Sergeant John Hershberger
John Hershberger Jr was born on June 1st, 1898 in Frederick, Maryland to Mary Sunday and John Hershberger Sr, their second of five children. While his father worked as a barber, John attended local schools, and upon graduation, enlisted in the Maryland National Guard in early 1917, getting assigned to Company A, 1st Regiment. As it so happened, the Great War raging abroad since 1914 finally consumed the United States when they joined on the side of the allies in April of 1917. Immediately, National Guard units from around the country began preparing their members for the possibility of combat, and Hershberger gained a promotion to Private First Class on August 1st. To the sadness of its members, the Maryland National Guard was stripped of its lineage upon its federalization in October, and became the 115th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division of the Regular Army, with PFC Hershberger being placed in Company A. Rigorous training ensued based at Camp McClellan in trench warfare, marksmanship, and rigid discipline. This continued for months while awaiting orders, during which Hershberger was promoted to Corporal. Finally in May of 1918, the regiment finally got their orders and traveled by train to New Jersey, where Corporal Hershberger boarded the Covington on June 15th and made their way to the small town of Champlitte in France by July 3rd to receive supplies. Two weeks later, they began marching to the front.
Alsace Sector The 115th Infantry arrived in the Haute Alsace Sector, a relatively quiet area, on July 28th, where both the Germans and French had not advanced for years. However, the Americans had orders that would break some of the silence in the region. Raiding parties were sent out to the German lines, which prompted the enemy to do the same. Artillery fire also increased dramatically once the Americans took over the lines, including gas attacks. By the beginning of September, Corporal Hershberger’s presence in Alsace took on a new role: bluffing the enemy. |
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In late August, the 115th Infantry evacuated nearby villages of civilians and made fake reconnaissance of the biggest town in the area, Mulhouse, to suggest their division would launch an all out attack in the sector. The feint did indeed make the Germans suspect an attack, but it would be at the Argonne, not in Alsace.
Meuse Argonne Offensive
On September 20th, the regiment was relieved by the French and piled into trains to Bar Le-duc, south of Verdun, where they became a reserve division for the first elements of the battle. The Meuse-Argonne offensive kicked off on September 26th with the largest concentration of artillery fire ever experienced, and allied soldiers surged through the forests with huge successes. However, not all sections of the line had fallen. The 115th Infantry was released from reserve and ordered to a particularly well defended area of the Meuse River 10 kilometers from Verdun just three days after the offensive began. They arrived on October 7th and got into position along the river’s east bank. At 5:00 AM the following morning, the attack began. Corporal Hershberger’s battalion sprung out of the trenches and surged across no man’s land, capturing Malbrouck Hill by 9:00 AM and crushing the enemy resistance. The 2nd Battalion now passed through and continued the attack while the others rested briefly. Now, the 115th Infantry faced the heavily defended “Hagen Stellung” line, but by the end of the day, they had fought to the edge of the Molleville clearing and defeated the German defenses. This advance had cost the regiment heavily, but they had completed their objective for the day.
Two days later the attack resumed towards Molleville Farm with Corporal Hershberger’s 1st Battalion once again at the front. The advance was completely exposed, and the Americans were met with withering machine gun fire yet refused to stop. The farm was captured by nightfall. On October 15th, the 115th Infantry attacked the Bois de la Grande Montagne forest but heavy resistance to the Virginian unit abreast kept them from capturing their objectives, and the Germans knew it. The 2nd Battalion was ordered to help on the 16th, which finally led to the capture of the forest’s lower edge. Heavy enemy artillery and machine gun fire from the Bois d'Etraye ridge harassed the American lines for eight days as they prepared to assault it. On the 23rd, Corporal Hershberger’s 1st Battalion began their covering attack to the north while the rest of the regiment marched directly towards it.
This fight was the fiercest the regiment had ever experienced, and by nightfall the entire 1st Battalion had to be relieved due to suffering so many casualties, and so did the relieving battalion. Through sheer determination, Etraye Ridge was captured on the 25th. Three days later, the 29th Infantry Division was relieved from the sector after fighting for twenty one days and suffering the loss of 1,031 Maryland men, yet they had succeeded in crushing the previously-thought invincible Verdun resistance. They returned to Bar le duc where they had begun the offensive to rest, and ironically were here when the Armistice was signed, ending the Great War on November 11th, 1918. The night was filled with cheers, celebrations, and tears of joy shared with the local Frenchman that lasted long into the morning before Corporal Hershberger and the regiment left for Fresnes to await the journey home.
