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American Soldiers Heading into Action in the Argonne Forest in France, 1918

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American soldiers in a trench during World War I.
Courtesy of Library of Congress, "302nd Eng. repairing road over trench and 92nd Div. (colored) machine gunners going into action, Argonne Forest, France," 1918

Description

This photograph shows engineers of the 302nd Engineer Regiment repairing a roadway over a trench. It also shows African-American soldiers of the 92nd Infantry Division, also known as Buffalo Soldiers, in a trench headed into action in the Argonne Forest in France during World War I.

Source-Dependent Questions

  • Use evidence from the image to describe what trench warfare might have been like for soldiers.
  • Consider the description of roles for soldiers in the image. Why was the volume of soldiers needed significant to the war effort?

Citation Information 

"302nd Eng. repairing road over trench and 92nd Div. (colored) machine gunners going into action, Argonne Forest, France," 1918. Courtesy of Library of Congress