US 3d Division arrests the German advance at Château-Thierry, May 31, 1918.

 Patch of the 3d Division (now the 3d Infantry Division).  This patch was adopted during World War One, but for the most part, like most U.S. unit patches, wasn't really used until just after the war.

US troops were becoming fully engaged, as we'll soon see, in the desperate battle on the Western Front.

As we saw yesterday, the Germans had finally been able to take advantage of their victory in the East and had redeployed fifty divisions in the West for their renewed Spring Offensive. That action, which was designed as a feint under the assumption that the French would yield and the British would be forced to disengage to save them, was fully underway and was meeting with some real success.

On this day the US 3d Division stopped the Germans at Château-Thierry.  This is not, however, the famous battle by that name and the Germans would be quick to react.  Stopped at Château-Thierry, they turned right to flank the 3d Division and advanced toward Vaux and Belleau-Wood.

These events, I should note, are considered part of the Ainse operations and usually categorized as part of the Battle of Ainse, which they are.



The operations in in Ainse generally are discussed in the context of British and French operations, both of which had larger commitments in this defense battle than the Americans did.  I haven't treated it in this fashion however as I'm focused on the American role.

But beyond that, while every history legitimately notes that the American Army came to play a role in the defense of the German drive towards Paris, of which this battle was part, and which did at first go well for the Germans, the role that this battle played in sliding from one operation into another is often not very well noted.  The American Army, or more particularly the 3d Division, performed very well in the defense of   Château-Thierry, as noted.  That the German Army immediately reacted and made a right turn, and that this lead immediately to a subsequent and more notable battle rarely is.  To U.S. commanders on the ground, however, this was all one action at the larger level. The defense of Château-Thierry by the 3d Division lead to an immediate German reaction and a subsequent major battle in which the 2nd Division, and the 3d Division to a lesser degree, would have a very famous role.