Saint-Mihiel salient and the American offensive of 1918

In September 1914 German troops pushed a wedge into the French line south of Verdun and held it for four years, cutting rail links to the fortress. On 12 September 1918 the American First Army under Pershing, with French support, attacked both faces of the salient and cleared it within days, in the first major offensive planned and led by the US Army in the war.