Treacherous Passage: Germany’s Secret Plot Against the United States in Mexico During World War I

Treacherous Passage: Germany’s Secret Plot Against the United States in Mexico During World War ITreacherous Passage: Germany’s Secret Plot against the United States in Mexico during World War I by Bill Mills
ISBN: 1612348548
Published by Potomac Books on January 1, 2017
Genres: History, Latin America, Mexico, Military, World War I, United States, 20th Century, Espionage, Sabotage
Pages: 256

The infamous Zimmerman telegram proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico if the USA entered the Great War. The secret diplomatic communication sent by the German Foreign Office was intercepted, deciphered, and revealed to the American public by British intelligence and caused a furor in 1917. What was not then publicly known was how extensive German clandestine operations were in Mexico. These included training an embryonic German-Mexican invasion force, dispatching saboteurs to the U.S., planning submarine bases on the western coast of Mexico, and an idea to launch sea raiders from the port of Mazatlán to attack merchant shipping in the Pacific.

Author Mills weaves a lively story of German Consul Fritz Unger, head of the powerful trading house Melchers Sucesores, and his efforts in Mexico that were thwarted by a top American spy who was a trusted member of the German secret service there. A cast of colorful characters provide drama and intrigue that reads more like a novel but is true history.

Reviewed by Dana Lombardy, publisher of WWOI

In Uncle Sam’s Service: Women Workers With the American Expeditionary Force, 1917-1919

In Uncle Sam’s Service: Women Workers With the American Expeditionary Force, 1917-1919In Uncle Sam's Service: Women Workers With the American Expeditionary Force, 1917-1919 by Susan Zeiger
ISBN: 0801431662
Published by Cornell University Press on January 1st 2000
Pages: 209

Len's Summary: Some 16 thousand women served overseas with the AEF. Some joined for patriotic reasons, others for economic motives, to search for adventure or challenge gender boundaries. A useful addition; to the study of womens' roles in The Great War.

A Question of Loyalty: General Billy Michell and The Court Martial that Gripped the Nation

A Question of Loyalty: General Billy Michell and The Court Martial that Gripped the NationA Question of Loyalty: General Billy Michell and The Court Martial that Gripped the Nation by Douglas C. Waller
ISBN: 0060505478
Published by Harper on September 7th 2004
Pages: 448

Len's Summary: The story of the seven-week 1925 trial of WWI Army General William Mitchell, American aviation pioneer. Available from the History Book Club. This story was made into an excellent and largely historically accurate 1955 Republic motion picture starring Gary Cooper, and directed by Otto Preminger based on the book by Burke Davis. In their December 2004 issue the editors of American Heritage picked this movie as one of the 10 greatest historical films. For an excellent recent biography see Billy Mitchell by James J. Cooke published by Lynne Rienner in 2002.

Philadelphia to Flanders: The Story of Nurse Helen Fairchild’s Life in 1917 During World War One

Philadelphia to Flanders: The Story of Nurse Helen Fairchild’s Life in 1917 During World War OnePhiladelphia to Flanders: The Story of Nurse Helen Fairchild's Life in 1917 During World War One by Nelle Fairchild H. Rote
ISBN: 978 0 9769492 6 8
on 2004
Pages: 282

Len's Summary: The story of an American nurse with the AEF in France written by her niece. Based largely on Helen Fairchild's letters home written before her tragic death from a liver infection in January 1918. Available from Nelle Fairchild at elle12@ptd.net.

The American Foreign Legion: Black Soldiers of the 93d in World War I

The American Foreign Legion: Black Soldiers of the 93d in World War IThe American Foreign Legion: Black Soldiers of the 93d in World War I by Frank E. Roberts
ISBN: 1591147344
Published by US Naval Institute Press on June 15th 2004
Pages: 259

Len's Summary: The Harlem Hell Fighters of the 369th Regiment (15th New York National Guard) were part of this division, whose individual infantry regiments fought under French command.

