ICM American Expeditionary Forces in Europe, 1918

The American Expeditionary Force (AEF) was established in the summer of 1917, and by the spring of 1918, more than a million American soldiers were stationed in France. The expeditionary forces consisted of infantry divisions and Marines. Under the command of General John Joseph Pershing, American soldiers fought alongside units of the French, British, Canadian, New Zealand, and Australian armies. Pershing wanted the AEF to be able to operate independently and without the assistance of the Allies, and once the training and combat experience of the American soldiers reached the required level, this became possible. U.S. casualties in this war amounted to over 320,000 killed and wounded American soldiers. Nevertheless, by the end of the war in November 1918, the U.S. Expeditionary Forces were a quite modern and battle-tested army with a high degree of motorization, regarded by many as one of the best armies in the world.