The Battle of St Quentin Canal began on September 29th, 1918. It is the battle for which Post 555 is named and in which two sons of Ely, Iowa made the ultimate sacrifice. PVT Charles Noska and PVT Joseph Dvorak were serving as part of the 30th Infantry Division when killed in action during October of 1918. Had the young men survived another five weeks, they would have survived the war.
The Battle of St Quentin Canal was a pivotal battle of World War I that began on 29 September 1918 and involved British, Australian and American forces in the spearhead attack and as a single combined force against the German Siegfried Stellung of the Hindenburg Line. Under the command of Australian general Sir John Monash, the assault achieved all its objectives, resulting in the first full breach of the Hindenburg Line, in the face of heavy German resistance and, in concert with other attacks of the Great Offensive along the length of the line convinced the German high command that the writing was on the wall regarding any hope of German victory.
Smashing the Hindenburg Line by Frank Schoonover