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    91st Infantry In World War I--Analysis Of An AEF Division's Efforts To Achieve Battlefield Success [Illustrated Edition]
    91st Infantry In World War I--Analysis Of An AEF Division's Efforts To Achieve Battlefield Success [Illustrated Edition]
    91st Infantry In World War I--Analysis Of An AEF Division's Efforts To Achieve Battlefield Success [Illustrated Edition]
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    91st Infantry In World War I--Analysis Of An AEF Division's Efforts To Achieve Battlefield Success [Illustrated Edition]

    By Major Bryan L. Woodcock

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    About this ebook

    Includes The Americans in the First World War Illustration Pack - 57 photos/illustrations and 10 maps
    The 91st Infantry Division was a National Army Division created prior to World War I. Based at Camp Lewis, Washington, it was composed of draftees from the northwestern United States. Following a train up that lasted less than one year, this division departed for Europe in June 1918.
    In France, the 91st Division conducted additional training, but the AEF pushed it to the front lines before it was completed. In its first combat experience, the 91st Division fought on the front lines of the Meuse-Argonne. In the first days of this battle, the 91st Division, although inexperienced, gained more ground than any other American division. However, it paid a heavy price in terms of American lives. The AEF subsequently assigned the division to work under French command in the battle of Ypres-Lys in Belgium.
    This thesis examines the division leadership’s ability to execute necessary warfighting functions and combined arms operations in the challenging environment of 1917-1918. The division was tested and accomplished a significant amount, but it also suffered many deficiencies and was forced to learn hard lessons in combat.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherVerdun Press
    Release dateAug 15, 2014
    ISBN9781782895954
    91st Infantry In World War I--Analysis Of An AEF Division's Efforts To Achieve Battlefield Success [Illustrated Edition]

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      Book preview

      91st Infantry In World War I--Analysis Of An AEF Division's Efforts To Achieve Battlefield Success [Illustrated Edition] - Major Bryan L. Woodcock

       This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING—www.picklepartnerspublishing.com

      To join our mailing list for new titles or for issues with our books – picklepublishing@gmail.com

      Or on Facebook

      Text originally published in 2013 under the same title.

      © Pickle Partners Publishing 2014, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

      Publisher’s Note

      Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

      We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

      The 91st Infantry In World War I—Analysis Of An AEF Division’s Efforts To Achieve Battlefield Success

      By

      Major Bryan L. Woodcock

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Contents

      TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

      ABSTRACT 5

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 6

      ACRONYMS 7

      ILLUSTRATIONS 8

      TABLES 9

      CHAPTER 1 — INTRODUCTION 10

      Thesis Statement 10

      Literature Review 11

      Scope 12

      CHAPTER 2 — ORGANIZING A DIVISION 16

      Training At Camp Lewis 19

      Leadership and Command and Control 20

      Movement and Maneuver 22

      Fires 24

      Departing For Europe 24

      Training In France 26

      CHAPTER 3 — THE MEUSE-ARGONNE 28

      The Wild West Division In The Meuse-Argonne 29

      27-28 September-Eclisfontaine and Epinonville 31

      29 September-Gesnes 33

      Command and Control 34

      Movement and Maneuver 37

      Fires 39

      CHAPTER 4 — THE BATTLE OF YPRES-LYS 42

      The Front in Belgium 44

      Leadership and Command and Control 46

      Movement and Maneuver 50

      Combined Arms 51

      CHAPTER 5 — CONCLUSION 53

      REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 56

      BIBLIOGRAPHY 57

      THE AMERICANS IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR ILLUSTRATION PACK 61

      ABSTRACT

      THE 91ST INFANTRY IN WORLD WAR I-ANALYSIS OF AN AEF DIVISION’S EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE BATTLEFIELD SUCCESS, by Major Bryan L. Woodcock

      The 91st Infantry Division was a National Army Division created prior to World War I. Based at Camp Lewis, Washington, it was composed of draftees from the northwestern United States. Following a train up that lasted less than one year, this division departed for Europe in June 1918.