Meuse-Argonne Diary: A Division Commander in World War I

Meuse-Argonne Diary: A Division Commander in World War IMeuse-Argonne Diary: A Division Commander in World War I by William M. Wright, Robert H. Ferrell
ISBN: 0826215270
Published by University of Missouri on June 9th 2004
Pages: 192

Len's Summary: The story of a successful division, the 89th, drawn from the diary of its leader Major General William Wright, who was later promoted to Corps commander.

Collapse at Meuse-Argonne: The Failure of the Missouri-Kansas Division

Collapse at Meuse-Argonne: The Failure of the Missouri-Kansas DivisionCollapse at Meuse-Argonne: The Failure of the Missouri-Kansas Division by Robert H. Ferrell
ISBN: 0826215327
Published by University of Missouri on June 25th 2004
Pages: 176

Len's Summary: Presents a cautionary tale of a typical inexperienced and under trained AEF division, the 35th Missouri-Kansas National Guard. // Analysis of the 35th Division collapse in the Meuse-Argonne that spotlights the steep learning curve faced by AEF commanders and soldiers in 1917 and 1918. Ferrell faults Major General Robert E. Traub, the divisional commander, for insensitivity to the tactical situation in fighting in the Argonne around Felville and Varennes, territory familiar to participants in recent WFA-USA tours. Divisional artillery commander Brigadier General Lucien D. Berry also comes in for criticism for failure to comprehend his guns role in infantry support. It was divisional engineer Colonel Thomas C. Clark who saved the day and prevented retreat from turning into rout. Other brigade, regimental, battalion commanders performed adequately; some preformed brilliantly before the Division was withdrawn from the line on September 30, 1918.

Trench Knives and Mustard Gas: With the 42nd Rainbow Division in France

Trench Knives and Mustard Gas: With the 42nd Rainbow Division in FranceTrench Knives and Mustard Gas: With the 42nd Rainbow Division in France by Hugh S. Thompson, Robert H. Ferrell
ISBN: 1585442909
Published by Texas A&M University Press on May 14th 2004
Pages: 224

Len's Summary: Presents the war as seen through the eyes of a highly-decorated and badly-wounded subaltern in the famed Rainbow Division of General Douglas MacArthur.

Rich Man’s War, Poor Man’s Fight: Race, Class, and Power in the Rural South during the First World War

Rich Man’s War, Poor Man’s Fight: Race, Class, and Power in the Rural South during the First World WarRich Man's War, Poor Man's Fight: Race, Class, and Power in the Rural South during the First World War by Jeanette Keith
ISBN: 0807828971
Published by University of North Carolina Press on November 1st 2004
Pages: 272

Len's Summary: Anti-war sentiment, draft evasion racism, and the split between (predominantly) rural and urban southerners over World War I. Draws heavily oh local draft records to assert that Southern selective service boards often discriminated against poor whites to protect cheap black local sources of labor (sharecroppers) while at the same time drafting black landowners farming in competition with whites.

America in World War I: The Story and Photographs

America in World War I: The Story and PhotographsAmerica in World War I: The Story and Photographs by Donald M. Goldstein
ISBN: 1574886150
Published by Potomac Books on May 3rd 2005
Pages: 208

Len's Summary: The eighth in Brassey's "America Goes to War" series. Profusely illustrated, pedestrian text.

The Bonus Army: An American Epic

The Bonus Army: An American EpicThe Bonus Army: An American Epic by Paul Dickson, Thomas B. Allen
ISBN: 0802777384
Published by Walker Books on March 21st 2006
Pages: 370

Len's Summary: A History Book Club selection. The story of the 1932 march on Washington by WWI veterans seeking bonuses promised, but not appropriated by Congress. Fearing a Communist-led insurrection, President Hoover order their eviction and Army Chief of Staff MacArthur overreacted with tragic and violent results seen in theatre newsreels throughout America.

