🧵In a lot of American histories of #WWI campaigns, we hear of complaints that the French moved too slowly, causing undue casualties. A prime case study of that is the 1st and 2nd Division at Soissons. A recent history stated of the 19 July attack of the 6th Marines that;... "The final hindrance for the 6th Marines was perhaps the most important. Once again, the 1st Moroccan Division, tasked with the mission of protecting the Marines’ left flank, failed to advance, as did the 38th Division on the right.

Why are there so many #WWI memorials in #KansasCity ? Outside of our own @TheWWImuseum, there are dozens, small and large covering KS and MO. A lot of it has to do with the 5-day experience of the 35th Division in Sept 1918. Let's look at it through KC newspapers of the time. 🧵 Over the course of that time, the 35th would suffer more casualties than all units on Omaha Beach on #Dday combined. As a National Guard formation, it came under criticism for its performance from regular officers. Politicians in MO and KS eventually became involved.

"Retreat? Hell, we just got here!"
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The famous words were spoken by Cpt. Williams to a French officer as his #Marines arrived on Hill 142. What he was most likely witnessing was the withdrawal of the @152eRI from Belleau Wood. What was actually happening?

Image via @ecpa_d "A Belleau les heures sont graves. Tout cède devant Attila, Mais le vieux Quinze-Deux est là. La vague meurt devant ses braves."

The #152eRI was going to push the Germans back out of Torcy and Belleau. In the Regimental HQ (PC) the phone rang. Colonel Meilhan picked it up.