Forest of Argonne

Location of Forest of Argonne in northeastern France
Forest of Argonne in 1915
Forest of Argonne in a valley near Chatel-Chéhéry, France, where Sgt. Henry Johnson, known after his heroic battle as the Black Death, and Sgt. Alvin C. York fought in World War I
U.S. soldiers in the Argonne Forest resting in a trench, 1918

The Forest of Argonne (French pronunciation: [aʁɡɔn]) is a long strip of mountainous and wild woodland in northeastern France, approximately 200 km (120 mi) east of Paris. The forest measures roughly 65 km (40 mi) long and 15 km (9 mi) wide filled with many small hills and deep valleys formed by water run-off from the Aire and Aisne rivers rarely exceeding more than 200 m (650 ft) in elevation.[1] Following the First World War, the landscape of the forest was forever changed as trench warfare led to parts of the forest being riddled with deep human-made trenches along with craters from explosives. The forest is bordered by the Meuse River on the west and rolling farmland and creeks to the east. The forest is largely oak, chestnut, and pine trees, and ferns cover much of the forest floor. Common animal life consists of wild boar, red deer, roe deer, hares, rabbits, foxes, and wildcat.[2]

  1. ^ "Argonne | region, France | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  2. ^ "France - Plant and animal life | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2021-12-13.