Size: 20 x 24 inches

This near mint condition World War I map was printed at the base printing plant of the 29th engineers, U.S. Army and is dated 1918. The map illustrates in blue the lines of American daily advances of the daily advancements and stages of the St. Mihiel offensive. The map also indicates the dates of the advancements of Allied divisional lines, as well as enemy defensive lines. This map was constructed using observations from biplanes that flew overhead, as well as reports from officers in the frontline.

Battle of St. Mihiel:

Battle of Saint-Mihiel, (12–16 September 1918), Allied victory and the first U.S.-led offensive in World War I. The Allied attack against the Saint-Mihiel salient provided the Americans with an opportunity to use their forces on the Western Front en masse. Although lacking some of the tactical skills of the French and British, the U.S. First Army carried the day through sheer determination and its multifaceted plan of attack. The battle was also noteworthy as the first major use in the war of the U.S. Army Air Service (precursor to the U.S. Air Force) led by William "Billy" Mitchell and the aggressive tank assaults by George Patton, who boldly led his charges from the front lines and not from the rear as many other officers did during the war. As the Germans were withdrawing, the Allies attacked. With much of their artillery not in place, the Germans were poorly prepared to maintain the front line, an advantage that the attacking Americans were quick to exploit. The relative ease of the initial American attack came as a surprise to Pershing, and he sent orders to his commanders to speed up their advance. By the 13th September lead units of the U.S. First Army had met up with Allied troops advancing from the west. Three days later, the offensive was halted, with the salient in Allied hands. Pershing now dispatched his forces westward to take part in the forthcoming Meuse-Argonne offensive.