WWI - U.S. 77th Division "Liberty Division" "Lost Battalion" Grouping - ORIGINAL RARE -
Description
Original WWI 77th Division Soldiers Group
- U.S. WWI 77th Division "Liberty Division" and Lost Battalion" -
THIS IS A RARE GROUPING - In great used condition
WW I 77th Division grouping all original period correct. Grouping includes soldiers overcoat with 77th division patch, service chevrons on sleeve, his helmet with 77th Division insignia period painted on front of his helmet, his name on the chinstrap, his ammo belt with leather pistol holster. All buttons are intact and period correct. This is a great grouping that came out of a veterans estate that served in the 77th Division, 308th Infantry Regiment.
The 77th Infantry Division was organized from draftees, drawn mostly of men from New York City, and trained at Camp Upton in Yaphank, New York in the central part of Suffolk County, Long Island, the camp is now Brookland National Laboratory.
The 77th Infantry Division was the first American division composed of draftees to arrive in France in World War I, landing in April 1918; overall it was the seventh of 42 divisions to reach the Western Front. The division fought in the Battle of Chateau-Thierry on 18 July 1918.
Throughout its service in France the 77th Division sustained 10,194 casualties: 1,486 killed and 8,708 wounded. The division returned to the United States in April 1919 and was deactivated later that month
The Lost Battalion is the name given to the nine companies of the United States 77 Division, roughly 554 men, isolated by German forces during World War I after an American attack in the Argonne Forest in October 1918. Roughly 197 were killed in action and approximately 150 missing or taken prisoner before the 194 remaining men were rescued. They were led by Major Charles White Whittlesey. On 2 October, the 77th launched an attack into the Argonne, under the belief that French forces were supporting their left flank and two American units including the 92 Infantry Division were supporting their right. Within the 77th sector some units including Whittlesey's 1-308th Infantry were making significant headway. Unknown to Whittlesey's unit, the units to their left and right had been stalled. Without this knowledge, the units that would become known as the Lost Battalion moved beyond the rest of the Allied line and found themselves surrounded by German forces. For the next six days, suffering heavy losses, the men of the Lost Battalion and the American units desperate to relieve them would fight an intense battle in the Argonne Forest.
The men of the 77th Division, who held the Charlevoix ravine, which became known as the "pocket", were mostly from New York City. The 77th Division is known as the "liberty" division due to the Statue of Liberty patch they wore, but in WW1 they were usually referred to as the "Metropolitan" division because of where most of the men hailed from. Most of the enlisted men were recent immigrants or were poor working class from the streets of New York City fighting from a young age for food. These attributes acquired on the streets are seen by some historians as one of the reasons that this group survived in the Argonne.
This is a rare and hard to find grouping, WWI original. It's hard to find a WWI 77th Infantry Division item, let alone a nice grouping like this. This grouping would be great to add to any collection, great investment, it will just go up in value over the years.
NOTE: THE MANNEQUIN IS FOR DISPLAY ONLY AND NOT PART OF THE GROUP