Summary Of The War To End All Wars By Edward Coffman

In The War to End All Wars by Edward M. Coffman is a book about World War I and the challenges citizens, Armies and nations face. Coffman talks about how Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, the nations of Europe, the military alliances, famous battles and the experiences of troops. A conflict that sparked a series of accidents and misunderstandings. It was the first modern war with new weapons causing deadly effects. Millions were killed and empires were destroyed. World War I was fought between the Allied powers and Central powers. The world was on its end in a war meant to end all others. Many Americans on the other hand were against fighting and were trying to keep out of the war, but after the submarine warfare from the Germans;

He describes the songs of the American Expeditionary Force, the drudgery of destroyer patrols in the North Sea, the treatment of Negro soldiers, the workings of selective service, the way in which the war department coped with industrial mobilization- all levels of the “military experience” from grand tactics to camp sanitation. Coffman uses maps and statistics to explain rather than make it complicated. While Coffman investigated his methodology, he came across the lack of preparedness of the US Army since the sinking of Lusitania. It was obvious that the US would get involved in the war but did not declare war until two years later. Edward M. Coffman explains that one-million men would be needed to fight overnight which is a hard task. The US Army was really small compared to the other major countries, plus it cost money to maintain the Army that's why it took so long to get involved. “For the first time, large numbers of Americans fought the Germans. Initially, they helped blunt German offensives, but, after July 18, they were on the attack. Nine divisions saw action in the provinces of Aisne and Marne during this period, and, in August, two corps, under American commanders, occupied adjoining sectors” (Coffman.