Death from 1918 pandemic influenza during the First World War: a perspective from personal and anecdotal evidence

The Meuse-Argonne offensive, a decisive battle during the First World War, is the largest frontline commitment in American military history involving 12 million U.S. troops. With over 26 000 deaths among American soldiers, the offensive is considered “America’s deadliest battle”. The Meuse-Argonne offensive coincided with the highly fatal second wave of the influenza pandemic in 1918. In Europe and in U.S. Army training camps, 1918 pandemic influenza killed around 45 000 American soldiers making it questionable which battle should be regarded “America’s deadliest”. The origin of the influenza pandemic has been inextricably linked with the men who occupied the military camps and trenches during the First World War. The disease had a profound impact, both for the military apparatus and for the individual soldier. It struck all the armies and might have claimed toward 100 000 fatalities among soldiers overall during the conflic