Borrowed Soldiers: Americans under British Command, 1918 (Volume 17)

Campaigns and Commanders #17

by Mitchell A. Yockelson

The combined British Expeditionary Force and American II Corps successfully pierced the Hindenburg Line during the Hundred Days Campaign of World War I, an offensive that hastened the war’s end. Yet despite the importance of this effort, the training and operation of II Corps has received scant attention from historians.

Mitchell A. Yockelson delivers a comprehensive study of the first time American and British soldiers fought together as a coalition force—more than twenty years before D-Day. He follows the two divisions that constituted II Corps, the 27th and 30th, from the training camps of South Carolina to the bloody battlefields of Europe. Despite cultural differences, General Pershing’s misgivings, and the contrast between American eagerness and British exhaustion, the untested Yanks benefited from the experience of battle-toughened Tommies. Their combined forces contributed much to the Allied victory.

Yockelson plumbs new archival sources, including letters and diaries of American, Australian, and British soldiers to examine how two forces of differing organization and attitude merged command relationships and operations. Emphasizing tactical cooperation and training, he details II Corps’ performance in Flanders during the Ypres-Lys offensive, the assault on the Hindenburg Line, and the decisive battle of the Selle.

Featuring thirty-nine evocative photographs and nine maps, this account shows how the British and American military relationship evolved both strategically and politically. A case study of coalition warfare, Borrowed Soldiers adds significantly to our understanding of the Great War.

Genres: World War I

308 pages, Hardcover

First published May 15, 2008

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When General Pershing was asked by the British and the French to amalgamate small units of American soldiers into his allies armies to relieve their depleted manpower, he refused, as he and President Wilson believed that only through the actions of a separate and autonomous American army could the United States achieve its political and diplomatic goals. Pershing accommodated the British by "loaning" them the 27th and the 30th Infantry Divisions, organized into II Corps. This book is the story of those divisions, how they were raised, trained and fought under British and Australian tutelage. Mr. Yockelson's work is enhanced with stories of the individual soldiers' experiences as expressed through their letters home. The maps are first rate. A tale of the Yanks "over there" that doesn't often get told.

[Jon Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased my copy of this book in hardcover at the gift store in the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia, SC when visiting that city in August 2021. The book covers the service of two United States Army infantry divisions that were placed under the command of the British Army during the closing phases of WW1. Upon entering the war in 1917, the USA was determined that its troops sent to fight in Europe would do so as a unified US army under a US command structure, rather than be fed as replacements into the British and French armies. For the most part the USA got its wishes in terms of US command of US troops, but two divisions of US National Guard infantry (the 27th and 30th) were put under British command. This book covers the formation of the divisions, their training in the US before their move to France in May 1918, their training by the British Army, and their combat experience in an October 1918 assault on the Hindenburg Line. The book is written on a fairly high level but does include some first-hand experiences of the front-line troops. It's a complete and concise history of a little-covered topic in WW1 history. Four out of five stars.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent look at a little known army corps that fought in ww1. I enjoy that the book gave me more insight to a division that I have been researching, the 27th division. I also found the authors argument that US troops benefitted from being under British command. The fact that US troops that were trained by the British performed better faster is an interesting rebuttal to the thinking that General Pershing had that US forces would be best off operating independently. And while the political necessity for an independent army is undeniable, the practical results indicates that those US troops trained by the battle hardened Europeans fared better than their brothers in arms that weren’t. The 27th and 30th divisions obtained a proficiency in combat that was only seen in a few other American divisions, and they did it in less time. This was a very entertaining and interesting read, and I recommend it for any ww1 buffs. Plus it’s always good to challenge the traditional view of history, which this book certainly does.

[Peter J. Rogers, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borrowed Soldiers

Mitch Yockelson has written a superb book about two brave US Army divisions which fought with the British Army in WW1. Mitch’s writing and research abilities are evident in this fascinating book. Worth reading.