The American Expeditionary Forces in World War I (Battle Orders) Review

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(More customer reviews)John F. Votaw, a retired US Army officer, has written an excellent organizational study of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in France in the First World War in Osprey's Battle Orders #6. This volume provides a wealth of detail information about the formation and composition of AEF units that make it a valuable adjunct to any of the recent, more in-depth studies of the US role in the First World War.
The volume begins with a focused "mission" analysis that discusses the role intended for the AEF, followed by interesting sections on the training of the AEF and its C3I. The author provides ten maps: the Western Front in 1917; AEF Divisional Training Areas; strategic features on the Lorraine Front; AEF services of supply; the Battle of Cantigny; initial plan of attack in the Aisne-Marne offensive; operations of the 1st and 2nd Divisions in the Aisne-Marne; attack on St. Mihiel; the Argonne offensive; and US positions at the armistice. However, the heart of the work are the numerous line and block charts that detail the composition of the AEF's units from army and corps level down to brigade and battalion level. The main focus is on AEF infantry and artillery units, although information is also provided on the tank corps, engineers, services of supply and air service. The author also provides detailed orders of battle for the 1st, 26th and 77th Infantry Divisions, as well as interesting sidebars on various US commanders. It is also apparent from the author's narrative, that significant friction existed in the AEF between the Regular Army and National Guard officers - an issue which never seems to go away.
In the section on tactics, the author examines a regimental attack at Cantigny (28 May 1918) and a divisional attack at Soissons (18 July 1918), as well as brief discussion of tank and aerial tactics. The section on weapons and equipment hits the highlights, but readers may prefer to refer to Osprey's Men-at-Arms titles on the AEF for more information on this particular aspect. Perhaps the only significant omission in this otherwise fine volume is the lack of any mention of the US Chemical Corps and the impact of chemical warfare; there is a Leavenworth Study available on the subject that would have been useful for this volume to draw upon and there is little doubt that the AEF put a major effort into dealing with the chemical threat. Overall, this volume on the AEF's composition is a useful addition to any First World War library.


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Upon the entry of the United States into World War I, the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) were created by the War Department on short notice from existing units, filled up with men from the training camps and deployed with only their personal weapons and equipment. The US Army was not prepared for combat in France, and the remarkable achievement of the AEF's commanding officer, John J Pershing, was the creation of an American field army, built and nurtured from the bottom up. This book details the organizational structure, training and doctrine of the AEF and illustrates how it came to make a significant contribution to Allied victory in World War I.

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