The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War I: Into the Fight, April–June 1918 by Mark E. Grotelueschen (review) Ethan Lett Marine Corps History, Volume 5, Number 2, Winter 2019, p. 100 (Review) Published by Marine Corps University Press For additional information about this article https://muse.jhu.edu/article/796559/summary [ Access provided at 26 Sep 2021 13:44 GMT with no institutional affiliation ] This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 100 MARINE CORPS HISTORY VOL. 5, NO. 2 Ethan Lett The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War I: Into the Fight, April–June 1918. By Mark E. Grotelueschen. (Washington, DC: Center of Military History, U. S. Army, 2018. Pp. 79. Free paperback.) The First World War revolutionized the way in which shots fired on the western front, Allied commanders modern conflicts would be fought. Countries de- grappled with the issue of organizing U.S. troops into voted their industrial might to mass-producing new fighting units and deploying them to the front lines. weapons of war, resulting in bloodshed never before Grotelueschen acknowledges the efforts of General witnessed in human history. Gone were the days of John J. Pershing, commander of the AEF, to ensure traditional European warfare in which opposing that U.S. soldiers were organized into their own di- armies faced off across battlefields, standing shoul- visions and commanded by American officers. The der to shoulder and exchanging volleys of fire into author also illustrates the reality of the Americans’ in- enemy ranks. Technological innovations in firearms adequate training and supply at the beginning of 1918. and artillery necessitated the adoption of new combat While this pamphlet is not a comprehensive strategies that transformed modern armies into swift, analysis of many facets of the American experience mechanized fighting forces. The belligerents of Europe in the First World War, Grotelueschen offers key in- spent three years developing these tactics only to find sights into several major operations of 1918, including themselves in an unbreakable stalemate. When U.S. Cantigny, Château-Thierry, the Montdidier-Noyon soldiers stepped onto the killing fields of France in defensive, Lucy-le-Bocage, and Vaux. Special atten- 1918, they too were introduced to the gory lessons of tion is also given to the U.S. Marines who participated warfare in the modern age. in the Battle of Belleau Wood. Explanations of each Written by Mark E. Grotelueschen, Into the Fight, battle are carefully detailed as Grotelueschen includes April–June 1918 is the fourth installment in the com- perspectives from both the officers in command and memorative series The U.S. Army Campaigns of World the soldiers who experienced combat firsthand. De- War I, which details the involvement of the American tails of these engagements are complemented by maps Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in the First World War. illustrating troop movements, terrain, and frontline Into the Fight offers insight into the logistical issues positions on both sides of the battlefield. that delayed American mobilization as well as the tri- Into the Fight is an engaging piece of military his- als and tribulations faced by U.S. soldiers during their tory, a perfect supplemental reading assignment for first encounters with German forces in 1918. Cover- an American or military history course, and an excel- ing the AEF’s baptism by fire between April and June, lent initial step for those conducting research on the this pamphlet covers six major operations in which United States’ role in World War I. Grotelueschen American soldiers were introduced to the horrors of provides attention to detail without adversely af- modern combat and proved to be a formidable fight- fecting comprehension, making this commemorative ing force that helped turn the tide of the war. pamphlet an appropriate collection of literature for In the months preceding the first American any scholar or student of American military history. • 1775 • Ethan Lett served as an intern for the Archives Branch of Marine Corps History Division in 2019..