the night signaling material from its dumps, were sparkling and sizzling in the air. Almost all night long the display continued, interspersed with male voices lifted in songs of the "Fatherland."

Camp fires gleamed on the heights and in the valley. Men struck matches with no fear of a reprimand or a sniper bullet. The night noises of nature mingled with the sound of American voices chatting and singing all up and down the line and behind it, in Gibercy and Crepion, Moirey and Wavrille, Etraye and Chaumont-devant-Damvillers, Samogneux and Consenvoye, Vachereauville and Molleville Ferme. No night ration parties, no dangerous reliefs, no panting runners, no detailed field orders, no bursting high explosives or shrapnel, no raiding airmen on the open roads, no stifling powder smoke in the air, no litter bearers on the trails, no moaning wounded at the first aid stations, no turmoil, no tragedy — only peace.