The Dying Time

Cunel is a very quiet hamlet in the Meuse department of the Grand Est region in north-eastern France. Set amid rolling farmland and forested ridges, the commune lies within the historic landscape of the Meuse-Argonne sector, where major World War I operations unfolded in 1918.

Cunel Heights is the commanding high ground just south of Cunel. During the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, General Pershing's forces had to fight through three major ridgelines, the most challenging being the Romagne Heights and Cunel Heights. This terrain formed part of the German defensive system — specifically the Kriemhilde Stellung, a principal component of the Hindenburg Line. American units had to seize these heights to break through toward Romagne and the deeper Freya Stellung. The elevation, wooded slopes, and interlocking fields of fire made Cunel Heights one of the most difficult and deadly objectives faced by American troops in the Great War. Over an 11-day period in mid-October, American units suffered two to three times the casualty rate of the overall Meuse-Argonne Offensive, marking the worst daily losses of the war. - AsNotedIn