Date

11-13-2024

Department

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)

Chair

John T. Broom

Keywords

American Expeditionary Force (AEF), National Army, 81st Division, World War I, Doughboys

Disciplines

History

Abstract

When the United States entered the First World War in April 1917, the United States Army was rated on par with the armies of Portugal and Belgium. Yet by November 1918, the United States had organized and deployed a two million-man-strong American Expeditionary Force (AEF) to Europe. The speed at which the US Army deployed twenty-nine divisions into the Western Front upended European strategic calculations and hastened the collapse of the Central Powers coalition in late 1918. Yet, the story of the AEF has been marginalized in American historiography, a historical vacuum filled instead by Euro-centric historians who minimized the American role in the outcome of the war. This dissertation will challenge that historical neglect through a detailed study of the 81st Division. The author expects to integrate the role of the National Army –– the first large-scale national reserve force in American history–– into the larger narrative of the American Army during World War I. In just fifteen months, the 81st Division grew from a disparate collection of hastily trained officers and drafted men to a 28,000-man combat division capable of executing complex offensive operations against an experienced and well-armed foe. Thus, a study of the 81st Division will provide fresh insight into the role played by the AEF during the Great War.

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