Forgotten History: The Americans Take Blanc Mont Ridge, October 1918
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The German army captured Blanc Mont Ridge in the early months of World War One and occupied it throughout the years of fighting, fending off repeated French assaults throughout 1915 and 1916. While the ridge looks far from imposing, it is a piece of high ground which overlooks a large part of the front in the Champagne region of France, and was a very valuable outlook for artillery observation. Its continuous occupation allowed it to be heavily fortified by the Germans as a major strong point in their defensive lines.
In October of 1918, the task would fall to the American Expeditionary Force to take the ridge as part of the ongoing offensive that was finally pushing the Germans back all along the front lines. Years of war had gradually sapped the strength of the German forces, and the last gasp spring offensive earlier in the year had destroyed the last remaining units of elite German troops. And yet, the still had their fortifications here, armed with more than 350 machine guns on this ridge alone.
On the morning of October 3rd, 1918, a combined force of US Army and Marines (the 2nd and 36th Infantry Divisions) set off on an attack up the gradual slope towards the ridge. The attack was preceded by only a few minutes of artillery fire and then a creeping barrage behind which the men advanced. A thick layer of ground fog was perhaps their best ally, as they began the assault of the German position. A fierce fight left the positions on the front of the ridge in American hands by the end of the day, although the fighting would be tenacious for several days, as the Americans advanced well beyond the supporting French units on their flanks, and were left exposed on the reverse slope of the ridge.
By October 7th, the ridge position was consolidated, and the French and American forces continued their advance towards the next objective, the town of Saint-Étienne-à-Arnes. American casualties in the assault would come to approximately 7,800 men - this was not a position relinquished easily by the Germans. The battle was considered a major accomplishment at the time, although it has been largely forgotten in the century since.
Today, the summit of the ridge is the site of a major American war memorial:
www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memor...
Thanks to Military History Tours for making this video possible!
www.miltours.com
If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! / inrangetvshow
I was born and raised near there.
Farmers still discovers ammunitions in the fields.
Ian is not far from "la caverne du dragon".
I hope he enjoyed his stay.
Forgotten History is such a great sideline for your work. I love it. The details you have gleaned to share with us make my day when these are posted. Keep it up!!
I would like to see it separate into it's own channel some day. Perhaps in the future they could hire someone on who would do just random cool historical tidbits and maybe do disassembly of an old Ford or an early wheat plow. I find the regular content interesting but wish that there was a channel that just did basic mechanical history videos in Ian's same style
Ian, When I was a high school freshman in 1966 I had a history teacher who put on slideshows about the Civil War that showed major battles from different viewpoints much like you are doing here. He also had recordings of period music playing in the background. He made history come alive for me. I had never cared about history until his class. You are doing much the same thing. Thank you.
Absolutely agree, to a lot of people it's just words on a page, but the right people know how to make it interesting.
My dad used to do that with his history classes at the same time in 8th grade Social Studies in South Central LA by Exposition Park.
Thanks for this segment on Blanc Mont Ridge. My grandfather was a 2nd Lt. in the 9th Regiment of the Second Division and was wounded here on October 3. The story goes that he was being carried out with his back to the fighting and jokingly asked his carrier if he would consider turning around and walking backwards. That didn't happen, but he did survive and was awarded the Purple Heart and Croix de Guerre. He also fought at St. Mihiel.
That's quite terrifying to think that amount of machine guns were sitting up there. Your videos have been very good in illustrating the scale of operations in the First World War, it's much appreciated.
I am pleased to see "forgotten history" on Forgotten Weapons. It puts into context why these forgotten weapons were created in the first place. You create exceptionally high quality videos, thank you, and keep up the good work!
This is really cool, I like what your doing here. 😉 👍
I've been really enjoying these visits to historical sites, thanks Ian!
Very interesting and informative historical interlude to your regular videos. I really enjoy these pieces. Keep up the good work, Ian!
Champagne is flat? I thought the whole point of Champagne is that it's bubbly, not flat.
Oh my goodness, I think you've had enough sir
Depends on how long the cork has been out of the bottle?
@@gordonlawrence4749 wooooossshhh
Thanks for the daily uploads! I appreciate the new vids early in the morning while getting ready for work. Keep it up!
your forgotten history output is well presented and researched. fascinating. thanks and keep up good work.
These are just great Ian. It's like we can't thank you enough. A lot of time taken from your trip for us.
