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My Experiences in the World War, Vol. 2
Book by Pershing, John Joseph
436 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
6 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
John Joseph Pershing
23 books10 followersGeneral of the Armies John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing was a senior United States Army officer, most famous as the commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) on the Western Front in World War I, 1917–18.
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October 13, 2017
The first Pulitzer Prize was awarded in 1917. This book won the 1932 Pulitzer Prize in History which is unusual for a memoir by a military person.
This book is less about battle tactics and more about how the Allied High Commands dealt with the USA joining the War. One of the key items revealed in the memoir was Pershing ‘s difficulty in getting the Army bureaucracy back in the States to effectively support the American Expeditionary Forces in France. Pershing’s other problem was keeping control of the U.S. forces. The British and French wanted to put US solders into their ranks to fill their decimated Armies. The military and civilian leadership put enormous pressure on Pershing to integrate our forces into the British and French Armies. But Pershing fought to keep the Army separate and under U.S. officers.
I noted that Pershing recorded his continuous focus on logistics and supplies. I noted the same thing in General Patton’s memoires. Pershing had over 100,000 U.S. solders on the front lines that required ammo, food, clothing, hospital and required ports, railways and trucks to get the supplies delivered.
The book is well written. Pershing had an entry from his diary, then went on to explain in depth what was happening with the diary entry. Pershing wrote in an even-handed manner but the fact he was an American came through. He did not state anything negative about anyone. Pershing implied that the modern general must be a diplomat as well as a military leader.
The two books were 800 pages long and published in 1931. The book is in two volumes with maps and pictures. I read the first volume as a hardback book. I read volume two at 448 pages as an e-book on my Kindle app for my iPad.
This book is less about battle tactics and more about how the Allied High Commands dealt with the USA joining the War. One of the key items revealed in the memoir was Pershing ‘s difficulty in getting the Army bureaucracy back in the States to effectively support the American Expeditionary Forces in France. Pershing’s other problem was keeping control of the U.S. forces. The British and French wanted to put US solders into their ranks to fill their decimated Armies. The military and civilian leadership put enormous pressure on Pershing to integrate our forces into the British and French Armies. But Pershing fought to keep the Army separate and under U.S. officers.
I noted that Pershing recorded his continuous focus on logistics and supplies. I noted the same thing in General Patton’s memoires. Pershing had over 100,000 U.S. solders on the front lines that required ammo, food, clothing, hospital and required ports, railways and trucks to get the supplies delivered.
The book is well written. Pershing had an entry from his diary, then went on to explain in depth what was happening with the diary entry. Pershing wrote in an even-handed manner but the fact he was an American came through. He did not state anything negative about anyone. Pershing implied that the modern general must be a diplomat as well as a military leader.
The two books were 800 pages long and published in 1931. The book is in two volumes with maps and pictures. I read the first volume as a hardback book. I read volume two at 448 pages as an e-book on my Kindle app for my iPad.
Displaying 1 of 1 review