An extensive tour of the World War I battlefields of General John J. Pershing's Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France is being led by the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Edward Lengel, University of Virginia faculty member and author of an award-winning book on the battle.  Scheduled for October 12-19, 2010, the tour will visit the site of Sergeant Alvin York's heroics, the area of the Lost Battalion, and the heavily fortified hill of Montfaucon, called the "Little Gibraltar" of the Western Front.  In addition, participants will spend a day in Paris before returning home.  

"The Meuse-Argonne Offensive still stands as our nation's largest battle involving 1.2 million doughboys," said Don W. Wilson, President and CEO of the WWPL.  "As we approach the centennial of our participation in World War I, we are delighted to offer this tour to be led by the world's foremost authority on the battle that culminated in victory on Armistice Day, November 11, 1918."              

A noted military historian and editor of the papers of President George Washington, Dr. Lengel is the author of To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne 1918.  The book won a major award from the Western Front Association, a group that sponsors interest in the war that shaped 20th-century America.              

The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, which broke the German's famed Hindenburg Line, was the pivotal battle for Americans who participated in World War I.  It involved numerous divisions, including the 29th Division (Blue and Gray Division) and the 80th Division (Blue Ridge Division).  Because many soldiers from the Shenandoah Valley and Central Virginia served in these units, the tour will visit sites connected with the two divisions.  Participants in the tour, which will also cover the brutal 1916 battle of Verdun, will be able to climb into original French and German trenches and bunkers, trace the attacks of significant units, and experience the dense Argonne Forest, which was the site of fierce fighting.               

"We have managed to keep the cost of the trip quite low.  The package — including airfare, excellent hotels, a number of meals, and deluxe motor-coach ground transportation — is only $2,495 per person per double room," said Dr. Wilson.  "Single rooms are available for $2,895.  Both include transportation to and from Dulles Airport from Staunton.”   

The tour continues a series of initiatives of the Presidential Library to recognize veterans and raise awareness about World War I, including a new World War I exhibit and a free Veterans Day program last November to recognize President Wilson’s involvement in the formation of Veterans Day.  

The battlefield tour is being coordinated by Shenandoah Tours of Staunton.  For more information, call Robin von Seldeneck at the WWPL at (540) 885-0897, ext. 114, or Shenandoah Tours at (800) 572-3303.  Space is limited, and the trip will be filled on a first-come basis.