Meuse-Argonne Map Error That Slowed a Key US Push

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]What if one tiny detail on a map made a whole army fight blind?

[00:00:06]In September [music] 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the United States 79th Division pushed [music] toward the town of Thiécourt.

[00:00:15]Their orders assumed a certain lane of approach was clear.

[00:00:19]It was not. Heavy shell fire and mud had churned the ground, and the units' march [music] became a slow crawl.

[00:00:27]That delay shifted battalions out of sync with the neighboring French troops.

[00:00:32]For hours, American infantry [music] advanced without the planned supporting fire.

[00:00:38]The result was confusion at the objective line and stalled assaults that should have surged forward together.

[00:00:45]Then, a field commander noticed the mismatch and rerouted units, tightening coordination.

[00:00:52]The attack resumed, and Thiécourt fell the next [music] day.