The Old Army: A Portrait of the American Army in Peacetime, 1784-1898

The Old Army: A Portrait of the American Army in Peacetime, 1784-1898The Old Army: A Portrait of the American Army in Peacetime, 1784-1898 by Edward M. Coffman
ISBN: 0195045556
Published by Oxford University Press on December 8th 1988
Pages: 560

Len's Summary: This volume begins with the Spanish-American War and Philippine Insurrection and covers the major reforms instituted by War Secretary Elihu Root that created the modern general staff system and helped prepare the Army for World War One. Of particular interest to Western Front Association members is Coffman's analysis of the colonial Army's experience in the Philippines and later on the Western Front, as well as the postwar army.

The Regulars: The American Army, 1898-1941

The Regulars: The American Army, 1898-1941The Regulars: The American Army, 1898-1941 by Edward M. Coffman
ISBN: 0674012992
Published by Belknap Press on April 30th 2004
Pages: 519

Len's Summary: The long awaited second volume of "Mac" Coffman's monumental study of the United States Army. Volume one entitled:

Labor, Loyalty, and Rebellion: Southwestern Illinois Coal Miners & World War I

Labor, Loyalty, and Rebellion: Southwestern Illinois Coal Miners & World War ILabor, Loyalty, and Rebellion: Southwestern Illinois Coal Miners & World War I by Carl R. Weinberg
ISBN: 0809326345
Published by Southern Illinois University Press on April 28th 2005
Pages: 280

Len's Summary: A look at working class life in small coal mining towns around East St Louis during WWI.

Dew of Death: The Story of Lewisite, America’s World War I Weapon of Mass Destruction

Dew of Death: The Story of Lewisite, America’s World War I Weapon of Mass DestructionDew of Death: The Story of Lewisite, America's World War I Weapon of Mass Destruction by Joel A. Vilensky
ISBN: 0253346126
Published by Indiana University Press on September 1st 2005
Pages: 240

Len's Summary: The story of Lewisite, a variation of mustard gas based on an arsenic compound, a weapon developed, but never deployed during WWI.

Lost Battalions: The Great War and the Crisis of American Nationality

Lost Battalions: The Great War and the Crisis of American NationalityLost Battalions: The Great War and the Crisis of American Nationality by Richard Slotkin
ISBN: 0805081380
Published by Holt Paperbacks on October 3rd 2006
Pages: 656

Len's Summary: A social history of two AEF units: the African-American 369th Infantry Regiment; and, the Lost Battalion of the 77th Division) made up largely of Jewish, Italian and Eastern European Americans from New York City.

They Called Us Devil Dogs

They Called Us Devil DogsThey Called Us Devil Dogs by Brian Scarborough
ISBN: 9781411655744
on July 26th 2006
Pages: 208

Len's Summary: From the diaries of the author's grandfather who served in the 6th Marines of the Second Division, AEF. Available from www.lulu.com.

Hobey Baker, American Legend

Hobey Baker, American LegendHobey Baker, American Legend by Emil R. Salvini
ISBN: 0976345307
Published by Hobey Baker Memorial Foundation on December 31st 2005
Pages: 142

Len's Summary: Largely forgotten today, Baker was a 1914 Princeton graduate and star collegiate football, baseball and hockey player. Employed by J. P. Morgan after graduation, he enlisted in 1917 and fought with the 103rd Aero Squadron which, among other squadrons, traced its ancestry to the Lafayette Esquadrille. Baker died in mysterious circumstances during a late 1918 test flight. The Hobey Baker award is given annually to the best American collegiate hockey player. And, Princeton's hockey rink is named after him. Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise character Allenby is thought to be based on Baker.

Wilson’s War: How Woodrow Wilson’s Great Blunder Led to Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, and World War II

Wilson’s War: How Woodrow Wilson’s Great Blunder Led to Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, and World War IIWilson's War: How Woodrow Wilson's Great Blunder Led to Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, and World War II by Jim Powell
ISBN: 1400082366
Published by Crown Forum on March 29th 2005
Pages: 352

Len's Summary: Based on secondary sources, this pot-boiler is in the same gendre as several other recent books blaming Woodrow Wilson for most if not all the woes of the 20th century. Breaks no new ground.

