The president of the United States promised to "follow experts in a war of experts." So he trusted the generals. Who had no idea what slaughter awaited.
The boys--the doughboys--were pictured on ships on the east coast, waving to the cameras, full of smiles and life, maybe even exhilarated by the opportunity that war affords. And make no mistake: War affords opportunity. Fortunes have been made. Reputations made. Political rewards are given back home after wars. How many generals have become president of the United States?
So the president in 1917-18 followed his experts. Right over a cliff. The boys, like many boys in that war, were sent a-charging over the berms. Into machine-gun fire. It's said that generals fight the last war. But you'd have thought that some of them would have studied Pickett's Charge. When flesh meets a concentrated volley of metal, it's never good for the infantryman.
The Americans were placed into the middle of The Great War when the Allied militaries of western Europe were in chaos. As Gen. Pershing put up his tent and map table, his troops were rushed into action, often meeting beaten infantrymen of the British or French variety going in the opposite direction. The story goes that one French officer yelled at a Marine captain to retreat, and the Marine shouted back: "Retreat hell, we just got here!"
The Russians, suffering through a revolution, would soon be out of the war. The Germans & Co. could entirely focus on the western front. Poison gas was a main consideration. Along with diseases that came from living knee-deep in water and human waste in the trenches. Communications being what they were 100 years ago, officers often didn't know where their troops were. And sent messages to units that were no longer there, to do something no longer required, to fight an enemy long gone.
And the Germans, alerted to the number of Americans coming ashore--by the free and independent American press, no less--knew their time was limited, so threw everything at the green units. They called their summer offensive of 1918 the Friedensturm, which translates into Peace Offensive. Artillery bombardments were so frequent and lasted so long that many soldiers in the pits and trenches went insane.
It wasn't a pleasant experience, being an American soldier at that time.
The tactic was called the Rolling Barrage or the Creeping Barrage. The experts--the generals--in the First World War found out that rushing into machine-gun fire was considered, by the troops at least, poor form. So the idea was to clear the ground in front of advancing troops with artillery and have troops follow the bombardment immediately, as it was happening. To make such a tactic effective, the infantryman had to be right behind the falling artillery.
This made sense on paper.
But what if the infantryman advanced too fast? He'd stroll right into his own artillery rounds. If he didn't advance fast enough? The enemy would retake his positions and cut him to bits. Or if the infantryman advanced too fast at times, and too slow at other times--in other words, if the infantryman advanced normally--then he might have to wait in no-man's land and hope the German gunners didn't see him first.
Remember, when the Americans found the front during World War I, communication was still on the Civil War plan. For the most part, runners had to be used. And if a creeping barrage worked as planned in one sector, a unit could advance 100 yards, 200 yards or 300 yards in a matter of an hour or so.
But what if the French on the right, or the Moroccans on the left, didn't advance as fast? An infantry unit could find itself fighting on two or three sides. After which, an officer would discover the problem and order a retreat over land that half his company just paid for. With blood.
It wasn't a pleasant experience, being an American solider at that time.
The history books say that the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire) and the Allies (Serbia, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium) could both take land in the early years of the war. They just couldn't hold it. A parcel would fall to great joy among the troops in, say, Germany, then the whole contest would fall into a stalemate again. The troops would dig trenches again. And set up sniper posts again. And bring forward artillery ammunition again. And go insane again. Until pushed back in turn.
And in the summer of 1918, not only did troops in Europe have to dodge each other, but also the flu. Imagine running a temperature of 105 degrees in a steaming stream of putrid mess, with not even an aspirin available. The government of Canada has a Life at the Front exhibit for its First World War tribute. It's called "Rats, Lice and Exhaustion."
It wasn't a pleasant experience, being an American soldier at that time. Yet the Americans made the difference. When our boys finally got "over there," Allies could take land--and hold it. The Teutonic plan to crush the Allies before the Americans could make a difference failed. The Battle of Amiens, Battle of Belgium, the Hundred Days Offensive, the Hindenburg line ... all foretold an Allied victory.
Maybe it would be best to hear this from a Frenchman, specifically from a stretcher bearer of note on the Western Front, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, who'd become a scientist, philosopher and Jesuit priest after the war. While serving, with distinction it should be noted, next to American troops during the war, he told a friend, as reported by Edward M. Coffman: "We had the Americans as neighbors and I had a close-up view of them. Everyone says the same: they're first-rate troops, fighting with intense individual passion (concentrated on the enemy) and wonderful courage. The only complaint one would make about them is that they don't take sufficient care; they're too apt to get themselves killed. When they're wounded, they make their way back holding themselves upright, almost stiff, impassive, and uncomplaining. I don't think I've ever seen such pride and dignity in suffering ... ."
And it all came to an end, with the help of the American soldier and Marine, 100 years ago today. The 11th day of the 11th month.
This date, 100 years ago.
Editorial on 11/11/2018