      In France, the 91st Division conducted additional training, but the AEF pushed it to the front lines before it was completed. In its first combat experience, the 91st Division fought on the front lines of the Meuse-Argonne. In the first days of this battle, the 91st Division, although inexperienced, gained more ground than any other American division. However, it paid a heavy price in terms of American lives. The AEF subsequently assigned the division to work under French command in the battle of Ypres-Lys in Belgium.

      This thesis examines the division leadership’s ability to execute necessary warfighting functions and combined arms operations in the challenging environment of 1917-1918. The division was tested and accomplished a significant amount, but it also suffered many deficiencies and was forced to learn hard lessons in combat.

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      This paper would not be possible without the assistance, advice, and support of many people. I would like to thank first my MMAS Committee Chairman, Dr. Richard Faulkner, for sharing your knowledge of researching, writing, and World War I. Next, thanks to both Mrs. Joyce DiMarco and Mr. Bud Meador for serving on my committee and providing your valuable insight and experience both in the classroom over the past year as well as in this paper. Collectively, this committee provided both encouragement and suggestions that greatly contributed to my learning process and the outcome of this research. I would also like to thank Dr. Tony Mullis for his editing and style suggestions during the initial review process. This entire faculty of the Command and General Staff College volunteered extra time to help me write this paper. Additionally, thanks to the staffs of the CARL Library at Fort Leavenworth and the Donovan Library on Fort Benning as well as the staff at the World War I Museum in Kansas City for your research expertise and assistance.

      Additionally, I would like to thank my wife Nichole, and three children; Tyler, Marcus, and Harley, for their constant support and understanding throughout this process. I appreciate them also taking the time to read the paper and offer their advice.

      Finally, this thesis is dedicated to PVT Loran Woodcock, a Great Uncle, who died in the Meuse Argonne on 29 September 1918. As a member of the 364th Infantry, my family never knew what actually happened to him. This research provided some answers and along the way showed what a difficult environment that all of these Soldiers had to endure in this Great War.

      ACRONYMS

      AEF—American Expeditionary Forces

      BDE—Brigade

      BG—Brigadier General

      CPT—Captain DOW Died of Wounds

      MAJ—Major

      MG—Major General

      OTC—Officer Training Camp

      ILLUSTRATIONS

      Figure 1. 91st Division WWI Organization

      Figure 2. Plan of Attack of the First Army, September 26, 1918

      Figure 3. Division Area of Operations in the Meuse-Argonne (Southern Sector)

      Figure 4. Division Area of Operations in the Meuse-Argonne (Northern Sector)

      Figure 5. Division Area of Operations in the Ypres-Lys Offensive

      TABLES

      Table 1. 91st Infantry Division Casualties During Combat Operations

      Table 2. 361st Infantry Regiment Officer Strength (Line Units)

      CHAPTER 1 — INTRODUCTION

      The men of the 91st Infantry Wild West Division, under command of Major General (MG) William H. Johnston, arrived in France in August of 1918. Organized the previous year at Camp Lewis, Washington, the division was assigned to General John J. Pershing’s American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in Europe to fight the Germans and put an end to World War I. These men were young and inexperienced, but they were eager to get into the fight. In early September, the AEF curtailed the division’s training requirements and ordered it to the battle of St. Mihiel to act as a reserve force. Sensing disappointment in the reserve assignment, MG Johnston told his leaders that General Pershing assured him that the 91st would not have a backseat at the next show.{1}

      That next show turned out to be the Meuse-Argonne-the battle that ultimately helped change the course of the war and contributed to the surrender of the German forces. By far, the Meuse-Argonne was the single most deadly battle for United States forces. This 47 day slaughter claimed the lives of 26,277 Americans and wounded an additional 95,786 out of the 1.2 million who fought.{2} The 91st division fought on the front lines during the initial attack and it advanced further and faster than the divisions on their flanks. Relieved after eight days of fighting, the AEF ordered the 181st Brigade, one of two brigades in the division, quickly back to the front lines where it fought another six days. Within weeks, the 91st was again tasked to support the French forces in the battle of Ypres-Lys in Belgium, where it fought until the end of World War I. This chapter outlines the methodology used to determine the level of success of the 91st Division throughout its battlefield engagements in France. Relying on both primary and secondary sources, this paper examines the Wild West division’s activities from its training period at Camp Lewis to its experiences on the battlefields in Europe to determine its level of success.

      Thesis

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