ST. MIHIEL, a town of France, which was the scene of several battles during the World War. It is situated on the Meuse, 11 miles N. N. W. of Commercy, and before the World War had several interesting churches, one of them the church of the former Abbey of Saint Mihiel, some quaint dwellings, and a fine stone bridge. There were two forts on the river near the town. There was also considerable commerce and industry, cen tering largely round the manufacture of lace and embroidery. The population be fore the war was about 9,000. The region round St. Mihiel and Verdun became hotly contested following the repulse of the Germans from the Marne. In the middle of September, 1914, the armies in the center had reached a deadlock, and on the E. the German Crown Prince sent large forces S. of Verdun. The Germans speedily reduced the fort of Troyon, just S. of Verdun, and had reached St. Mihiel, a little farther S. on the Meuse, thus threatening to surround Verdun, when the French re-enforced their line at this point. Thus St. Mihiel continued to be an outer defense for Metz and a possible starting-point for a strong German of fensive. From that time forward, St. Mihiel continued the scene of determined attacks and counter-attacks. The Ger mans captured St. Mihiel on Sept. 23, 1914, and continued to hold it. Early in 1915 attempts were made by the French to carry the opposing German lines in the eastern sector, swinging round the great fortifications of Verdun, bending sharply to the Meuse at St. Mihiel and turning E. again from St. Mihiel to strike the
Moselle river at a point near the Lor raine frontier. In the center of this sec tor the French made a desperate effort to wipe out the St. Mihiel salient; small gains were secured on the northern and southern sides of the wedge, but the main objective was not achieved. The net result was a success for the Germans, culminat ing on July 6, 1915. Matters stood in this condition till the arrival of American forces in 1918, and the beginning of the battle of St. Mihiel in September of that year. On September 12, the American forces attacked both flanks of the St. Mi hiel salient, and captured Thiaucourt and other important positions with 8,000 pris oners. The chief resistence was in the W., where the German positions were defended by the heights on the edge of the Woevre. So impetuous was the at tack, which followed four hours' bombard ment, that on the following day the forces advancing from the S. and W. met at Vigneulles and the St. Mihiel salient was no more. At the end of the American attack, seventy villages had been taken and nearly 175 square miles of territory; 16,000 prisoners were taken and 450 guns; the great French railway system, running through Verdun, Toul, and Nancy, was freed and a strategically important po sition was obtained from which subse quently an offensive might be launched against Metz and the iron fields of Briey. It was the beginning of the end, which came a few weeks later. See WORLD WAR.