Dear Family: Letters from the Mexican Border Campaign and the Great War in France

Dear Family: Letters from the Mexican Border Campaign and the Great War in FranceDear Family: Letters from the Mexican Border Campaign and the Great War in France by Shawn Pease
ISBN: 9781257258093
Published by Lulu.com on August 18th 2011
Pages: 99

Len's Summary: First of a series on the letters home from the son of a working class National Guardsman of the 26th (Yankee) Division from Newton, Massachusetts who also served in France and in WWII.

The Harlem Hellfighters: When Pride Met Courage

The Harlem Hellfighters: When Pride Met CourageThe Harlem Hellfighters: When Pride Met Courage by Walter Dean Myers, Bill Miles
ISBN: 0060011386
Published by Amistad on July 22nd 2014
Pages: 160

Len's Summary: An unusual and well crafted book on WWI directed at juvenile readers nine to 12 years old. A good gift for your grandchildren.

Leonard Wood: Rough Rider, Surgeon, Architect of American Imperialism

Leonard Wood: Rough Rider, Surgeon, Architect of American ImperialismLeonard Wood: Rough Rider, Surgeon, Architect of American Imperialism by Jack McCallum
ISBN: 0814756999
Published by New York University Press on December 1st 2005
Pages: 357

Len's Summary: An almost forgotten Medal of Honor-winner Major General Leonard Wood (1860-1927), a Harvard Medical School graduate, was the first commander of the Rough Riders, Governor of Cuba, US Army commander in the Philippines, Theodore Roosevelt's personal White House physician, Army Chief of Staff, Governor General of the Philippines, and a key figure in creating the modern army, as well as unsuccessful candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination in 1920.

Eddie Rickenbacker: An American Hero in the Twentieth Century

Eddie Rickenbacker: An American Hero in the Twentieth CenturyEddie Rickenbacker: An American Hero in the Twentieth Century by W. David Lewis
ISBN: 0801889723
Published by Johns Hopkins University Press on May 22nd 2008
Pages: 720

Len's Summary: American racing car driver, aviation pioneer and top American WWI air ace with 26 WWI victories, Rickenbacker went overseas in 1917 as Pershing's driver, rose to command a the 94th pursuit squadron, founded a motor car company and Eastern Airlines. Rickenbacker's career is also the subject of a not always flattering biographical novel, Fast Eddie: a Novel in Many Voices by Robert L. O'Connell, Wm. Morrow, 1999.

Finding the Lost Battalion: Beyond the Rumors, Myths and Legends of America’s Famous WW1 Epic

Finding the Lost Battalion: Beyond the Rumors, Myths and Legends of America’s Famous WW1 EpicFinding the Lost Battalion: Beyond the Rumors, Myths and Legends of America's Famous WW1 Epic by Robert Laplander
ISBN: 1411676564
Published by Lulu.com on October 13th 2007
Pages: 616

Len's Summary: With a foreword by WFA member Taylor Beattie.

The Gold Star Mother Pilgramages of the 1930s: Overseas Grave Visitations By Mothers And Widows of Fallen U.S. World War I Soldiers

The Gold Star Mother Pilgramages of the 1930s: Overseas Grave Visitations By Mothers And Widows of Fallen U.S. World War I SoldiersThe Gold Star Mother Pilgramages of the 1930s: Overseas Grave Visitations By Mothers And Widows of Fallen U.S. World War I Soldiers by John W. Graham
ISBN: 078642138X
Published by McFarland & Company on May 1st 2005
Pages: 229

Len's Summary: Between 1930 and 1930 the US Government paid the travel expenses of over six thousand Gold Star wives and mothers to visit their son's and husband's graves in England, France and Flanders. See the section on videos for a recent video on this subject.

Blood in the Argonne: The “Lost Battalion” of World War I

Blood in the Argonne: The “Lost Battalion” of World War IBlood in the Argonne: The "Lost Battalion" of World War I by Alan D. Gaff
ISBN: 0806136960
Published by University of Oklahoma Press on October 17th 2005
Pages: 384

Five Days in October: The Lost Battalion of World War I

Five Days in October: The Lost Battalion of World War IFive Days in October: The Lost Battalion of World War I by Robert H. Ferrell
ISBN: 0826215947
Published by University of Missouri on June 1st 2005
Pages: 152

Len's Summary: Contains new material. Dr. Ferrell, who spoke at the April 2005 GWS seminar in Los Angeles, is a Professor-emeritus at the University of Indiana and the author of many books on WWI.

