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At 0100 this morning 100 years ago, thousands of US guns opened fire in a deafening crescendo of steel. In the 26th Division sector alone were 202 guns of all calibers, from trench mortars all the way up to massive railway guns. The St Mihiel Offensive had begun.
Across the lines, the guns paused for a five minute sound ranging an hour before the infantry advance. Germans who scrambled out of their dugouts to man defensive positions were caught in a hail of steel and high explosive when the bombardment resumed.
On the south end of the Salient, the @FightingFirst, 42nd, 89th, 2nd, 5th, 90th, and @82ndABNDiv (still legs) went over the top at 0500, attacking from south to northwest. US Renault FT17 tanks rolled forward over the wet ground in support of the infantry.
Aug 8 marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of #Amiens. This battle ushered in the #HundredDays offensive and saw some of the most decisive victories of the war #thread 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 
Photograph is: "Scene at Field Ambulance Dressing Station," by William Rider-Rider, August, 1918. LAC MIKAN 3397054 #Amiens100
The Hundred Days also saw the culmination of William Rider-Rider’s career as Canada’s third and final official photographer. (seen here in: [Portrait of William Rider-Rider, ca. 1917, unattributed, @I_W_M © Q 113992).
William Rider-Rider documents wounded arriving at a Canadian Field Dressing Station during the Battle of Amiens. August 8-12, 1918 LAC MIKAN 3397055 #warphotos #FWW 👇🏼👇🏼
Rider-Rider's photographs from July 1918 represent a regression to the static behind-the-lines documentary photographs Harry Knobel had taken in 1916. They show us subjects like distinguished visits, the dentist and men getting haircuts.
Completely reminiscent of Harry Knobel's photographs showing us camp cooks and soldiers at rest billets.
Thomas Keith Aitken was back in the Bois de Reims #onthisday in 1918, photographing the Battle of Tardenois. He took (at least) 16 photographs, and below are some highlights 👇🏼👇🏼 #warphotos #thread
Photograph is: Men of the 2nd Battalion, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (62nd Division) examining a captured German Maxim 08/15 (Spandau) machine gun with French and Italian officers. © IWM (Q 11107)
War photographers like Aitken frequently demonstrated Allied success in the photographs by showing us equipment taken from the Germans. Here are men of the 62nd btn again with a Maxim 08/15, © IWM (Q 11104).
Thomas Keith Aitken was also out making photographs on 23 July 1918 - #thread 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
Battle of Tardenois. British (62nd Division) and French soldiers in action in Bois de Reims, © IWM (Q 11110) #warphotos #FWW
Battle of Tardenois. French troops and a soldier of the British 62nd Division escorting German prisoners who are bringing back British and French wounded. Bois du Reims, © IWM (Q 11099)
