French and British headstones in Dormans National Cemetery, Dormans, France. From left to right Second Lieutenant J. Aitken, Royal Air Force, Jean LaGorce and Germain Bouchareisses, both of the 273rd French Infantry Regiment, and Sergeant S.W. Melbourne, RAF. The French infantrymen both died on July 15, 1918, the men of the RAF the following day, the first and second days of the German Champagne-Marne Offensive. © 2014 by John M. Shea
"By the evening of the first day, July 15, the German attack was brought to a standstill by the sudden and unexpected resistance of the French and American troops along the whole front from Château-Thierry to the east of Reims, where the 42nd Division (Rainbow) was in the line. On the 16th and 17th of July, the Germans tried by local attacks to gain some ground and better their positions."
The German's launched their fifth and final offensive of 1918, the Champagne-Marne Offensive, on July 15. German commander Erich Ludendorff called his offensive Friedensturm, Peace Assault, which would bring peace through victory. The United States did not yet have an Army in Europe; its units were incorporated into British and French forces. The Rainbow Division included units from twenty-six states and the District of Columbia.
The History of The A.E.F. by Shipley Thomas, page 123, copyright © 1920, by George H. Doran Company, publisher: George H. Doran Company, publication date: 1920
1918-07-16, 1918, July, Rainbow Division, British and French Dormans