The wait took longer than expected, but on May 11th, 1919, Company A boarded the Artemis and arrived in Virginia on the 24th. Hershberger was promoted to Sergeant during the voyage back, and received an honorable discharge on June 4th. For his actions overseas, he was later awarded the Serbian Order of St Sava, although the exact circumstances are currently unknown. John returned to his parents’ home in Frederick, Maryland, became a baker, then a retail manager. He eventually married Maryland local Mary Martz, had one child, and moved to Boonsboro, MD. In 1941, John was appointed as postmaster of the local post office. He remained in this position and area for the rest of his life, sadly passing away on his 57th birthday on June 1st, 1955.
Meuse Argonne Offensive
On September 20th, the regiment was relieved by the French and piled into trains to Bar Le-duc, south of Verdun, where they became a reserve division for the first elements of the battle. The Meuse-Argonne offensive kicked off on September 26th with the largest concentration of artillery fire ever experienced, and allied soldiers surged through the forests with huge successes. However, not all sections of the line had fallen. The 115th Infantry was released from reserve and ordered to a particularly well defended area of the Meuse River 10 kilometers from Verdun just three days after the offensive began. They arrived on October 7th and got into position along the river’s east bank. At 5:00 AM the following morning, the attack began. Corporal Hershberger’s battalion sprung out of the trenches and surged across no man’s land, capturing Malbrouck Hill by 9:00 AM and crushing the enemy resistance. The 2nd Battalion now passed through and continued the attack while the others rested briefly. Now, the 115th Infantry faced the heavily defended “Hagen Stellung” line, but by the end of the day, they had fought to the edge of the Molleville clearing and defeated the German defenses. This advance had cost the regiment heavily, but they had completed their objective for the day.
Two days later the attack resumed towards Molleville Farm with Corporal Hershberger’s 1st Battalion once again at the front. The advance was completely exposed, and the Americans were met with withering machine gun fire yet refused to stop. The farm was captured by nightfall. On October 15th, the 115th Infantry attacked the Bois de la Grande Montagne forest but heavy resistance to the Virginian unit abreast kept them from capturing their objectives, and the Germans knew it. The 2nd Battalion was ordered to help on the 16th, which finally led to the capture of the forest’s lower edge. Heavy enemy artillery and machine gun fire from the Bois d'Etraye ridge harassed the American lines for eight days as they prepared to assault it. On the 23rd, Corporal Hershberger’s 1st Battalion began their covering attack to the north while the rest of the regiment marched directly towards it.
This fight was the fiercest the regiment had ever experienced, and by nightfall the entire 1st Battalion had to be relieved due to suffering so many casualties, and so did the relieving battalion. Through sheer determination, Etraye Ridge was captured on the 25th. Three days later, the 29th Infantry Division was relieved from the sector after fighting for twenty one days and suffering the loss of 1,031 Maryland men, yet they had succeeded in crushing the previously-thought invincible Verdun resistance. They returned to Bar le duc where they had begun the offensive to rest, and ironically were here when the Armistice was signed, ending the Great War on November 11th, 1918. The night was filled with cheers, celebrations, and tears of joy shared with the local Frenchman that lasted long into the morning before Corporal Hershberger and the regiment left for Fresnes to await the journey home.
The wait took longer than expected, but on May 11th, 1919, Company A boarded the Artemis and arrived in Virginia on the 24th. Hershberger was promoted to Sergeant during the voyage back, and received an honorable discharge on June 4th. For his actions overseas, he was later awarded the Serbian Order of St Sava, although the exact circumstances are currently unknown. John returned to his parents’ home in Frederick, Maryland, became a baker, then a retail manager. He eventually married Maryland local Mary Martz, had one child, and moved to Boonsboro, MD. In 1941, John was appointed as postmaster of the local post office. He remained in this position and area for the rest of his life, sadly passing away on his 57th birthday on June 1st, 1955.