• Judge Joseph T. Labrum - son of Joseph Labrum , Company G 314th Inf.
• Ray Jude Paski- friend and officer of the BOD
• Joel Rentz- grandson of Irwin Rentz, Company A 314th Inf.

• Thomas Timoney
• William Warner

Organized as part of the 79th Division A.E.F. the men of the 314th were trained at Camp Meade, Maryland. Arriving at the camp in September, 1917 the unit completed training and sailed to France aboard the USS Leviathan in July, 1918. Upon arrival at Brest, France they continued training until September when they took part in the Meuse Argonne Offensive. Capturing the town of Malancourt on September, 26 1918, they assisted the 313th Infantry the following day in the capture of the town of Montfaucon. It should be noted that Montfaucon was a heavily defended area and observation post of the German army. Of the four infantry regiments of the 79th Division involved in the offensive, the 314th was hardest hit. It took several days to account for all the missing and bring the regiment up past the halfway mark in manpower.

The 79th Division was relieved on September, 30th and transferred to the Troyon sector. Here they did a variety of tasks, including holding the front. Alternating duty with the 313th, 315th, and 316th Infantry in the trenches. In this period of so called rest, they were harassed with mustard gas, shelling and enemy raids but did not yield the line.

At the end of October the 79th Division was again relieved and moved in place to participate in the third phase of the Meuse Argonne Offensive. On November 1, 1918 the 314th drove forward and captured the towns of Crepion, Waville, and Moirey by November, 9th. The following day the unit captured Buisson Chaumont, Hill 328. On November 11th the 314th advanced against Cote de Romagne and stopped firing at 11am., time of the armistice. At wars end that day, the 314th had made the greatest drive of the offensive into German lines, east of the Meuse River.

The regiment continued training, passed a review by General Pershing, and shipped home on May 15, 1919 aboard the Princess Matokia. Arriving at Hoboken, New Jersey on May 26, they were discharged at Camp Dix, New Jersey end of May 1919.

This is a brief overview of the regiment and its actions. For more information about the 314th in World War One there is a current two volume booklet for sale. Please contact Steve Rentz at srentz@comcast.net Also see list of books and websites on this website.

Commanded by General Joseph H. Kuhn, the 79th Division was organized in August 1917. Composed of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and District of Columbia men, later rotations of draftees would include New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.

The division trained at Camp Meade, Maryland which included help from British and French officers. Trench warfare was studied and taught but the American Army had taken the open attack approach for the upcoming offensives and the training reflected this. Several times during the course of training, men were moved from the division to other units. This, along with lack of proper equipment, and sufficient training hampered the division from deployment to France.

The 79th shipped out to France in July 1918 and continued training upon arrival in France. At the beginning of September 1918 the division entered the front line, relieving units of the French Army, and participated in the first phase of the Meuse-Argonne offensive. The average training of the men at this point in time was approximately 33 days, due to replacement troops. During the course of the next two months the 79th would earn two distinctions. One, for holding up the advance against formidable odds at Montfaucon, France and two, for making the deepest thrust into German lines on the last day of the war, November 11, 1918.

Communication problems, terrain, snipers, little artillery support, and overrun enemy positions in the rear were all problems for the division. French and Allied Aero support were all but nonexistent in several cases.

Division strength in August 1918 was at 26,150 men. In November the total is at 19,035. Although the division was only engaged from September 26, 1918 to November 11, 1918, it lost more men than any other American division during this period.

In the battle of Nancy during the 15th Century, Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, was defeated and the reign of the House of Anjou began. The Lorraine Cross was adopted by the new reign (Rene 11, 1473-1508) and served as a symbol of justice and freedom to the people of Lorraine and French Nation.

During all its war service, the 79th Division fought in the French province of Lorraine. Fighting against formidable odds, the division claimed victory. It is only fitting the division would choose the Lorraine Cross as its symbol and was adopted shortly after the war ended.

Originally called the Liberty Division, the 79th pledged to win back that portion called Lorraine for France. It is with honor that the 79th Division still wears the Cross of Lorraine today.

The Lorraine Cross was adopted by Major General Joseph Kuhn and his staff shortly after the armistice was signed.

Approved by General Headquarters, the insignia was to be worn on the upper left arm near the shoulder.

Many variations of the patch exist maybe due to the fact that most or all were sewn in France by different manufacturers.

Since the insignia was adopted after the end of the war it is quite possible that many of the men had little time to sew it on their uniform before boarding ship for home.

