John J. Pershing and the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, 1917-1919: January 1-March 20, 1918

General of the Armies John J. Pershing led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, and volume 3 of his wartime correspondence covers the period from January 1 to March 20, 1918. He faced logistical and organizational challenges and offered four segregated African American regiments to be placed under French control. Pershing's letters convey a long and arduous struggle to build an American army at the front, and the sources included in this edition provide new insight into his work and the historic events in which he participated.

Format: Hardback
Length: 576 pages
Publication date: 19 December 2023
Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky

General of the Armies John J. Pershing (1860-1948) had a long and decorated military career, but he is most famous for leading the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. He published a memoir, My Experiences in the World War, and has been the subject of numerous biographies, but the literature regarding this towering figure and his enormous role in the First World War deserves to be expanded to include a collection of his wartime correspondence. Carefully edited by John T. Greenwood, volume 3 of John J. Pershing and the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, 1917-1919, covers the period of January 1 through March 20, 1918, as General Pershing encounters logistical and organizational challenges that originated in the last months of 1917. With the collapse of the Eastern Front and Allied defeats in Italy, British and French commanders were preparing for a renewed German offensive and proposed that American troops be put under their control for training and frontline combat to replenish losses. Pershing's diary entries indicate that he rejected these proposals and yet offered four segregated African American regiments to be placed under French control. The conclusion of the AEF autonomy debate allowed Pershing to focus on reorganizing the General Headquarters of the AEF, establishing effective communication lines, and contracting Allied European governments to produce armaments for the AEF with American raw materials. In March 1918, Maj. Gen. Peyton C. March replaced Gen. Tasker H. Bliss as chief of staff. The sources included in this edition show the origin of Pershing and March's personal feud, which persisted well after the war. Pershing's letters during this time period convey a long and arduous struggle to build an American army at the front. Together, they provide a unique insight into the challenges and complexities of command during World War I.

General of the Armies John J. Pershing (1860-1948) had a long and decorated military career, but he is most famous for leading the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. He published a memoir, My Experiences in the World War, and has been the subject of numerous biographies, but the literature regarding this towering figure and his enormous role in the First World War deserves to be expanded to include a collection of his wartime correspondence. Carefully edited by John T. Greenwood, volume 3 of John J. Pershing and the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, 1917-1919, covers the period of January 1 through March 20, 1918, as General Pershing encounters logistical and organizational challenges that originated in the last months of 1917. With the collapse of the Eastern Front and Allied defeats in Italy, British and French commanders were preparing for a renewed German offensive and proposed that American troops be put under their control for training and frontline combat to replenish losses. Pershing's diary entries indicate that he rejected these proposals and yet offered four segregated African American regiments to be placed under French control. The conclusion of the AEF autonomy debate allowed Pershing to focus on reorganizing the General Headquarters of the AEF, establishing effective communication lines, and contracting Allied European governments to produce armaments for the AEF with American raw materials. In March 1918, Maj. Gen. Peyton C. March replaced Gen. Tasker H. Bliss as chief of staff. The sources included in this edition show the origin of Pershing and March's personal feud, which persisted well after the war. Pershing's letters during this time period convey a long and arduous struggle to build an American army at the front. Together, they provide a unique insight into the challenges and complexities of command during World War I.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813196633