The AEF Way of War: The American Army and Combat in World War I

✍ Scribed by Mark Ethan Grotelueschen

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 399
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book provides the most comprehensive examination of American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) combat doctrine and methods ever published. It shows how AEF combat units actually fought on the Western Front in World War I. It describes how four AEF divisions (the 1st, 2nd, 26th, and 77th) planned and conducted their battles and how they adapted their doctrine, tactics, and other operational methods during the war. General John Pershing and other AEF leaders promulgated an inadequate prewar doctrine, with only minor modification, as the official doctrine of the AEF. Many early American attacks suffered from these unrealistic ideas that retained too much faith in the infantry rifleman on the modern battlefield. However, many AEF divisions adjusted their doctrine and operational methods as they fought, preparing more comprehensive attack plans, employing flexible infantry formations, and maximizing firepower to seize limited objectives.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Half-title
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 Doctrine, Dogma, and Development in the AEF
The U.S. Army, 1914–1917
Pershing and the Creation of the AEF, 1917–1918
Doctrinal Development in the AEF, 1918
2 The 1st Division
Training in France, June 1917–May 1918
Cantigny, 28 May 1918
The Aisne-Marne Offensive, 18–22 July 1918
3 The 1st Division
The St. Mihiel Attack, 12–14 September 1918
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, 1–12 October 1918
Conclusions
4 The 26th “Yankee” Division
Organization in the United States, August–September 1917
Training in France, November 1917–March 1918
Holding the Front Lines, April–June 1918
The Aisne-Marne Offensive, 18–25 July 1918
5 The 26th “Yankee” Division
The St. Mihiel Attack, 12–13 September 1918
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, 14 October–11 November 1918
Conclusions
6 The 2nd Division
Training in the United States and France, August 1917–May 1918
Belleau Wood and Vaux, June–July 1918
The Aisne-Marne Offensive, 18–19 July 1918
7 The 2nd Division
Retraining and Reorganizing, August 1918
The St. Mihiel Attack, 12–16 September 1918
Blanc Mont Ridge, 2–10 October 1918
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive, 1–11 November 1918
Conclusions
8 The 77th “Liberty” Division
Training in the United States, September 1917 to March 1918
Training in France, May–August 1918
The Vesle-Aisne Offensive, August–September 1918
9 The 77th “Liberty” Division
The Argonne, 26 September–16 October 1918
To the Meuse, 1–11 November 1918
Conclusions
10 Conclusions
The Role of Pershing and GHQ
Doctrinal and Operational Adaptation in AEF Divisions
Innovation in the AEF: Combat Divisions and GHQ
Epilogue: The AEF Legacy and U.S. Army Doctrine
References
Primary Sources
Archival Material
Published Documents and Manuals
Contemporary Journal Articles
Memoirs and Other First-Hand Accounts
Secondary Sources
Books
Book Chapters and Journal Articles
Unpublished Dissertations and Theses
Index