After a rapid victory in the eradication of the St. Mihiel salient, a massive effort shifted American divisions to the area of Verdun, between the Argonne Forest and the Meuse River. With less than a week of preparations, the fresh American divisions, many seeing their first combat, were given difficult goals.

First, they were to advance thirty miles to cut the major German rail supply line between Mezieres, Sedan and Montmedy. Second, the British were counting on the American offensive to draw off significant German reserves from their own attack and other synchronized Allied offensives all along the front.

With dark forests, hills, a major river and only three decent roads, the entire area favored the defender. The Americans would face one natural obstacle after another. Moreover, they would have to breach the famed Kreimhilde section of the Hindenburg Line after breaching two prior defensive lines. Behind that was yet a fourth and final defensive belt, the Freya line.

Once the Argonne Forest was cleared and the Hindenburg Line breached, the American forces were to advance rapidly to outflank German forces fighting against the French Fourth Army, which was in contact with the American First Army's left flank and also driving forward. The final goal would be the rail line running from Mezieres to Sedan to Montmedy. With this severed, the German forces would be dealt a crippling blow.

General John "Blackjack" Pershing was in charge of the AEF, which by the end of this offensive would consist of two full armies, the First and the Second. Most of the active AEF divisions would see combat in the Meuse-Argonne offensive. On average, six days of combat (two turns in this scenario) was sufficient to "burn out" a division and require its rotation out of the front line.

As if the rigors of combat were not enough, this offensive also coincided with the onset of the great Influenza epidemic of 1918, leading Pershing to ask for nurses to be shipped over instead of replacements at one point during the battle. New American units (well over four divisions' worth) that were in the process of forming found themselves stripped of soldiers to create a new pool of replacements for the divisions taking part in Meuse-Argonne.

The combination of combat losses, the impact of influenza and the criticism of the Allies combined to create great problems for General Pershing, just as they will for the American commander in this scenario.

Historically, this great battle showed both the strengths and weaknesses of the newly-formed AEF. Lacking in experience and proper tactics, and attacking into extremely difficult terrain, the Americans suffered horrendous casualties, but individual and unit heroism kept the US troops moving forward.

The offensive itself was not fought as a continuous assault, but rather as several pushes separated by smaller skirmishes and the rotation and rest of battle-weary troops. Among the many famous units taking part in the Meuse-Argonne, the First Infantry Division ("The Big Red One") suffered over 9,000 casualties in the first eleven days of October. Many instances of heroism were recorded, ranging from acting Corporal Alvin York's capture of 132 Germans and Captain Sam Woodfill's penetration of the Hindenburg Line to the tenacious resistance of the "Lost Battalion".

The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was supported by over 800 planes, including at least 600 flown by Americans. It also saw the continued involvement of the US Tank Brigade under George Patton, who was wounded early during Meuse-Argonne while out of his tank leading a two-man charge on a machine gun position.

Above all, Meuse-Argonne put the AEF in a position where it had to learn to fight together and fight well. The Americans did learn quickly, but as with the British and French in 1914-1916, it was a costly lesson in warfare. As a part of the war-ending offensive, Meuse-Argonne ended on November 11, 1918 with the declaration of the Armistice and the surrender of Germany.

As the German player, you have excellent ground and fortifications which you can defend for an extended period of time. While most of your units are significantly depleted, with careful rotation you can inflict tremendous casualties on the Americans. Hold the Mezieres-Sedan-Montmedy rail line at all costs.

Whatever you do, Germany will surrender and the war will end. Try to minimize your casualties while strengthening the German position at the bargaining table with a stinging defeat for the Americans.

As the Allied player, you must carefully rotate your forces to keep effective units at the front while resting your worn out divisions. Use your artillery to good effect, reducing the enemy fortifications and guns before sending in the doughboys. Don't rely on your tanks or planes to win for you, it all comes down to infantry and artillery here. If the shortage of replacements becomes critical, consider resting for a turn or two as your ability to recover from battle losses is still much greater than the Germans' at this stage in the war.