American Observers on the Battlefields of the Western Front and the Tactical Evolution of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I

Abstract

In August and September 1914 the United States Army and Marine Corps deployed observers to the battlefields of the Western Front. Immersed in an environment of rapidly evolving tactical doctrine, the battlefield observers had the potential to positively influence the tactics of the American Expeditionary Forces. This opportunity was not capitalized upon and American Tactical Doctrine matured primarily as a result of actual combat experience. This paper explores the content of the observers reports and offers explanation for the failure of the United States to capitalize upon the lessons learned by European Armies in the two and one-half years of conflict prior to the commitment of the American Expeditionary Forces.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 12, 2001
Accession Number
ADA401400

Entities

People

  • James A. Vohr

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artillery
  • Artillery Ammunition
  • Artillery Fire
  • Battlefields
  • Civil War
  • Doctrine
  • Employment
  • Environment
  • Guns
  • Lessons Learned
  • Machine Guns
  • Marine Corps
  • Materials
  • Observers
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Vision Science/Vision Psychology/Cognitive Neuroscience.