The First World War

[Joe in PNG]

If the British and French had sacked colonels and generals for suspected incompetence at the rate Pershing did the war's outcome would have been different. He seems to have been motivated by two principals:
1) Americans fight in American units, under American commanders
2) Break the trench warfare deadlock

Imagine if Field Marshall French had fought with the same aggressiveness during Mons.

[Jeep]

He largely managed to meet the first, with the exception of the black regiments assigned to the French. Considering that his nickname "Blackjack" was originally something one can no longer say on TV in America, derived from his service with the "Buffalo Soldiers", I believe the claims that he deplored the systemic racism (which flowed downhill from the White House) and saw service with the French as the best (bad) solution.

Yes. Given Woodrow Wilson's vehement racism, Pershing did the best he could. He personally knew from personal experience that black soldiers could perform well.

Actually, all the allied (and German) troops performed pretty well, but as Alan Clark (I believe) said--he attributed it to the Germans but probably made it up himself--the British were "lions led by donkeys." None of the British or French senior generals were all that impressive.

And in the end, it was our soldiers and munitions that won the war. Without them the war would have ended in favor of Germany with the Germans entering Paris in the summer of 1918, if not before then.

[Wheeler]

Yes. Given Woodrow Wilson's vehement racism, Pershing did the best he could. He personally knew from personal experience that black soldiers could perform well.

Actually, all the allied (and German) troops performed pretty well, but as Alan Clark (I believe) said--he attributed it to the Germans but probably made it up himself--the British were "lions led by donkeys." None of the British or French senior generals were all that impressive.

And in the end, it was our soldiers and munitions that won the war. Without them the war would have ended in favor of Germany with the Germans entering Paris in the summer of 1918, if not before then.

Wilson was wrapped up in the entire eugenics movement of the time, which I believe has reared its ugly head again.

[Jeep]

Wilson was wrapped up in the entire eugenics movement of the time, which I believe has reared its ugly head again.

Yes, it has. You can't create a government-run utopia without, shall we say "modifying," your population.

[hks95134]

"To End All Wars," by Adam Hochschild.

[Jared]

Wanna thank all you guys for the responses and suggestions, particularly the one referencing John Monash. I've read close to a dozen books about this war, and don't recall his name ever coming up. Some of the articles and things I've read since this thread really make me think that's almost a tragedy.

I also never came across anything that really talked about the high quality of the Canadian soldiers until I started looking into some of the stuff that was suggested here. It seems that they too get overlooked too often in historical accounts.

So again, thanks all. My education continues.

[Suvorov]

+2

+3

Carlin's podcasts are amazing. He released his 5th installment this week. Over 20 hours of discussion about WWI and far more in depth than I have ever gotten into it myself or in school. He references a number of great sources which he draws his material from. Worth checking out if for nothing more than a good reading list.

Wilson was wrapped up in the entire eugenics movement of the time, which I believe has reared its ugly head again.

Maybe its due to the fact that we both have a strange affinity for the BDM, but I was just thinking that there are some uncanny social and political currents flowing today as there were prior to WWI.

[Wheeler]

Maybe its due to the fact that we both have a strange affinity for the BDM, but I was just thinking that there are some uncanny social and political currents flowing today as there were prior to WWI.

I've been thinking the same thing myself. It must be the BDM. ��

[Glenn E. Meyer]

The Long Shadow by David Reynolds. I'm reading it now. It's not a battle book but the political, international and cultural aftermath from then up to now.

Very interesting.