• The Western Front Association is an international organization dedicated to the study and memorialization of those who fought in the First World War. There are multiple chapters throughout the world. The USA - East Coast Chapter holds two WWI historical seminars per year, one at the Maryland War Memorial Building in Baltimore (where we sponsored the creation of a 313th Infantry exhibit), and the other at various locations in the Washington DC - Baltimore-Philadelphia corridor.
• The East Coast (USA) Chapter of the Western Front Association is led byPaul Cora, Chairman, and they have just published their Summer 2011 newletter, "Trench Lines", a copy of which is mirrored here.
• Under the Lorraine Cross by Arthur H. Joel, commanding officer Co. F, 314th
• The 314th Infantry Regiment 79th Division Vol. I and Vol. II.
  A current booklet history compiled by Roy Rentz.
  Available by contacting Steve Rentz at srentz@comcast.net.
  Cost is approx. $35.00 for both volumes. Maps, photos, etc., benefits 314th Inf.
• National World War One Museum, Kansas City, Missouri
• New York Times article about the opening of the National World War One Museum
• Museum of the Great War (France) LE MUSÉ DE LA GRANDE GUERRE
• New York Times article "Bringing War Home" by Edward Rothstein published November 11, 2011 (Veterans Day)
• The American Monument, Meaux France (web page in French)
• The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum (Staunton, VA) - he was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921, the time period which covered the US entry into World War I in 1916 through the peace treaty in 1919. "To educate the public about these sacrifices and the continuing influence of World War I, the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library in Staunton has developed a new trench exhibit" (quote from link below)
• William Walker wrote this Op/Ed piece in the Richmond Times-Dispatch concerning World War I
• World War II - 314th Infantry Regiment and 79th Reconnaissance Troop 79th Infantry Division, 64th Annual Reunion September, 2010 -- Branson, Missouri
  
• World War II - 314th Infantry Regiment and 79th Reconnaissance Troop 79th Infantry Division, 63th Annual Reunion September, 2009 -- Daytona, Florida, with brief history of the 314th from World War I until today
• History Of The 79th Division, A.E.F. published by Steinman and Steinman, Lancaster, PA.
• American Armies And Battlefields In Europe by Center of Military History-United States Army - maps and photos.
• 79th Division-Summary Of Operations In World War One- by The American Battle Monuments Commission- contains pull out maps
• History Of Company G. 314th Inf.-by Joseph T. Labram, hard to get regimental history
• One Of The Last Rugged Individualists by John W. Kress- The Great Adventure of the 314th M.G. Co.
• Memoirs Of Walter R. Balthaser 1918-1919- member of Co. H, 314th., hard to get, written in 1974.
• War History of the 79th Division by William Bell Clark
• www.worldwar1.com An excellent website with lots of related links, newsletter and world wide information on the Great War.  
• Within the website above, we'd like to especially point out their online newsletter, The St. Mihiel Trip-Wire
• Archives (past issues) of The St. Mihiel Trip-Wire, going back to Volume I November 2002
• www.washingtonmemorialchapel.org Visit this site for information about the chapel and the 314th at Valley Forge, PA.
• www.abebooks.com and www.alibris.com are good sites for book searches.
• In France and Belgium the Great War of 1914-18 was fought along a 500-mile front. In most places the trenches that formed the front have disappeared but in some parts of France they still exist. Expert battlefield historians and guides Tony Noyes and Christina Holstein lead definitive guided tours and walks of the largely untouched First World War battlefields of Verdun, the Argonne Forest, the Meuse-Argonne, the St. Mihiel Salient and Champagne. That means you can walk the terrain, understand the campaign, and put yourself in the soldiers. boots. Whether you are looking for an introduction to these battles, an in-depth exploration of a particular area or action, or wish to follow in the footsteps of a member of your family, our individualised guided tours of the battles will meet your requirements.
• The Fort George G. Meade Museum was established to collect, preserve, study and exhibit historical artifacts pertaining to the history of Fort George G. Meade. The Museum is dedicated "in proud memory of those members of the United States Army who died in the defense of Freedom".
• TrenchArt.Org by Jane A. Kimball: Cruel destroyers of humans and landscapes Transformed into objects of beauty, Providing a remembrance of comrades lost And souvenirs for those who lived to tell their tales. BACKGROUND: Soldiers have always made decorative or souvenir objects in their spare time.
• Order of Battle - American Forces - World War I
• To Honor Our Fallen: Purple Hearts of World War I and Earlier
• Veterinary Corps in WW 1
• Soldier's Mail: Letters Home from a Yankee Doughboy 1916-1919

Veterans of the 314 Infantry American Expeditionary Forces
Stained Glass Window in the Fort Meade Historic Main Post Chapel
Photos by Marc Romanych - Secretary, Western Front Association - East Coast Chapter