A Fraternity of Arms America and France in the Great War Robert B. Bruce June 2003 384 pages, 27 photographs, 6-1/8 x 9-1/4 Modern War Studies Cloth ISBN 978-0-7006-1253-6, $39.95 WINNER OF THE NORMAN B. TOMLINSON, JR. PRIZE given by the Western Front Association By the beginning of the twentieth century, the United States had already become an international power and a recognized force at sea, but its army remained little more than a frontier constabulary. In fact, when America finally entered World War I, the U.S. Army was still only a tenth the size of the smallest of the major European forces. While most previous work on America’s participation in the Great War has focused on alliance with Great Britain, Robert Bruce argues that the impact of the Franco-American relationship was of far greater significance. He makes a convincing case that the French, rather than the British, were the main military partner of the United States in its brief but decisive participation in the war—and that France deserves much credit for America’s emergence as a world military power. Bruce reveals how the two countries established a close and respectful relationship—marking the first time since the American Revolution that the United States had waged war as a member of a military coalition. While General Pershing’s American Expeditionary Forces did much to buoy French morale and military operations, France reciprocated by training over 80 percent of all American army divisions sent to Europe, providing most of their artillery and tanks, and even commanding them in combat. As Bruce discloses, virtually every military engagement in which the AEF participated was a Franco-American operation. He provides significant new material on all major battles—not only the decisive Second Battle of the Marne, but also St. Mihiel, Cantigny, Reims, Soissons, and other engagements. Throughout the book, he also demonstrates that there was a mutual bond of affection not only between French and American soldiers but between the French and American people as well, with roots planted deep in the democratic ideal. By revealing the overlooked importance of this crucial alliance, A Fraternity of Arms provides new insights not only into World War I but into coalition war-making as well. Contrary to the popular belief that relations between France and the United States have been tenuous or tendentious at best, Bruce reminds us that less than a century ago French and American soldiers fought side by side in a common cause—not just as allies and brothers-in-arms, but as true friends. “An insightful book that adds considerably to our under-standing of the Great War and the significance of the Franco-American friendship. Bruce reminds us that neither the French nor the Americans could have succeeded in that war without the assistance of the other.”--Robert Doughty, author of Seeds of Disaster: Development of French Army Doctrine, 1919–1939 “Engagingly written, Bruce’s study covers a lot of ground and presents a convincing thesis. His analysis of the crucial Franco-American military relationship should lead to a more complete and more sophisticated understanding of the ending of the war.”--Leonard V. Smith, coauthor of France and the Great War, 1914–1918 ROBERT B. BRUCE is assistant professor of history at Sam Houston State University.   Home | About the Press | Recent Awards | Contact Us | Order New Books: | By Author | By Subject | By Title | By Series Books in Print: | By Author | By Subject | By Title | By Series ©2007 University Press of Kansas 2502 Westbrooke Circle, Lawrence, KS 66045-4444 Phone (785) 864-4155; Fax (785) 864-4586