"And they thought we wouldn't fight"

In Short

Floyd Gibbons presents an eyewitness chronicle detailing the entry, training, and frontline combat of the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I. Beginning with a transatlantic U-boat attack and culminating in the formation of the First American Field Army, the book records the daily realities of doughboys, field commanders, and medical staff. It endures as a vital contemporary document, capturing the raw transition of American troops from inexperienced recruits into a major fighting force that helped alter the trajectory of the Western Front.

The Story

The book traces the operational and human trajectory of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) from their initial arrival overseas to their unification as an independent fighting army on the Western Front. The account opens in early 1917 amidst the hazards of Atlantic transit, marked by the torpedoing of the liner Laconia. Survivors, including the author, drift in lifeboats overnight while facing interrogation from a German submarine crew before being rescued and brought to shore.

Upon reaching France, the focus shifts to Paris and the establishment of American headquarters at the Hotel Crillon under General John J. Pershing. From this administrative start, the narrative moves directly into the countryside, where the first contingents of American soldiers undergo rigorous conditioning. Pershing conducts exacting inspections, enforcing strict standards of military posture, housing ventilation, and equipment, such as demanding proper hobnails for worn boots.

As the troops adapt to European trench warfare, they learn practical logistics from French and British instructors—such as leaving artillery horses harnessed in train cars to escape air attacks—while attempting to improvise local improvements like protective metal shoe plates for horses. Early field deployments place American units in muddy, semi-ruined villages like Ansauville, where mixed units of regular soldiers, guardsmen, and recent immigrants adapt to harsh conditions, gas alarm warnings, and damp dugouts.

The author accompanies these units directly into active combat sectors. He observes heavy artillery crews maneuvering through French orchard roads, tracks midnight trench raids in deep command bunkers, and ascends observation trees under enemy fire. The military situation intensifies dramatically in mid-1918 when German forces breach Allied lines and advance toward the Marne River. American forces, including elements of the 3rd and 28th Divisions, are rushed directly from training areas to hold the south bank at Château-Thierry and withstand heavy shelling.

During an assault across an open oat field near Belleau Wood, Gibbons is severely wounded by machine-gun fire alongside his unit commander, losing an eye and suffering extensive injuries. His recovery at a military base hospital in Neuilly offers a view of surgical care and the fortitude of wounded soldiers. The narrative concludes in late summer 1918 with the Allied counter-offensive. Marshal Foch selects the U.S. 1st and 2nd Divisions to strike alongside the French Foreign Legion, leading directly to the organization of the First American Field Army and the independent American push at St. Mihiel.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins Crossing the Atlantic aboard the Laconia, passengers endure a U-boat attack that sinks the liner. Survivors cluster in lifeboats overnight, answering sharp queries from the submarine commander before waiting for a patrol rescue.

Establishing the command General Pershing sets up temporary headquarters in Paris at the Hotel Crillon, receiving floral tributes from French citizens. He quickly moves into the field to conduct relentless inspections, penalizing poor posture and ordering quartermasters to supply needed hobnail boots.

Adapting to the front American soldiers billet in French villages, learning survival tactics from Allied veterans while navigating muddy roads and shell-torn terrain. Units like Major Griffiths's battalion incorporate diverse troops who blend overseas combat experience with fresh American recruits.

Into the fire Correspondents and troops move into active artillery positions and deep underground command posts. During night raids, officers coordinate artillery barrages by field telephone while runners cross open ground over the top to deliver urgent dispatches.

The test at the Marne As German forces advance to Château-Thierry, incompletely trained American divisions are rushed to the line to hold the riverbank. In nearby V-shaped fields, troops push directly into sweeping machine-gun fire despite heavy casualties.

Recovery and unified action After undergoing emergency field surgery in Neuilly, the author recovers alongside wounded doughboys. Meanwhile, General Pershing consolidates scattered divisions into the First American Field Army, taking full operational control of the St. Mihiel sector.

The People

• Floyd Gibbons

An accredited war correspondent for the Chicago Tribune who seeks to record the exact conditions of the troops. He travels from ocean lifeboats to active trenches, demonstrating physical courage until he is severely wounded in an oat field near Belleau Wood, resulting in hospital recovery in Paris.

• General John J. Pershing

The Commander-in-Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces who wants to forge an independent, disciplined American army capable of winning the war. He resists logistical delays, strictly enforces standards during inspections, and ultimately leads the First American Field Army into the St. Mihiel offensive.

• Major Griffiths

A veteran commander with prior service in the Philippines, Gallipoli, and the British Army who leads an American battalion at Ansauville. He manages supply shortages in the mud, maintains high morale, and adapts quickly to adverse trench conditions.

• Major Berry

A field officer who leads his troops across an open, sweepingly targeted oat field under intense German machine-gun fire. He suffers a severe arm injury from a bullet stream, yet focuses entirely on getting his men to cover before artillery arrives.

In Its Own Voice

"Vot ship vass dot?" were the first words of throaty guttural English that came from a figure which projected from the conning tower.

A German submarine officer questions the survivors of the sunken liner Laconia as their lifeboat drifts in the dark Atlantic.

"Have this man fall out," General Pershing directed, as he stood before a recruit whose attitude appeared sloppy; "teach him the position of a soldier and have him stand at attention for five minutes."

General Pershing enforces strict military discipline during his first formal inspection of American troops in a French training village.

"Get down. Flatten out, Major," I shouted, and he dropped to the ground.

Floyd Gibbons calls out to his wounded commanding officer while pinned down by machine-gun fire in an open field.

What It's Really About

The book examines the rapid transformation of an unprepared nation into a modern global military power. Beyond the operational logs, it explores how a coalition of diverse individuals—from rural farmers to recent European immigrants speaking a babble of dialects—forges a unified force under extreme pressure. Gibbons addresses the initial skepticism of European allies who doubted whether American civilian recruits could adapt to mechanized trench warfare. By detailing daily hardships, logistical hurdles, and brutal field casualties, the narrative argues that the American soldier's adaptability, eagerness to learn, and sheer persistence proved decisive on the Western Front, fundamentally reshaping the alliance and securing a pivotal historical outcome.

Why Read It Today

This text appeals to readers of military history and first-hand journalism who want an unvarnished, immediate account of World War I. Gibbons writes with the energetic, fast-paced cadence of a seasoned newspaper reporter, offering vivid details rather than distant historical summaries. Readers experience the tension of night shelling, the dust of convoy roads, and the informal humor used by soldiers facing constant danger.

The book does reflect its era, presenting early 20th-century national attitudes, untranslated French phrases, and period dialect spellings that mirror the speech of the time. Modern readers may also find the dense descriptions of military organization and movement detailed, but these elements anchor the narrative in authentic reality. What stays with you is the visceral sense of proximity to history: the quiet tension of an observation post in a tree, the cold rain of the French countryside, and the sheer human effort required to move an army across an ocean into combat.