German dugouts built in the side of a hill in the Argonne region and strongly fortified, They were captured in desperate fighting by the 103rd Infantry of the 26th Division. The 26th Division was formed in July 1917, consisting of units from the New England area. The division commander selected the nickname "Yankee Division" to highlight the division's geographic makeup. The division saw extensive combat in France. The Battle of the Argonne Forest, was a part of the final Allied offensive of WWI that stretched along the entire Western Front. It was fought from September 26, 1918, until the Armistice on November 11, a total of 47 days. The battle was the largest in United States military history, involving 1.2 million American soldiers, and was one of a series of Allied attacks known as the Hundred Days Offensive, which brought the war to an end. The Meuse-Argonne was the principal engagement of the American Expeditionary Forces during WWI.