The Great War had raged for more than three years on the European continent before the United States entered the conflict in 1917. A key issue facing the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) was how its hastily trained and inexperienced troops would be utilized in conjunction with its exhausted British and French allies. The amalgamation of the Americans into French and British units proved to be a significant point of contention in the relationship among these three countries. In your paper, address the following questions:
- What was the concept of “amalgamation?”
- Why did both Pershing and Wilson oppose this?
- What were the views of both the French and the British on this idea?
- How was this issue finally resolved?
- In your opinion, was the resolution of the amalgamation of American troops effective? Why or why not?
The paper must be at least three pages in length (excluding the title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style. You must use at least one scholarly source, which can be found in the Ashford Online Library, and the textbook to support your points. Cite your sources within the text of your paper and on the reference page.
Possible References
- To successfully complete this week’s assignments, read the following section of Chapter 19 – 1917: The Year of Desperation and Anticipation from the text, Warfare in the Western World: Military Operations Since 1871, Vol. II:
o Creating the American Expeditionary Force
- To successfully complete this week’s assignments, read the following sections of Chapter 20 – Breaking the Hold of the Trenches, 1918 from the text, Warfare in the Western World: Military Operations Since 1871, Vol. II:
o Infiltration Tactics and the Failure of the German Offensives, March-July 1918: The Americans Enter the Battle, pp. 620-622
o Overwhelming the Germans with Men and Machines
- To successfully complete this week’s assignments, read the following chapter from the online book, American Military History, Vol. II: The United States Army in a Global Era,1 917-2003:
o Chapter 1 – The U.S Army in World War I, 1917-1918 (http://www.history.army.mil/books/AMH-V2/AMH%20V2/chapter1.htm)
- To successfully complete this week’s discussion, “Belleau Wood – An Analysis,” read the following articles found in EBSCOhost in the Ashford Online Library:
o Alexander, J. H. (2009). Belleau Wood, France. Military History, 25(6), 76-77.
o Zabecki, D. T. (2012, March). The U.S. Marines’ mythic fight at Belleau Wood. Military History, 28(6), 40-49.
- To successfully complete this week’s discussion, “Meuse-Argonne,” read the following article found in EBSCOhost in the Ashford Online Library:
o Lengel, E. G. (2010). Meuse-Argonne. American Heritage, 60(2), 30-39.
