military battle analysis would later report, "Millions of artillery shells had altered the terrain to such an extent that it was virtually impossible to move a couple of steps without falling into a three to four foot deep crater." The terrain itself, having been torn apart by shelling earlier in the war, was extremely difficult and contained numerous steep hills and ravines, many of which were entirely covered by barbed wire entanglements. The "No Man's Land" of the area was littered with canalizing wire obstacles and maze-like trench systems, some of which had long been abandoned and others that were still occupied. The objective of the 79th Division was to capture three cities in their assigned sector: Malancourt, already in ruins and a town in name only Montfaucon, which the Germans boasted to be untakeable, nicknaming it "Little Gibraltar" and Nantillois, a town 9 km past the German army's defensive line. Located on a hill, the village of Montfaucon was extremely well fortified with trenches, entanglements, gun positions, and pillboxes to cover all possible approaches. The ultimate objective of the campaign was to capture the Sedan railroad hub, severing the rail net that supported the German Army in occupied areas of France and Flanders. This map shows the rolling barrage lines of the American 4th Division, who were protecting the eastern flank of the inexperienced 79th Division at Montfaucon, a major target in the Meuse-Argonne Campaign.
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