Sons of Freedom : The Forgotten American Soldiers Who Defeated Germany in World War I

"The heroic American contribution to World War I is one of the great stories of the twentieth century, and yet is largely overlooked by history. In Sons of Freedom, historian Geoffrey Wawro presents the dramatic narrative of the courageous American troops who took up arms in a conflict 4,000 miles across the Atlantic, and in doing so ensured the Allies' victory. Historians have long dismissed the American war effort as too little too late: a delayed U.S. Army - although rich in manpower and matériel - fought a dismal, halting battle that was certainly not decisive nor even really necessary. Historians generally assign credit for the Allied victory to improved British and French tactics, the British blockade, and German exhaustion. But drawing on extensive research in US, British, French, German, and Austrian archives, Wawro contends that the Allies simply would not have won the war without the help of the Americans. The Doughboys reversed the German advantage in troop numbers after Russia's exit from the war and, despite early missteps, prepared a series of excellent offensives. The French, by 1918, had lost their edge and needed American aggressiveness, and willingness to take casualties, to move the lines forward. As Wawro argues, it was the Americans' relentless pressure on the front that drove the war to its end. Fundamentally revising the history of the First World War and its tense final year, Sons of Freedom also reveals why the vital American contribution was so quickly forgotten. In this magisterial account, Wawro reveals the vital U.S. contribution to World War I, finally giving voice to the Doughboys, the war's 'silent slain'-- Provided by publisher "The heroic American contribution to World War I is one of the great stories of the twentieth century, and yet is largely overlooked by history. In Sons of Freedom, historian Geoffrey Wawro presents the dramatic narrative of the courageous American troops who took up arms in a conflict 4,000 miles across the Atlantic, and in doing so ensured the Allies' victory. Historians have long dismissed the American war effort as too little too late: a delayed U.S. Army - although rich in manpower and matériel - fought a dismal, halting battle that was certainly not decisive nor even really necessary. Historians generally assign credit for the Allied victory to improved British and French tactics, the British blockade, and German exhaustion. But drawing on extensive research in US, British, French, German, and Austrian archives, Wawro contends that the Allies simply would not have won the war without the help of the Americans. The Doughboys reversed the German advantage in troop numbers after Russia's exit from the war and, despite early missteps, prepared a series of excellent offensives. The French, by 1918, had lost their edge and needed American aggressiveness, and willingness to take casualties, to move the lines forward. As Wawro argues, it was the Americans' relentless pressure on the front that drove the war to its end. Fundamentally revising the history of the First World War and its tense final year, Sons of Freedom also reveals why the vital American contribution was so quickly forgotten. In this magisterial account, Wawro reveals the vital U.S. contribution to World War I, finally giving voice to the Doughboys, the war's 'silent slain'-- Provided by publisher The "stirring," definitive history of America's decisive role in winning World War I ( Wall Street Journal ). The American contribution to World War I is one of the great stories of the twentieth century, and yet it has all but vanished from view. Historians have dismissed the American war effort as largely economic and symbolic. But as Geoffrey Wawro shows in Sons of Freedom, the French and British were on the verge of collapse in 1918, and would have lost the war without the Doughboys. Field Marshal Douglas Haig, commander of the British Expeditionary Force, described the Allied victory as a "miracle" — but it was a distinctly American miracle. In Sons of Freedom, prize-winning historian Geoffrey Wawro weaves together in thrilling detail the battles, strategic deliberations, and dreadful human cost of the American war effort. A major revision of the history of World War I, Sons of Freedom resurrects the brave heroes who saved the Allies, defeated Germany, and established the United States as the greatest of the great powers. The definitive history of America's decisive role in World War I The American contribution to World War I is one of the great stories of the twentieth century, and yet it has all but vanished from view. Historians have dismissed the American war effort as largely economic and symbolic. But as Geoffrey Wawro shows in Sons of Freedom, the French and British were on the verge of collapse in 1918, and would have lost the war without the Doughboys. Field Marshal Douglas Haig, commander of the British Expeditionary Force, described the Allied victory as a "miracle"—but it was a distinctly American miracle. In Sons of Freedom, prize-winning historian Geoffrey Wawro weaves together in thrilling detail the battles, strategic deliberations, and dreadful human cost of the American war effort—first defending Paris, and then cutting the German army's lifeline in the Meuse-Argonne. A major revision of the history of World War I, Sons of Freedom...