Upon arrival on the
Western Front the following year his company was assigned as replacements for Company K of the
307th Infantry Regiment, part of the
77th Division of the
American Expeditionary Force (AEF). Even though Holderman was a replacement officer for Company K, he was very well respected by the soldiers under his command due in part to his previous experience prior to the war. As an officer he was regarded as a "soldier's soldier" who never turned down a
patrol and saw his military service as "an adventure". His unit took part in the
Meuse–Argonne offensive in late September 1918. On October 3 a major offensive began whose purpose was to break the German line in the
Argonne forest. Of all the units who took part in the initial assault, elements of two battalions under the command of
Major Charles Whittlesey were able to break through. However, as the only units to have reached their objectives they had gone too far into German territory and were subsequently cut off. Initial attempts were made to reach Whittlesey and his men but all the units were met with heavy resistance and had to pull back. Only Holderman's Company K, composed of 97 men, had managed to reach Major Whittlesey's units, which incorrectly became known as "
The Lost Battalion" even though there were officially two elements of a battalion. With not enough men able to close the distance between Whittlesey and the American lines, Holderman and his company subsequently became part of the Lost Battalion. Holderman was tasked to command the right flank. Though severely wounded early on in the five-day siege, Holderman continued to lead his men until finally being relieved. The war came to an end just over a month later, on
November 11, 1918 at 11:00am. ==Medal of Honor citation==