General Patton's Military Engagement in Bourg, France During World War I

On 26/09/1918, Lieutenant Colonel George S. Patton Jr. was severely wounded while leading the 1st Provisional Tank Brigade during the opening morning of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive near the village of Cheppy, France. Advancing with French built Renault FT tanks in support of American infantry, Patton moved forward on foot to direct the attack through heavy fog in the Aire Valley. As the advance slowed under German machine gun fire, he organized and encouraged nearby troops and continued coordinating tank movements close to the front line. During this action he was struck by machine gun fire in the thigh, receiving a serious wound that forced him to take cover until he could be evacuated later in the day. Earlier in 1918, Patton had helped establish the American Expeditionary Forces Light Tank School at Bourg, where U.S. crews trained on French Renault FT tanks before entering combat. However, his engagement on 26/09/1918 occurred farther north in the Argonne Forest region during the opening phase of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The attack marked the largest American operation of World War I, and Patton’s brigade supported infantry advances in the Cheppy sector. He later recovered from his wounds and returned to duty before the end of the war, and on 17/10/1918 he was promoted to temporary colonel in the Tank Corps of the U.S. National Army.