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