Book overview: Yanks by John S. D. Eisenhower
We will have an occasional bonus post where one of us talks about a book we read recently, related to the Great War. They are intended to be quite short and help you decide what might be a good fit in your library. We will also try to evaluate what level they are suitable for: Beginners versus more advanced readers.
The first book on our list is Yanks: The epic story of the American army in World War 1 by John S.D. Eisenhower, with Joanne T. Eisenhower. Read by Ivan Sørensen.
This is a pretty entry level book, discussing the American Army with an emphasis on its combat record in France. Much of the book is focused on Pershing and his interactions with the various unit commanders, officials back home and other Allied commanders. The emphasis is primarily on ground warfare, going into detail about the fighting at St Mihiel, Soissons and the Meuse-Argonne offensive. The battles are accompanied by maps.
The writing style is easy to read and I think this is a good book for people who are newer to military history, without having the material simplified too far. The pace is quite brisk, with the author choosing to keep the narrative moving along rather than delve into a lot of detail. It is also a good start to get a footing on the US army in 1917 and 1918.
I actually would not have minded a bit more detail on elements such as the training process, though other books do cover that in more detail.
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