Book Review: The Doughboys: America and the First World War by Gary Mead

The United States Military has a short but extremely successful history. From defeating England in the Revolutionary War, founding a nation from nothing to fighting a massive Civil War, on the eve of military and societal innovations and keeping the nation together to creating an Empire after the Spanish-American war and beyond with victory in both World Wars, the United States is unmatched in its military prowess today and it’s culturally rich history of warfare. While the United States is best remembered for its crucial role in the Second World War, it’s performance in the First is arguably just as important yet often forgotten. The entrance of the United States into the First World War was a turning point on the Western Front. American troops performed well, engaging the German troops in several major battles and receiving huge casualties during their short participation in the war. Not only were thousands of fresh troops being poured into France every month but the supply power behind them could carry the allies on seemingly indefinitely while Germany suffered from a lack of both. This is the exact argument that Gary Mead makes in his book Doughboys: America and the First World War. 

Gary Mead is a British journalist who used to work for the Financial Times for several years prior to moving into finance where he worked as an analyst for banks. Mead is the author of other historical books such as Victoria’s Cross and The Good Soldier: The Biography of Douglas Haig. Mead utilizes extensive research of primary sources in his book and is extremely detailed. While he does not have a historical background in academia, his work ultimately reads like he does. It is very well edited, and the presentation is put forward in an easy to follow and enjoyable manner. In Doughboys, Mead details the internal struggle between Woodrow Wilson and the pro-war faction of the United States Government and how the United States was earning incredibly high profits from selling supplies to the Entente. “At a moment of crisis in Anglo-American relationships in late 1916 the treasury revealed that of the £5 million daily costs to Britain of running the war, £2 million was spent in the United States” [1]

While support for entering the war was initially not high, certain factors such as the complete lack of communication with Germany and its allies meant that the United States were reliant on biased propaganda coming primarily from Britain. This would prove crucial when the Zimmerman was presented by Britain, which combined with public outrage over the sinking of the Lusitania, pushed Wilson to turn from his policy of neutrality and push congress to declare war.

        Mead is rather funny at times, one such occasion being when he attempts to explain the origin of the name doughboys. He presents several versions of the possible origins of the name, from American soldiers being “loaded with dough” due to the incredibly high wages they received compared to their allies to a wild theory that American soldiers in the Philippines would get dirt mixed with their sweat and cause a dough like mixture to appear. He does not have a clear answer, but the proposed theories are funny yet informative. Mead goes on to explain the state of the American Army and how the draft came to be. Troops were raised quickly and to a huge success, however Mead claims that “While it was relatively easy to raise a large mass of conscripted troops, the real weakness of the AEF throughout its brief existence was, in manpower terms, its lack of capable, experienced and competent middle-ranking commissioned officers.” [2] The lack of experienced officers was a hurdle the AEF would have to endure but it did pave the way for John Pershing to be selected to lead the AEF by Wilson. Pershing would prove his mettle when he ardently refused to let American troops simply be numbers plugged into the French and British armies as the Allies hoped for. Instead, Pershing would lead American troops under the American flag to fight their battles as an equal to Britain and France.

        Mead tells several interesting tales, such as the Native American troops that used their native language of Choctaw to relay messages, a language that made no sense to the Germans, as well as that of Jay Hormel, who would go on to found the Hormel food company. Hormel was essential in figuring out how to freeze meat and ship over to France. Mead also touches on the poor and despicable treatment of Black troops by the United States Army, and how the few that saw combat had to rely on the French, who were used to colonial troops and thus treated them fairly. The rest of the book deals with the American performance in the war, such as during the Battle of Belleau Wood and Cantigny and the intervention in Russia. Mead uses lots of numbers and statistics, as well as primary accounts of the men on the ground from their journal entries to letters sent home.

        Mead’s book is a chronologically well-presented book, it has lots of references of primary sources as well as lots of statistics. It is at parts funny, serious, and inspiring. Mead paints a realistic and overall positive view of the AEF, which given all of its misgivings and flaws, overcame them and brought thousands upon thousands of men to France alongside much needed supplies. Ultimately, the entry of the US into the war was a much need respite for the Entente and a serious problem for Germany and her allies.

Mead, Gary. The Doughboys: America and the First World War, 2001.

[1] Mead, Gary. The Doughboys: America and the First World War, 2001. Pg 20

[2] Mead, Gary. The Doughboys: America and the First World War, 2001. Pg 99