I absolutely love the forgotten history segments u do..!!! Thank u 👍🏼👍🏼💪🏼💪🏼
Easily and quickly one of my favorite channels. Great work again Ian
Thank god for that ground fog.. can you imagine the casualties with out it?
I'm sure the Germans didn't thank god for the fog that day.
I've been really digging the history lessons on old fortifications and military big guns lately. Nice job!
Not your usual holiday video but I am enjoying these history vlogs.
Wow this is almost exactly a hundred years ago
Watch the Great War series. He goes over WW1 day by day and has since 2014
and WW2 just started 2 weeks ago on Time Ghost, same guys who started/host The Great War
My great grandfather was severely wounded at the Battle of Mont Blanc Ridge. He was with the 36th Infantry 142nd Regiment Co. H. He was shot by a German machine gun in the right shoulder, knee, ankle, and left hip on Oct. 8th, 1918. I have his Field Medical Card. He walked with a limp the rest of his life as well as shrapnel and lead in his body that couldn’t be removed. I appreciate the video Ian. Thank you.
Fantastic!! I'm really enjoying your Forgotten History videos!!!
Yay, another history/on the road video! My favorites by now.
This is a brilliant series of videos. A love it! Keep it up Ian!
Sobering to think about trying to advance over flat, open country raked by intense machine gun and artillery fire. 😥
True. The first time I visited part of the Somme battlefeild the first thought that struck me was 'God! The area is so small they must have been holding each other up!'
It really puts into perspective what kind of men were out there. To experience that over and over but still keep going is something else.
FairlyUnknown Something of a misconception that a Great War Soldier was always fixing bayonets and charging into machine guns and artillery fire with great determination. The maths are long and complicated, but it works out that an individual soldier might take part in a major offensive, once every two years. Most casualties were mundane (unless you happned to be the poor B*stard) things like illness, industrial acccident, medical,. like heart attack, or small (!) events like the odd shell or sniper. Also Going over the top was a journalistic phrase, most Britsh Soldiers reffered to it as Throwing a leg over the bags (Sandbags) or just 'Going over the bags'.
And now people of the same age have a breakdown because their feelings have been hurt.
Gordon Lawrence A certain recent episode with a sports personality comes to mind.. Someone had the temirity to publish a cartoon of thier childish tantrum. Good men and women died for this to happen.
I like this format for your videos , do more of these .
Great video, love to see more like it, thanks Ian.
Note the poppies still in that nearby field, on the edge of the crop. Not Flanders Fields but...
Poppies actually bloom everywhere in the French countryside, but we let the world think it's only in Flanders, just for the poetry of it.
It's not just the French Countryside, or just Countryside. There is a small patch that blooms every year just inside the entrance to our office complex in England - appropriate as we are part of the Ministry of Defence and are on a hill overlooking Portsmouth, from whence so many men sailed to the battlefields of both World Wars.
Vivid imagery in my head from you descriptions and camera work..
Thank you for this great video Ian! I just received the military records of my great grandfather, John Davidson Bounds of Pennsylvania. He was a member of a machine gun company of the 5th Marines and was wounded on October 4th during this battle when he was struck in the calf, likely by a machine gun. According to stories from my grandmother, he made his way to a field hospital along with his friend from Kentucky who had been wounded in the stomach. Here they wanted to amputate his leg. A Belgian nurse apparently took a shining to him and insisted that his leg could be saved, which it was. It has been truly fascinating to put his experiences into perspective with this video.
excellent filming and explanation
thanks for this overview
greetings from germany keep up the good work!
Very fascinating. I love these types of videos!
Nice video, dovetails nicely with the "Great War" channel. Looks like you are enjoying great weather. Hope you have more to show soon?
Thank you for this informative video! My great grandfather Marshall H Mansfield was a US marine during this specific battle. He received two silver stars for his gallantry between October 1 and October 10, 1918.
Great videos.. Love the channel
great overview. Thanks for sharing.
Went there with my school to do an art book on world war 1, it was quite an experience. Glad to see the stories from that war get more attention.
Great history lesson. Thank you sir.
Very nice video!!
Will you talk about the Argonne forest battle ? Would be awesome!
I'm loving these battlefield videos. I've been very lucky to have visited several of the Australian battlefields from WW1, and wish I had your eye for the terrain, much less the ability to elucidate what happened. I'd love to see your perspective on somewhere like Villers-Brettoneux or Hill 60, should you be in the right place at the right time.
"Champagne is very flat" yeah no shit we dare to call a 286 meters high hill the "montagne de reims", this region is so flat it makes Taylor Swift feel good about her chest
savage
Jeffrey Damen That's true pretty unnerving to realise you have landed in a plane that is now technically under water!