An American Soldier in World War I

An American Soldier in World War IAn American Soldier in World War I by Robert Sherwood Dillon
ISBN: 9781892379238
Published by Five and Ten Press on 2005
Pages: 49

Len's Summary: The story of the author's father's experience as an engineer in the 35th Division (Kansas National Guard) which had a rough initiation into battle in the Meuse-Argonne. Harry Truman commanded an artillery battery in this division.

1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft and Debs–The Election that Changed the Country

1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft and Debs–The Election that Changed the Country1912 by James Chace
ISBN: 9781439188262
Published by Simon and Schuster on November 24th 2009
Genres: United States, Political Science, Campaigns & Elections
Pages: 336

Len's Summary: The story of the bitterly fought four-party 1912 presidential race won with a 42% plurality by T. Woodrow Wilson. Socialist candidate Debs garnered a record number of votes (some 900 thousand) for the Socialist Party, and was later jailed for his vociferous opposition to American entry into WWI. Proof that George W. Bush was not America's first minority President. Indeed, Wilson never won 50% of the vote in either 1912 or 1916. The 1912 election set the stage for a remarkable spate of progressive measures than included, during Wilson's first term, the Clayton Anti-Trust Act, creation of the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Income Tax, and the Federal Reserve System, as well as a constitutional amendment providing for the direct election of Senators.

Fever of War: The Influenza Epidemic in the U.S. Army during World War I

Fever of War: The Influenza Epidemic in the U.S. Army during World War IFever of War: The Influenza Epidemic in the U.S. Army during World War I by Carol R. Byerly
ISBN: 0814799248
Published by New York University Press on April 5th 2005
Pages: 251

Len's Summary: Examines the Army's response to the influenza pandemic of 1918-19.

The Millionaires’ Unit: The Aristocratic Flyboys Who Fought the Great War and Invented American Air Power

The Millionaires’ Unit: The Aristocratic Flyboys Who Fought the Great War and Invented American Air PowerThe Millionaires' Unit: The Aristocratic Flyboys Who Fought the Great War and Invented American Air Power by Marc Wortman
ISBN: 9781586484446
Published by PublicAffairs on May 8th 2007
Genres: Military, United States, Aviation
Pages: 313

Len's Summary: Like the author, many of these flyboys were graduates of Yale.

The New Navy, 1883-1922 (The U.S. Navy Warship Series)

The New Navy, 1883-1922 (The U.S. Navy Warship Series)The New Navy, 1883-1922 (The U.S. Navy Warship Series) by Paul Silverstone
ISBN: 9781135865436
Published by Routledge on May 13th 2013
Genres: Military, Naval, United States
Pages: 296

Len's Summary: Covers naval ships authorized and commissioned beginning with the ABCD ships of 1883 to the never-completed 1916 naval construction program through the Washington Naval Disarmament Conference of 1921-22. . The entire set of six volumes covering ships of 1775 though 2005 is available for $395.

Crusader Nation: The United States in Peace and the Great War, 1898-1920

Crusader Nation: The United States in Peace and the Great War, 1898-1920Crusader Nation: The United States in Peace and the Great War, 1898-1920 by David Traxel
ISBN: 0375410783
Published by Knopf on December 18th 2007
Pages: 432

Len's Summary: A portrait of America at the turn of the 20th century, the height of the Progressive Era and of the expansive and reformist leadership of Roosevelt and Wilson at home and overseas. Available from the History Book Club for $22.00.

