Otte, Maarten 1918 - The Americans under French Command

The Champagne-argonne Offensives. Blanc Mont, Marines and African-americans

General Pershing's goal had always been to fight the Germans with an independent American army (the AEF, American Expeditionary Forces) rather than dividing his divisions among the Allies. When the Germans launched the first attack of their spring offensive on 21 March 1918, he was still far from creating this independent army. In the first three months of 1918, only a few divisions could be considered ready for immediate action. On 26 March 1918, Foch was appointed commander-in-chief of the Allies. Two days later, General Pershing temporarily placed all American forces under the command of Supremo Foch in order to solve the Allies' immediate manpower problems and halt the German attack. It was agreed that American troops would only be available for as long as necessary to halt the German advance. This book deals with three lesser-known battles fought by five divisions of the AEF in the Champagne/Marne region between the city of Reims and the Argonne Forest. The narrative covers the actions of the 2nd, 36th, 42nd, 92nd and 93rd Divisions. The latter two consisted of African-American troops. The five tours are ideal for visitors who have a few hours to spare when travelling from one of the Paris airports to the battlefields of St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne and Verdun. They cover a lesser-known area and each tour takes no more than a few hours. The starting points are all located slightly north of the A4, the Paris-Metz motorway. The tours also bridge the gap between the more famous battlefields of Chemin des Dames and Meuse-Argonne.