The Battle of Meuse-Argonne 1918 was a desperate failure in the world of field artillery causing massive lost of life and prolonged war. The Battle of Meuse-Argonne was a monumental battle during World War One, in the first day of the offences the 35th Division casualties were upwards of 7,300 soldiers. The ineffectiveness of the coordinated artillery, supplies and reluctance to use available munitions lead to a major stand still in the offences. Due to the failures, modern organization of field artillery would change to become more effective as a battle field asset. The Meuse-Argonne was the single largest American offensive during the World War One. This single battle included over 23 American Infantry Divisions, 14 artillery regiments
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However, like the U.S Army always does from each conflict there is a lesson learned and changes made. After the battle of Meuse-Argonne, artillery was recognized as a battle field changer. No longer did division commanders simply pick up whatever unit was available and moved with them. They gained a sense of loyalty to their artillery brothers and coordinated and carefully planned offences to insure they had artillery support. An addition to this the ground works of what would be known as division artillery or DVARTY was formed. This was a reorganization of how artillery would function with an infantry division in attempts to increase the readiness of artillery units and to allow them to be self-sufficient. Artillery units would have their own means of supply, repair and coordination on and off the battlefield. As for the internal moral battle dealing with chemical warfare, the U.S senate did not sign the treaty section of the Geneva Convention of 1925 covering the limitation of chemical weapons but instead adopted a policy of “means of retaliation only”. Stating that the U.S would only use chemical warfare once chemical weapons had been used on U.S troops first. The lesson learned from the battle of Meuse-Argonne came at a high price but ultimately increase the effectiveness of field artillery and launched the branch forward in preparation for the next
However, like the U.S Army always does from each conflict there is a lesson learned and changes made. After the battle of Meuse-Argonne, artillery was recognized as a battle field changer. No longer did division commanders simply pick up whatever unit was available and moved with them. They gained a sense of loyalty to their artillery brothers and coordinated and carefully planned offences to insure they had artillery support. An addition to this the ground works of what would be known as division artillery or DVARTY was formed. This was a reorganization of how artillery would function with an infantry division in attempts to increase the readiness of artillery units and to allow them to be self-sufficient. Artillery units would have their own means of supply, repair and coordination on and off the battlefield. As for the internal moral battle dealing with chemical warfare, the U.S senate did not sign the treaty section of the Geneva Convention of 1925 covering the limitation of chemical weapons but instead adopted a policy of “means of retaliation only”. Stating that the U.S would only use chemical warfare once chemical weapons had been used on U.S troops first. The lesson learned from the battle of Meuse-Argonne came at a high price but ultimately increase the effectiveness of field artillery and launched the branch forward in preparation for the next