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Discussion: 26th & 77th Underperformed?
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NeilBurns |
26th & 77th Underperformed?
May 24 2008, 8:05 PM EDT
Strange choices for comparison the 26th:saw 193 days in the line (148 Quiet/45 active 2nd Overall in the AEF) advanced 34 kilometers (8th overall in the AEF) Suffered 13,460 men killed and wounded (6th overall) Captured 3,148 Germans (6th overall) 77th: saw 113 days of combat (47 Quiet/66 active 5th Overall) Advanced 71.5 Kilometers (1st Overall in the AEF) Suffered 10,497 killed and wounded (9th overall) Captured 750 Germans (22nd overall) I'm not trying to take away from the 1st or 2nd, nor am I trying to question the author's conclusions, but there were certainly other National Guard and National Army units who performed much worse than the 26th or 77th. Just for the record, I have no relatives who served with either the 26th or 77th! Best regards, Neil Do you find this valuable?
Keyword tags:
AEF
American Expeditionary Forces
Pershing
US Army
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JeffreyLaMonica |
1. RE: 26th & 77th Underperformed?
May 24 2008, 10:16 PM EDT
Grotelueschen's book is well worth reading. I strongly agree with his thesis that the AEF learned tactical lessons during the war.Choosing an AEF division for a case-study is tricky. How does an author pick a division that best represented the AEF as a whole? Do you find this valuable? |
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NeilBurns |
2. RE: 26th & 77th Underperformed?
May 25 2008, 11:24 AM EDT
I agree it's tricky, Jeff. I haven't read the book so I can not comment on his theory. It does seem these 4 very well documented divisions were chosen for this comparison (the 42nd generated a lot of coverage as well).Neil Do you find this valuable? |
soldiersmail |
3. RE: 26th & 77th Underperformed?
Aug 24 2009, 11:02 PM EDT
One point to consider is that the 26th Division suffered the largest number of gas casualties in the AEF, in part due to the fact that it was in the line by Feb. 1918 without having been fully trained in gas warfare. Another point is that while in the so-called "Quiet" sectors, the 26th was involved in very heavy fighting. The designation of Quiet vs. Active sectors is a bit misleading in this regard.
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JeffreyLaMonica |
4. RE: 26th & 77th Underperformed?
Aug 25 2009, 11:04 AM EDT
Good point! A major theme in my doctoral dissertation at Temple University is that poor and rushed training plagued the entire AEF and was responsible for lackluster tactical performance and high casualties. I also argue that the AEF effectively learned through combat experience and its performance improved by the latter stages of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.I discovered in my research that "quiet" sectors usually experienced regular trench raiding and artillery bombardments. Do you find this valuable? |
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soldiersmail |
5. RE: 26th & 77th Underperformed?
Aug 29 2009, 4:23 PM EDT
The magnitude of the artillery bombardments experienced by the 26th while in "Quiet" sectors is really beyond belief. Check out the pages on Soldier's Mail which describe the numbers of shells taken during specific periods of time.
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