The American Army and the First World War

A major new account of the role and performance of the American army in the First World War.

David Woodward (Author)

9781107648869, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 10 July 2014

481 pages, 27 b/w illus. 13 maps
22.8 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm, 0.78 kg

This is a definitive history of the American army's role and performance during the First World War. Drawing from a rich pool of archival sources, David Woodward sheds new light on key themes such as the mobilisation of US forces, the interdependence of military diplomacy, coalition war-making, the combat effectiveness of the AEF and the leadership of its commander John J. Pershing. He shows us how, in spite of a flawed combat doctrine, logistical breakdowns and American industry's failure to provide modern weaponry, the Doughboys were nonetheless able to wage a costly battle at Meuse-Argonne and play a decisive role in ending the war. The book gives voice to the common soldier through firsthand war diaries, letters, and memoirs, allowing us to reimagine their first encounters with regimented military life, their transport across the sub-infested Atlantic to Europe, and their experiences both in and behind the trenches.

Introduction
1. Birth of a modern army
2. World war and American preparedness
3. Coercive power and Wilsonian diplomacy
4. You're in the army now
5. US Army doctrine and industrialized trench warfare
6. Over where?
7. AEF organization, overseas training and deployment
8. Will the Americans arrive in time?
9. Failed expectations: 'the military establishment of the US has fallen down'
10. Atlantic ferry
11. Neck of the bottle
12. Uncertain times
13. Cantigny
14. Into the breach
15. American soldiers in North Russia and Siberia
16. The beginning of the end
17. Establishment of the American First Army and St Mihiel
18. Meuse-Argonne: September 26–October 31
19. Breakout, November 1–11
20. Epilogue
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: First World War [HBWN], Military history [HBW], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], History of the Americas [HBJK], History [HB]