18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
GEN Eisenhower's latest contribution to military history, June 13, 2001
GEN John D. Eisenhower (USMA'44)'s latest contribution to military history, YANKS, is a worthy addition to the libraries of anyone interested in World War I. As with his previous fine efforts (Bitter Woods, So Far From God, and Agent of Destiny), General Eisenhower's literary skills make for an "easy" read. The book is editorially well-written. More importantly for military historians, the book is exhaustively researched; drawing on numerous official sources and private papers. The book is extensively footnoted and has an impressive bibliography including several recent efforts on World War I. The book contains the all-important maps critical for understanding and "seeing" the numerous battles which are vividly portrayed. The book also offers numerous photographs drawn from official sources and individuals.
The book offers a good balance of official history combined with narration of the individuals' contributions to the US involvement in "The War to End All Wars." General Eisenhower offers his insights into the U.S. Army, the combat commanders, the conduct of the war and the personalities involved in the political struggle among the Allies concerning the U.S. effort.
In sum, a fine effort.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting but Superficial Account of AEF, May 30, 2002
This review is from: Yanks : The Epic Story of the American Army in World War I (Paperback)
Yanks is an interesting, well-written account of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in France during the First World War. Eisenhower, a retired brigadier general and son of the president, provides a broad-brush summary of American participation in the war that will certainly satisfy the general reader. However, given the number of other books on this same subject, Yanks offers nothing of unique value. The author adds nothing to his "epic story" that distinguishes it from other books on this subject. The narrative is far too generalized for readers with greater background in the First World War, and omits too much to classify as a comprehensive history of even its own subject, the AEF.
Yanks consists of three major sections that cover the creation of the AEF, the AEF's initial battles in France and the AEF's independent operations. The narrative itself consists of 23 short chapters, which are well supported by 16 maps. A brief appendix on US mobilization, notes and bibliography conclude the volume. The author has invested considerable research in this work and there are no significant historical errors. Much of the author's focus is on General Pershing, commander of the AEF, and in fact this book might have been called, "General Pershings' War." Most of the narrative focuses on high-level leaders and operations, although the author takes the time to point out the contributions of fighting men like Alvin C. York and Sam Woodfill. Eisenhower's descriptions of the St Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne operations are succinct but accurate.
The biggest problem with Yanks - and one that greatly reduces its value - is that it really only covers the American divisions that fought directly under General Pershing's command. While the author acknowledges that ten US divisions fought under Allied control, he says virtually nothing about their contributions. The list of omitted units in this account of the AEF is incredible. The US 2nd Corps (27th and 30th Divisions), which spent the entire war under British command in Flanders and the Somme while suffering 16,000 combat casualties, is only briefly mentioned in one sentence. The American 37th and 91st Divisions, which fought with the Franco-Belgian army, are also barely mentioned. The capture of Blanc Mont by the US 2nd and 36th Divisions while assigned to the French 4th Army (and suffered 7,800 casualties) is only mentioned in a terse footnote. Furthermore, the author tends to over-focus on regular units like the 1st Infantry Division and fails to mention some National Guard units that participated in the final Meuse-Argonne offensive; the 29th Division is never mentioned once in these even though it was in the battle. Nor is US participation in other theaters mentioned; the operations of the 332nd Infantry Regiment in Italy in July-November 1918 and the 339th Infantry Regiment in Russia in September 1918 are never mentioned. Furthermore, the author omits virtually all mention of the contributions of supporting arms, such as artillery, engineers, signal, chemical and aviation. Based on this account, the reader would not be aware that there were 42 American artillery brigades in France by the end of the war. While the author includes photos of American aces Eddie Rickenbacker and Frank Luke, neither their accomplishments nor units are mentioned in the narrative. Indeed, brief mention of Patton and Billy Mitchell suffices for the author's coverage of the tank and air corps in the AEF. Due to these numerous omissions, Yanks only scratches the surface in its coverage of the AEF.
Another big problem with Yanks is that the author never spends much effort detailing important aspects of the US war effort that directly affected the build-up of the AEF. For example, the issue of armaments production is glossed over but the US failure to produce any significant quantities of artillery, tanks or aircraft was a major impediment. While the author notes Pershing's disdain that the British used only 9 weeks for basic training for their own troops, he fails to detail US training methods or explain how many virtually untrained troops were committed to battle in the Meuse-Argonne. A book like this desperately needs appendices covering order of battle, dates units arrived in France, a more detailed break-down of casualties, etc. Unfortunately, Yanks is about 50% shorter than it needs to be and the author should have made a greater effort to cover more than just the highlights of the AEF.
Finally, Yanks is rather weak on analysis. Major questions, like how great was the role of the AEF in the final victory, are barely addressed. The author might have mentioned that US troops held 83 miles of the Western Front at the armistice - less than the French but more than the Commonwealth armies. The author should also have mentioned that the ten US divisions that served under Allied command were spearheading the final Allied offensives in Champagne and Flanders. Europeans who want to minimize the AEF's role by suggesting that the St Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne operations were sideshows should not be allowed to ignore all these other operations that Eisenhower allows to slip through the cracks of his broad-brush. The author tends to make some odd generalized linkages between the First and Second World War, particularly when he suggests that if the Allies had listened to Pershing and refused an armistice in November 1918 that the Second World War might have been avoided. This is patently absurd. If Pershing had gotten his way, the war would have extended well into 1919 with an invasion of Germany, with the result still an Allied victory. It is hard to see how more casualties with the same result could have prevented the rise of the Nazis in a defeated Germany. Finally, the whole issue of independent American formations versus coalition operations is never really addressed, but is still relevant today.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Missing Piece, July 22, 2003
While history can often make for dry reading material, John D. Eisenhower, does an admirable job of making the story of the United States Army in World War I readable. The author provides numerous details that flesh out the bare skeleton provided by other authors. He covers the buildup of forces, including a generous section on the logistics of moving to Europe and supplying it once it arrived. Eisenhower, also, offers valuable information and insights on the American Expeditionary Force, from senior figures like Pershing and Harbord to early views of Patton and MacArthur. Eisenhower's coverage of the battles and conflicts involving the US Army are not comprehensive, and you have to wonder if they were really meant to be, or meant as examples from which the reader can infer the details of other battles not covered. The coverage of the political/command battles provides another facet of the US involvement missed by many other books.
As any serious reader of history knows, you cannot get the whole story from any one book or author. In order to get a balanced and comprehensive view of history, the reader must look to multiple sources. This book makes an excellent companion to John Keegan's The First World War, providing a missing piece. It provides a source of balance and detail that Keegan neglects. However, it is not the be all and end all of the story; there are still plenty of missing pieces.
P-)
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