|
Daily reports dating from April 1, 1918 to January 11, 1919.
These formal daily summaries of intelligence reports were created at the GHQ for dissemination to the divisions of the AEF. Topics routinely addressed within the reports were: recently gathered intelligence, information from interrogations, German order of battle, German manpower and recruitment, innovations in German tactics and weapons, translated German and Italian captured documents, statements of German and Italian POWs, translated articles and official communiqués from German and Italian sources and miscellaneous sources of information such as information obtained from enemy soldier diaries.
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. General Headquarters, AEF was responsible for all actions related to the command and control, organizing, training, sustaining, and equipping of all the American troops in Europe during WWI.
World War I started in August, 1914, but it wasn't until April, 1917 that the United States joined. It took another year before the ground forces of the American Expeditionary Force saw action.
On 6 April, 1917 the United States declared war on Germany and began the accelerated mobilization, training and deployment process that would culminate in the creation of its World War I army. By 13 June, 1917 a limited number of headquarters troops and Major General John J. Pershing were on French soil. On 5 July 1917 the Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was formally established and organized by General Order No. 8, War Department. In January of 1918 the Headquarters was formally designated as General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces (GHQ, AEF). Over the next year approximately two million American troops arrived in France.
During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside French and British allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces. The AEF helped the French Army on the Western Front during the Aisne Offensive (at Château-Thierry and Belleau Wood) in June 1918, and fought its major actions in the Saint-Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives in late 1918.
General Headquarters, AEF was discontinued effective 31 August, 1920, by General Order 49, War Department.
|
