The Wargamer

America's entry into World War I was not the easy transition for the Allies that the hourglass of time might paint it as now. Chateau Thierry & Belleau Wood 1918 does an excellent job of sketching not only the specific events of the campaign that saw the American Expeditionary Force become a cohesive and effective army, but also offers the reader a concise overview of how all the sides reached this decisive mark in the War.

Author David Bonk does a stellar job of outlining how both the Allies and the Germans arrived at this particular juncture in World War I. Chateau Thierry & Belleau Wood 1918 leads off with the origins of the campaign which helps the reader to understand that the Allies were reaching a crisis point in 1918, as they had been bled badly by the Germans. The Allied leadership had finally been consolidated under French General Ferdinand Foch. Both the English and French desired that the Americans be integrated with existing units from each army, but General John Pershing resisted their desire. Pershing's view that the War would be decided by breakthrough and maneuver would ultimately be proved correct and that contrasted with the English and French view that the trenches would remain the decisive area of battle. Included after this outline of the origins is a chronology which helps the understanding of how the battle factored into 1918 and other American actions during the year.

Bonk next offers concise sketches of the American and German commanders during the campaign. The emphasis is more on the American side of the equation and offers interesting information on the experience of those commanders, which was somewhat more extensive than I had believed. Chateau Thierry and Belleau Wood 1918 follows with an overview of the American, German, and French armies. This discussion is extremely interesting as it points out that the Americans were forced by necessity and time constraints to use French and British forces to train their forces. This resulted in tactical training that accentuated trench warfare doctrines, and was very much at odds with Pershing's desire to gear the training toward targeted rifle fire and maneuver. This coverage also highlights the problems the Americans had integrating their polyglot army. Fully 20 percent of the American army was made up of foreign immigrants with limited English skills, while another large portion was from rural America and approximately 25 percent of those were illiterate. Each army’s normal equipment is also presented in the section. The opposing plans of the Germans and Allies are also examined and the summation that "Neither side planned to fight at Belleau Wood. The Germans and Americans were drawn into the struggle for Belleau Wood for different reasons," is necessary to understanding that the campaign came about in a less than planned for approach.

A notable offering of Chateau Thierry and Belleau Wood 1918 is that it also covers a pair of raids and another battle leading up to the namesake events. One of these, the defense of Cantigny, is shown in a full color battlescene that offers specific numbered highlights on the following page. The Maizey and Seicheprey Raids are also covered in adequate detail.

The detailed coverage of Chateau Thierry and Belleau Wood 1918 is excellent. The book provides many pictures of units and places and also several illustrations that were done for Ladies Home Journal in 1918. I did notice one picture that the caption lists as "View of destroyed west bridge across the Meuse River, looking towards the North Bank." Likely, the caption was supposed to be the Marne River as that is the river that passes through Chateau Thierry and whose banks the Americans stopped the Germans from crossing.

Understandably, Bonk details the battle through the specific day’s occurrences. Included are both top down maps and a pair of more topographical maps that specifically address the attacks of June 6 and June 10-11. I can't count the number of times I leafed over to view this pair of maps while reading the descriptions of the skirmishes and battles. Their inclusion is an immense help in understanding some of the whys and why-nots of how the campaign developed, as the map shows both the forested areas and helps the reader understand the folds in the land that affected some of the specific judgment of the commanders. Bonk's description of the battle's development is both pithy and at times enthralling. Because of this, the battle reads with much more life than a textbook description might hold. Bonk does well in indicating what each unit's commanders were experiencing. He helps the reader to understand that some units were committed with limited or incorrect intelligence and why those orders may have been issued. Another full color battlescene is included which shows the meeting of American and German patrols in Belleau Wood on June 14 and again provides specific numbered highlights on the following page.

In the aftermath section of Chateau Thierry & Belleau Wood 1918, Bonk makes an important point that, "The real impact of the American battles of June 1918 was not in the ground taken or the villages captured...When the 2nd Division confronted the Germans at Belleau Wood, the Americans and Germans entered into a final struggle for moral ascendancy over the battlefield and the final outcome of the war." Bonk defines that moral ascendancy as "...controlling the rhythm of engagements, dictating the outcome of battles, and boosting the morale of the troops." Bonk's assertion that the rapid defeat of the German army following their failed offensive of 1918 "bears testimony to the impact of the battle of Belleau Wood," seems an apt observation borne out by history.

Chateau Thierry & Belleau Wood 1918 is an excellent addition to the Osprey campaign series. It is recommended for readers who have interest in World War I as it covers the battles in question with superb descriptions and informative maps, pictures and color plates. Beyond the specific battles, the book covers the build up to the battles with pertinent insights into the makeup and goals of both sides as they approached the battle.

About the Author

Following his first discovery of wargames- Avalon Hill’s Afrika Korps and Battle of the Bulge- Mike has been combining his love of history with the delight of strategy. It took awhile for him to finally reach the PC age, but once onboard he spent countless hours with the classics- Civilization 1 & 2, MOO, X-Com and Railroad Tycoon. Lately, his playing time limited by the demands of family, he can usually be found playing Football Manager 2006, Diablo II or one of the other newer strategy titles.