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Soissons 1918. By Douglas V Johnson, II, and Rolfe L. Hillman, Jr. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1999. ISBN: 0-89096-893-4. Maps. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Pp. xvii, 213. ,29.95.
This book is an account of the cruel lessons learned when the United States committed an untrained army, which had been in existence for less than a year, to combat against a battle-wise opponent. Built on memoirs and published documents, after-action reports, Command and General Staff School and Army War College monographs, as well as reliable secondary sources, it includes a good background section on the war itself and an excellent analysis of the condition of the American army in 1918. It assesses the state of training of the two American divisions on the eve of battle. It deals with the effectiveness of the American chain of command and examines leadership from division through brigade to regiment, battalion, and even company,...