Blood in the Argonne: The "Lost Battalion" of World War I (Campaigns and Commanders) [Hardcover]

Alan D Gaff (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0806136960 | ISBN-13: 978-0806136967 | Publication Date: October 17, 2005

In this unique history of the “Lost Battalion” of World War I, Alan D. Gaff tells for the first time the story of the 77th Division from the perspective of the soldiers in the ranks.

On October 2, 1918, Maj. Charles W. Whittlesey led the 77th Division in a successful attack on German defenses in the Argonne Forest of northeastern France. His unit, comprised of men of a wide mix of ethnic backgrounds from New York City and the western states, was not a battalion nor was it ever “lost,” but once a newspaper editor applied the term “lost battalion” to the episode, it stuck.

Gaff draws from new, unimpeachable sources—such as sworn testimony by soldiers who survived the ordeal—to correct the myths and legends and to reveal what really happened in the Argonne Forest during early October 1918.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alan D. Gaff is an independent scholar and the author of several books on military history, including Blood in the Argonne: The "Lost Battalion" in World War I and Bayonets in the Wilderness: Anthony Wayne's Legion in the Old Northwest.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press (October 17, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806136960
• ISBN-13: 978-0806136967
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,502,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Accurate Report Possible, November 30, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood in the Argonne: The "Lost Battalion" of World War I (Campaigns and Commanders) (Hardcover)

On 2 OCT 1918, Major Charles Whittlesey led his unit, part of the 77th Division in a successful attack on German defenses in the Argonne Forest of northeastern France. His attack was successful, but the attacks of the rest of the division could not keep pace. Wittlesey's unit got so far ahead that the German forces closed in behind it, surrounding them.

Whittlesey's unit was not a battalion, nor was it ever lost, but the 700 men in his command suffered more than half their number in casualties. When the newspapers used called term the 'Lost Battalion,' it became forever associated with them. This is their story.

While the true story of the Lost Battalion has been hard to determine, these authors have been able to find official records, written diaries and memoirs, and interviewed the descendents of both the 77th and the Lost Battalion. This book corrects a number of mistakes and inconsistencies in Johnson and Pratt's 1938 book 'The Lost Battalion.'

This is likely to remain the definitive book on the history of this minor but infamous incident in the Great War. It is lively reading and helps you to get a feeling of what these soldiers went through.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye Deep in Hell., January 14, 2006

By 

Brendan D. King "Brendan D. King" (Saint Cloud, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood in the Argonne: The "Lost Battalion" of World War I (Campaigns and Commanders) (Hardcover)

I first became interested in the "Lost Battalion" when I learned there was a local connection. As part of my volunteer work for my local county historical society, I have been privileged to listen to taped interviews with two of the men who surivied being pinned down for 5 days in the Argonne Forest. Their names were Peter P. Koshiol (pg. 152) and Albert A. Euteneuer (pg. 306). Although they were both long dead, their words remained just as fresh as the day they were spoken. But one thing was clear. Although their experiences have gone down in history as a great example of American courage under fire, the blood and fire of those five days in the Argonne Forest scarred them both for the rest of their lives. This is a point that Alan Gaff hammers home again and again in the book he has written about what they went through. His book follows the "Liberty Boys" from the moment they were all drafted, their training and their shipment "overseas," and their final experiences in coming up against the Kaiser's military machine. Mr. Gaff pulls no punches in describing the brutal reality of hand to hand combat during the First World War. AS the Generals and Colonels whiled away their time in fortified bunkers behind the lines, thousands of "grunts" were killed fighting for their country. On October 2, 1918 a ragtag crew of American soldiers were pinned down and surrounded behind enemy lines without food or water, and what comes out of this book is not only the story of the Officers, who most accounts have focused on, but also the strory of the common soldiers who watched their best friends eviscerated before their eyes. This is combat reporting at it's best. It is also the most accurate report we are likely to get. This book, which I recommend highly, is certain to remain the definative account of World War I's heroic Lost Battalion. For this Mr. Gaff deserves a round of applause.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to keep 700 men alive, sans food, for 4 days., April 28, 2006

By 

D. Donovan, Editor/Sr. Reviewer "California B... (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood in the Argonne: The "Lost Battalion" of World War I (Campaigns and Commanders) (Hardcover)

Readers who enjoy stories of military units and army encounters will appreciate Alan D. Gaff's BLOOD IN THE ARGONNE: THE 'LOST BATILLION' OF WORLD WAR 1. For the first time the story of the 77th Division is told from the perspective of soldiers in the ranks, following the unit which penetrated German lines in the Argonne Forest of northeastern France only to find themselves surrounded by German forces and alone. How to keep seven hundred men alive without food for over four days? The story of their ordeal comes to life as Gaff explores soldier backgrounds, struggles and achievements.