THE LOST BATTALION

THE LOST BATTALIONTHE LOST BATTALION

MAJOR CHARLES WHITTLESEYMAJOR CHARLES WHITTLESEY

• Commander of Lost Battalion

• NY Lawyer

• Opposes Argonne battle plan

• Leads men into Charleveux Mill

• Sends men to find flanks

MAJOR CHARLES WHITTLESEYMAJOR CHARLES WHITTLESEY

GENERAL ALEXANDERGENERAL ALEXANDER

• Overall battle commander of US forces; devises plan for attack

• orders troops to advance

• Orders retreat (too late)

• Shocked by Whittlesey

• Orders artillery attack (friendly fire)

GENERAL ALEXANDERGENERAL ALEXANDER

• 2nd in command of 308th

• Career soldier/ “tough guy”

• Irish-American

CAPTAIN GEORGE McMURTRYCAPTAIN GEORGE McMURTRY

SGT. GAEDEKESGT. GAEDEKE

• Immediately in charge of new recruits

• Gets them settled on front lines

• Goes to find French on flanks… no one there

• Blown up by friendly fire (dead)

SGT. GAEDEKESGT. GAEDEKE

• Assistant to General Alexander

• Worries about hurrying into battle

• Orders cease fire for artillery

COLONEL JOHNSONCOLONEL JOHNSON

• NY boy (Polish immigrant)

• New recruit

• Took the “test”

• Volunteers to “run” message out

PRIVATE KROTOSHINSKYPRIVATE KROTOSHINSKY

Privates Rosen & CepegliaPrivates Rosen & Cepeglia

• NY boys

• Give advice to new recruits

• Rosen= Jewish

• Cepeglia= Italian

• Best friends

• Cepeglia dies

Privates Rosen & CepegliaPrivates Rosen & Cepeglia

• Chinese-American

• Radio operator

• Wire “short”; waits in bush

• Communication lines cut

• Refuses to retreat

• killed

PRIVATE STANLEY CHINPRIVATE STANLEY CHIN

PRIVATE LIPASTIPRIVATE LIPASTI

• NY boy

• New recruit

• Becomes runner for McMurtry

• Finds Chin dead

• Finds Holderman (307th)

• “indoor aviator”

PRIVATE LIPASTIPRIVATE LIPASTI

PRIVATE YODERPRIVATE YODER

PRIVATE YODERPRIVATE YODER

• “appleknocker”

• New recruit

• Big Fork, Montana (“Daisyville”)

• Kills sniper

• Killed by grenade

PRIVATE YODERPRIVATE YODER

• Handles pigeons

• Sends messages to HQ

• Last pigeon (Cher Ami) used to stop artillery

PRIVATE OMER RICHARDSPRIVATE OMER RICHARDS

PVT. CEPEGLIA

LT. Leak

• Texas

• Assigned to NY regiment

• Thinks he does not belong

• Yelled at by Whittlesey for his dress, shaving, etc.

• Captured

• Explains why US will never surrender (inner-city thugs)

LIEUTENANT LEAKLIEUTENANT LEAK

• Commander of German forces opposing “Lost” battalion

• Respects Americans

• Requests Stosstrupen

MAJOR HENRICH PRINZMAJOR HENRICH PRINZ

CAPTAIN NELSON HOLDERMANCAPTAIN NELSON HOLDERMAN

• 307th officer from CALIFORNIA

• Lost in Argonne forest

• Found by Lipasti

• Links up with Whittlesey

CAPTAIN NELSON HOLDERMANCAPTAIN NELSON HOLDERMAN

CAPTAIN NELSON HOLDERMANCAPTAIN NELSON HOLDERMAN

CHER AMICHER AMI