Now all roads lead to France and heavy is the tread
Of the living; but the dead returning lightly dance.
Edward Thomas, Roads

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Amazing Facts and Remarkable Trivia About the AEF, Part 1


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    Two members of General Pershing's staff would one day win the Nobel Peace Prize: George Marshall and Charles Dawes.

    Dawes was also one of two future U.S. vice-presidents who served in the AEF; the other was Harry Truman, who also became president.
   The New Yorker magazine was created by alumni of the Doughboy newspaper the STARS AND STRIPES, including Harold Ross and Alexander Woolcott

    Readers Digest was founded by Sgt. Dewitt Wallace of the 35th Division, who perfected his ability to summarize magazine articles as he was recovering from severe wounds he received in the Argonne Forest.

    History's first battle that started on D-Day at H-Hour was the Battle of St. Mihiel which began on 12 September 1918 at 0500 Hours.



    In the post-Armistice lull, several members of the 114th Artillery Rgt. of the 30th Division decided that the Kaiser, who was in exile in Holland, needed to be arrested and brought to justice. Acting without any authorization and led by one of their members who was a former U.S. senator, they succeeded only in contributing a comic-opera episode to the Doughboy legend.

    The Services of Supply imported 1,500 railroad locomotives and 18,000 freight cars in sections, reassembled them in France and operated them in support of the AEF on 1,538 miles of standard and narrow-gauge track built by the Corps of Engineers.

    During service in Europe 829 trained pigeons flew 10,995 missions with American naval aviators; they accomplished 219 successful communications missions. Eleven were declared missing in action.


1 comment:

  1. The Kaiser was known by his Dutch neighbors at the Woodchopper of Doorn because he took out his frustration by cutting down all the trees on his exile estate.

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