Private Carl J Sell
Carl Johan Sall was born on April 26th, 1896 in Västernorrlands län, Sweden to Gustav and Sarah Sundin Sall. When his family immigrated to the United States in 1903, settling down in Ironwood, Michigan, miscommunication with the immigration paperwork led to their last name being listed as “Sell” and Carl’s middle name as “John.” When America became involved in World War One, Carl was drafted into the US Army on November 19th, 1917. After training, he would be assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division sometime around February of 1918. Soon, Sell would travel by rail to Camp Mills, New York, leave for France aboard the Princess Matoika on May 9th, and arrive at Fort Bougien, France on May 25th. After training with live grenades and some of the newest forms of modern warfare, the 47th Infantry was sent to the front line, with Private Sell’s battalion being attached to the 42nd Infantry Division’s on their left flank overlooking the village of Sergy, a bitterly contested area. On July 29th, Sell’s 1st Battalion marched to the line with the objective of capturing Foret de Nesles and the Chateau de Nesles, advancing within 400 yards of its objective on the first day, but were forced to dig in due to heavy German fire. On the afternoon of the next day, the Germans launched a counterattack, which was repulsed, and the American advance continued. At the end of their first taste of combat, Private Sell and two battalions of the 47th Infantry were successful in holding the Sergy line, advancing two kilometers, and forcing the enemy to finally withdraw, all in three days.
Rejoining the 47th Infantry after their actions at Sergy, Sell and his unit marched to the Vestle River, where a large scale effort to cross it was underway, but had been beaten back repeatedly by murderous German machine gun fire. The 2nd Battalion was chosen to force themselves across the river and advance towards Bazoches, with Sell’s 1st Battalion in reserve. On August 8th, the attack began and was immediately met with heavy casualties for the attacking battalion, but by the end of the day, over 300 succeeded in crossing the river and digging in. In the meantime, Company B and Private Sell were moved to St. Thibaut to plug a gap in the line. For the rest of the battle, 1st Battalion would be in a support role until the entire regiment was relieved on August 12th for much needed rest, refit, and training. By the end of August, Private Sell was on the move once again to participate in the St. Mihiel campaign as part of the reserve force, which saw no action, much to their relief. They would not be so lucky in their next battle.
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
On the morning of September 26th, 1918, Private Sell, the 47th Infantry Regiment, and thousands of other allied troops began their advance into the Argonne Forest to crush the heavily defended German line located there, cut off communications between their units, and end the war. At first, little to no resistance was met by the regiment, but this changed the following day when they were ordered over the top to advance on Bois de Fays which was heavily defended by machine guns. Although advancing five kilometers, Sell and his regiment were forced to dig in until being relieved by the 59th Regiment the next day. When they returned to the line on October 3rd, the next 15 straight days were spent fighting off a well dug in enemy to enable other units to advance more easily, which led to Private Sell being wounded and evacuated from the front line. Soon after, the armistice was signed on November 11th, 1918, ending WW1. Sell would be sent home on March 8th, 1919 on the USS Charleston, arriving on the 19th and being discharged twelve days later. Returning to Michigan, he would marry Laura Demer on February 4th, 1924, have 4 children, and work as a surface man for an iron ore mine for 40 years. He was an active member of the Ironwood American Legion Post until passing away on February 16th, 1969.
Rejoining the 47th Infantry after their actions at Sergy, Sell and his unit marched to the Vestle River, where a large scale effort to cross it was underway, but had been beaten back repeatedly by murderous German machine gun fire. The 2nd Battalion was chosen to force themselves across the river and advance towards Bazoches, with Sell’s 1st Battalion in reserve. On August 8th, the attack began and was immediately met with heavy casualties for the attacking battalion, but by the end of the day, over 300 succeeded in crossing the river and digging in. In the meantime, Company B and Private Sell were moved to St. Thibaut to plug a gap in the line. For the rest of the battle, 1st Battalion would be in a support role until the entire regiment was relieved on August 12th for much needed rest, refit, and training. By the end of August, Private Sell was on the move once again to participate in the St. Mihiel campaign as part of the reserve force, which saw no action, much to their relief. They would not be so lucky in their next battle.
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
On the morning of September 26th, 1918, Private Sell, the 47th Infantry Regiment, and thousands of other allied troops began their advance into the Argonne Forest to crush the heavily defended German line located there, cut off communications between their units, and end the war. At first, little to no resistance was met by the regiment, but this changed the following day when they were ordered over the top to advance on Bois de Fays which was heavily defended by machine guns. Although advancing five kilometers, Sell and his regiment were forced to dig in until being relieved by the 59th Regiment the next day. When they returned to the line on October 3rd, the next 15 straight days were spent fighting off a well dug in enemy to enable other units to advance more easily, which led to Private Sell being wounded and evacuated from the front line. Soon after, the armistice was signed on November 11th, 1918, ending WW1. Sell would be sent home on March 8th, 1919 on the USS Charleston, arriving on the 19th and being discharged twelve days later. Returning to Michigan, he would marry Laura Demer on February 4th, 1924, have 4 children, and work as a surface man for an iron ore mine for 40 years. He was an active member of the Ironwood American Legion Post until passing away on February 16th, 1969.