The "Lost" Battalion
October 2d we left the reserve and assumed a support position. On that day the forces in the line drove forward, but in the execution of the advance Companies E, H, I, K, L, and M of the 308th Infantry and Company K of the 307th Infantry found themselves trapped by the enemy on a hill north of the Bois de la Buironne. These units were the only ones to reach their objective but by thus advancing ahead of their flanks, they gave the enemy an opportunity to surround them. In this hazardous position they struggled as the "Lost" Battalion.
U. S. Official Photo
Grim Business in the Argonne
A Unit of the 307th Infantry Waiting Orders to "Mop Up"
We went forward to their relief on October 4th, but were held back by the effective machine-gun fire of the enemy. Next day we again strove to extricate the besieged battalion, but again we failed. Certain enemy machine guns were so placed that their hail of death was impassable. They seemed an insurmountable obstacle in the path of the entire 307th Infantry. The men of Company B knew that the machine-gun positions of the enemy must be taken. There was nothing, at that moment, that counted more than the capture of these positions. So on October 6th we attacked, giving no thought to risk. We did what we thought would have been impossible before we knew that it had to be done. Persistently we attacked in the face of the enemy fire and as the German resistance gradually weakened, we took the heretofore impregnable positions. Seven of our men were that day cited for exceptional bravery.
On October 7th our division organized a concerted attack on the German lines. We realized the awful plight of the "Lost" Battalion and all day we fought against the enemy machine-gun nests. One by one they were silenced, and at 5:00 P.M. Company B, alone of all the division, succeeded in reaching and saving the "Lost" Battalion. The Germans were driven beyond the hill and once more the line was straightened out.