Naw live in Indiana. Literally the tallest natural land mark in the whole state is under 100 meters
Joel Atwater In Liconshire England they are very proud of the Linconshire Hill! A long striaght ridge that runs across part of the county to a height of, about, Two Feet! There are even signs on the roadside in case you miss it!:-) On the Western Front though, especially around Ypres, The Salient, the two famous high spots are Hill 60 and Hill 62, height in meters. There actually embankments made for the railway. A lot of blood was spilt over those pimples.
@@51WCDodge no one but it better than he: "It's over Anakin! I have the high ground!"
Really fascinating, reminds me of my trip to Gettysburg this past year.
Forgotten history needs to be a channel!
What beautiful countryside. I'm very happy I cannot imagine what it must have looked like back then.
Thank you great history lesson.
I really enjoy these episodes.
Incredibly interesting, I'm really jealous of your travels in France XD Keep doing these!
Have a look at Vimy Ridge in Pas de Calais. SImilar setup (except it's the canadians that did the job).
There's a nice trench section, it's rather neat.
very interesting video!. It gives a good idea of how the war was fought. Do they advise about unexploded munitions in the area?
awesome video!
Ian, you are doing an amazing job. I find it fascinating that a foreigner knows more about the history of my country than the average Frenchman.
Loved this! New channel? keep us going.
My grandma's uncle was killed here fighting with the 36th Division, 141st Regiment, Company E on Oct 8th, 1918 near St Etienne
Good video, thanks.
Awesome, you really should see if you can get a gig with PBS.
PBS hates guns. They won't have anything to do with him.
Such a somber feeling when visiting such a place.
Ian is like the History channel back when it actually had historical content. I don't usually care about the mechanical aspects of firearms but the stories that come from them is fascinating.
He really is, I miss it back when the History channel was about history but I guess it met the same fate as MTV and turned in to a reality tv channel.
Great videos. Cheers! from Canada
I was on this tour. This is in the middle of no where. I can't begin to relay what a great experience I enjoyed.
i like the red arrows . do more of this kind of videos . so good !
Will you be making a separate playlist for your on-location videos, sort of like the InRange Vignette videos?
looks as if you beat indy nidel here.
I demand MOAR
I'm really enjoying these videos. unlike World War II the first World War seems to be vastly more complicated and hard to actually fathom. getting these first-hand, on location accounts really solidifies the fighting aspects of that war.
Thank you
When you open a museum I will come to the ribboncutting. Thanks for the content.
Come to Italy, we have some amazing forts and even big guns from the first world war.
That was Malta. Malta is not part of Italy.
Never had the chance to go there, but i seen some pictures and footages of some WWI italian hight altitude fortification, it was astounding.
Italian soldiers were amongst the bravest. I mean, to be able to cross the parapet of a trench of ice and rocks , in winter, at more than 3000 m, you must have steel balls
He will probably make his way there
Yes, forte Montecchio is awesome.
Yup, I explored some of the fortifications in Trentino back in the day. Thanks to them being carved in the rock they are still extremely well preserved and accessible. In some cases like the Corno Battisti you can literally enter a mountain on one side and come out on the other side and 50 meter higher after walking in complete darkness for 15 minutes. Just make sure you have a helmet and battery for your torch ;-)
Why does the map show the Essen Hook AT the Marine jumping off line (1:45; 2:42 same map again) instead of way across on the other side of the field near the rest of the German position, where Ian indicates it is in the video and narration?
Do you plan on doing (or have you already done and I just can't find) a video of belleau wood?
The chalk terrain would quite literally make the shell pocketed moon-scape look like the moon.
Thank you, thank you. More, more.
There needs to be a movie about Blanc Mont.
This is pretty good content. You should do more history stuff like this and the guns on Malta. Europe obviousness has tons of military history. Maybe you could do some Civil War stuff from North America too 'cos we Europeans don't know much about it.
could you do hill 60 next please. thankyou!
another little gem of forgotten history
Things we don't learn in public school history classes. Thanks for making this video Gun Jesus 👍
7:35, is that Indy and the crew I can hear?
Would not suprise me.
Nope.
Awwww, I'll still hoping for a huge Vday colab episode. You guys, the great war, Othias and Mae, I'll keep dreaming. Cheers for the response, again awesome channel. Even if the mud test brings a little tear to my eye, those poor guns.
would be nice if you could do Vimy ridge next
TheRealStrikerofLife seconded.
Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge, October 1918 : 7800 US casualties in less than a month. Battle of Verdun, February/December 1916. The biggest WW1 battle. Almost 1 million casualties on both French and German sides in this 10 months carnage. The greatest battle ever for many historians, and a French victory. No comment.
Interesting thing about the tactic of putting your forces on the far side of a ridge to shield them from artillery fire: Wellington liked to do the same thing. That was one of the reasons why French artillery was overall ineffective at Waterloo. So I guess there really is nothing new under the sun.
Just dumb luck with the ground fog or were they waiting for correct conditions?
Just luck.
like the old saying goes... Sometimes it's better to be lucky than to be good
No Radar, in fact radio technology necessary for radar was a few decades away. Short range CW sets is about all that existed at that time.
I dont see how they would have stood a chance vs 300+ mg's without fog.
KorKronic nor do I but people did it
Love these ww1 site visits with audio explanation. Just one thing: in French, the C is silent in 'blanc'.
Yeah well just for understanding purpose saying the c is just fine. Its not a French excercise. If he has to say Japanese words u also get the anglosized version right?
He didnt pronounce the C lol, listen more closely bud.
@@BigShaneGillis you need to get your hearing checked, 'bud'.
Forgotten history should do a video on Fort Morgan Alabama.
The history of Fort Morgan.
I would love to see you do these for US historic battlefields as well
Ian, which historical ww1 places do you most recommend to visit?
Really depends on what you are interested in seeing...
@@ForgottenWeapons I really like the ones where you can still see the remainings of the trenches and constructions, for example the Italian fortifications in the Alps. Thank you.
Cono Feroz Bear in mind 100 years has passed and the landscape is a lot diffrent now.
Was thinking how horrible it would be to attack over that much flat land. But when you brought up how much artillery fire decimated the land, hopefully there were plenty of craters to take cover in.
Too short Ian!.
At about 8:30 I see myself looking for souvenirs in the trench lol
Unfortunatley grave robbing is very active in the area and France. Digs being raided at night with metal detectors, which incidentally require a licence there,. If you find remains and the site is raided, badges and other acoutrments taken and sold for a few Euro's, you destroy any chance however remote of identifiying the casualty. You have killed the man twice. As the Greeks said 'A man is not dead whilst his name is known'.
I'm surprised Ian didn't mention that this battle was one of the first, if not THE first, mass use of Browning Automatic Rifles and Browning M1917 machine guns.
The US Army's 36th Division(Texas National Guard)were fully equipped with them as they came onto the line for their first and only combat operation of the war.
Something which must have really pissed off the Army and Marine veterans of the 2nd Division who were still stuck with the 8mm Hotchkiss and Chauchat as their machine gun and automatic rifle respectively.
Ironically, this would become a big problem as the BARs and machine guns used up so much .30-06 that they found themselves running short. Unlike the 2nd Division, they couldn't use available 8mm ammo from the French units next to them.
Great video!, i seldom hear anything about the battle for Fismes. Which was very well known then. Earning the Nom. De Guerre of Les Terribles for the 32nd,,,,the only division that earned a Nom De Gueere from the French
Such an amazing sight... Almost a fantasy.
Awesome
My grandfather joined the Duluth Signal Corps. and said while everybody could see him he was USUALLY out of range of enemy small fire, so it was a good job to have in WW1~~~!!!! (He had a great sense of humour) Born in a French Canadian hamlet in New Hampshire: Francestown!!
Keep it up
All that for a little more than a month before the end of the war.
Sar Jim People die right up until the war ends.
Sar Jim You could say that it was battles like this that led to The Armistice being signed.
Allied (GB, U.S.A., France, maybe Japan, not sure) got KIA until 1919-1920, because expeditionnary forces send to Russia to contain/counter Bolsheviks expanse
@@Zorglub1966 that and the occupying forces in Germany, Austria, and the remaining Ottoman empire. Well I'm sure that attacks were rare, I would very much doubt that there wasn't at least one case where some got attacked by what could be called resistance fighters
100% hindsight! No one knew, probably even the German's that the end of the war was so close. The German's just fell off the edge of the catastrophe curve.
Indy better get in here and shut this down for infringing his copyright on history
Love those videos becuase i cant see those places in real life
you didn't mention enemy casualties, or did I miss it?
Did this area see battles in World War 2 as well?
Thank you ,we do not forget, I am a teacher and I pass this knowledge on to children.
Great pens.