Battle of Seicheprey
Part of theWestern Front ofWorld War I
German map of the German attack on Seicheprey on 20 August 1918
Date 20–21 April 1918 Location Seicheprey,Meurthe-et-Moselle,France Result Indecisive; Germans accomplished their tactical goal, Americans later retook the ground
Belligerents
German Empire	United States of America
Commanders and leaders
?	Clarence Ransom Edwards John Henry Parker
Units involved
Stormtrooper BattalionTolle Stormtrooper BattalionHellmuth Stormtrooper BattalionSeeböhm	26th Infantry Division 102nd Infantry Regiment
Casualties and losses
about 150 killed about 450 wounded and captured	81 killed 424 wounded 130 captured

TheBattle of Seicheprey was amilitary engagement fought from 20 to 21 April 1918 as a part of theGerman spring offensive in north-easternFrance during theFirst World War. Three Germanbattalions ofSturmtruppen units commenced an attack onAllied positions in the village ofSeicheprey, defended by American troops of the26th Infantry Division, and after fierce fighting captured the village. Later that day Americans started a counterattack and the Germans withdrew. The clash is commemorated as the first significant war action of American expeditionary troops in Europe.

After theUnited States entered the war in April 1917,US Army started to prepare the expeditionary forces to support military efforts of the Allies on the Western front. Few thousands of those troops, including American 26th Infantry Division (also known as "Yankee Division") formed in July 1917, arrived to France in fall 1917. 26th Infantry Division took an additional military training at theNeufchateau, Vosges during the fall and winter of 1917^[1]

They were then deployed in March 1918 to theChemin des Dames area where the men had their first experience with defensive and offensive operations and also withpoison gas.^[2] In April 1918 they were deployed in theToul ahdSaint-Mihiel Sector, among the other American forces. Location around the village of Seicheprey was defended by the102nd Infantry Regiment, composed mostly from the men fromConnecticut andNew England.^[3]

During the ongoing German spring offensive an attack in Seicheprey area was planned. German command, informed about the presence of American units in the area, demanded to get more information about their streight, equipment or positions, so the threeSturmtruppen battalions, specially trained for surprise attacks and taking prisoners, namedTolle,Hellmuth andSeeböhm were deployed to complete this task.

On 20 April at 4 a.m., German field artillery commenced a bombardment of the 102nd Infantry's positions nearSeicheprey before GermanSturmtruppen units of about 3,000 men moved against the village. The artillerybox barrage, continuing 36 hours, isolated American units. The Germans, attacking from the north-western, north and north-eastern direction, overwhelmeda machine gun company and two infantry companies of the 102nd and temporarily breached the trenches and forced Americans to leave their posts in the early morning. Between 400 and 500 American soldiers were wounded or killed.^[4]

26th Division then regrouped and started a counterattack, led by 102nd Regiment, during the night from 20 to 21 April. The Germans withdrew before the division could counterattack, as the main goal of the attack wasn't to gain land.

American loses included 81 killed, 424 wounded, and 130 captured,^[5] including about 6 officers.^[6] Germans lost over 600 men, including 150 killed of their own.^[7] On the American sideSergeant Stubby, dog serving as a mascot of the unit, was also wounded. Most of the fallen Americans were buried at theSt. Mihiel American Cemetery, German fallen were buried atBouillonville German Military Cemetery.

Having a minor strategical importance, the engagement caught the attention of both German and American media, claiming victory on both sides.Colonel John Henry Parker, one of the commanders of the 102nd Infantry Regiment, received for his actions by SeichepreyDistinguished Service Cross with three bronze oak leaves.

Similar raids later struck the American 101st Infantry atFlirey on 27 May, and the 103rd Infantry atXivray-et-Marvoisin on 16 June, but were repulsed.

Astained glass depiction of the action of 20 April 1918 was made in theHamden Memorial Town Hall inHamden, Connecticut.^[8]

• German spring offensive
• 26th Infantry Division (United States)

• Augustin, F. (2022).When Connecticut Stopped the Hun; Battle of Seicheprey, April 20-21, 1918. Creative Media Partners, LLC.ISBN 9781015876637. Retrieved7 October 2024.
• Strickland, Daniel W., Captain (1930).Connecticut fights; the story of the 102nd regiment. New Haven: Quinnipiack Press. Retrieved7 October 2024.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

• Remembering Seicheprey and the Boys from Connecticut’s 102nd Infantry - Connecticut State Library (video conference)
• April 20, 1918: The Battle of Seicheprey - This Day In History - Connecticut National Guard (video)

• 1918 in France
• Battles of World War I involving the United States
• Battles of World War I involving Germany
• Battles of the Western Front (World War I)
• Battles in 1918
• April 1918
• History of Meurthe-et-Moselle

• CS1 German-language sources (de)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list
• France articles missing geocoordinate data
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• Articles missing coordinates without coordinates on Wikidata