The United States Army Second Division Northwest of Chateau Thierry in World War I

The United States Army Second Division Northwest of Chateau Thierry in World War IThe United States Army Second Division Northwest of Chateau Thierry in World War I by John W. Thomason, George B. Clark
ISBN: 0786425237
Published by McFarland & Company on July 1st 2006
Pages: 245

Len's Summary: Written as an official history in 1927 by Marine Captain, author and artist John Thomason (Fix Bayonets!), who served in combat with the division's Fourth Marine Brigade. Thomason left the project incomplete after discovering unflattering facts about combat decisions taken by divisional officers. Includes original illustrations prepared by Thomason and a brief biographical sketches of the author and of the division written by the editor, George Clark, himself a Marine and published author who is a WFA member.

Crisis at Sea: The United States Navy in European Waters in World War I

Crisis at Sea: The United States Navy in European Waters in World War ICrisis at Sea: The United States Navy in European Waters in World War I by William N. Still Jr.
ISBN: 0813029872
Published by University Press of Florida on January 28th 2007
Pages: 768

Len's Summary: A wide-ranging account, the first in many years, of the deployment, battles, tactics, logistics, policies and shipbuilding programs of the U. S. Navy at war, 1917-1918.

Your Uniform is Your Pass — Soldier and Sailor Welfare Relief and the American Doughboy in World War I: The Salvation Army

Your Uniform is Your Pass — Soldier and Sailor Welfare Relief and the American Doughboy in World War I: The Salvation ArmyYour Uniform is Your Pass -- Soldier and Sailor Welfare Relief and the American Doughboy in World War I: The Salvation Army by Sergio Lugo
on 2006
Pages: 49

Len's Summary: $20.00 large paperback available from the author postpaid. Write to Sergio Lugo, 1190 S. Grape, Denver, CO 80246, E-mail lugopspe@msn.com. Eighth of 11 volumes in a series, this one describing an often forgotten facet of US involvement in the conflict: the work of the Salvation Army and their "Donut Lassies" at home and overseas in France and Flanders. // The first of 11 monographs that deal with private American voluntary welfare and relief organizations during the First World War. Such organizations typify the Progressive Era of political and social reform that reached its peak in the early 20th century during the administrations of Roosevelt, Taft and Wilson.

American Soldiers Lives: World War I

American Soldiers Lives: World War IAmerican Soldiers Lives: World War I by Jennifer D. Keene
ISBN: 9780313331817
Published by Greenwood Publishing Group on January 1st 2006
Genres: Military, United States
Pages: 217

Len's Summary: Drawing on reminiscences, diaries and letters, Keene describes life in training camps, transport overseas, action in France and the return home among African-Americans, Native American, immigrants, ordinary Doughboys and women who served "Over There."

Theodore Roosevelt and World Order: Police Power in International Relations

Theodore Roosevelt and World Order: Police Power in International RelationsTheodore Roosevelt and World Order: Police Power in International Relations by James R. Holmes
ISBN: 1574888846
Published by Potomac Books on April 1st 2007
Pages: 336

Len's Summary: A new look at Roosevelt's "Big Stick" policies, the Roosevelt Corollaries to the Monroe Doctrine and American imperialism of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The author is a former naval officer and a Ph.D. graduate of the Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Woodrow Wilson’s Western Tour: Rhetoric, Public Opinion, And the League of Nations

Woodrow Wilson’s Western Tour: Rhetoric, Public Opinion, And the League of NationsWoodrow Wilson's Western Tour: Rhetoric, Public Opinion, And the League of Nations by J. Michael Hogan
ISBN: 9781585445332
Published by Texas A&M University Press on August 1st 2006
Genres: United States, Political Science, International Relations
Pages: 212

Len's Summary: Analysis of Wilson's speeches in support of ratification of the Treaty of Versailles during his September 1919 tour of western states cut short by a crippling stroke. The author assesses the tour in the light of Wilson's own scholarly writings on government.

Woodrow Wilson’s Right Hand: The Life of Colonel Edward M. House

Woodrow Wilson’s Right Hand: The Life of Colonel Edward M. HouseWoodrow Wilson's Right Hand: The Life of Colonel Edward M. House by Godfrey Hodgson
ISBN: 9780300092691
Published by Yale University Press Genres: Biography & Autobiography, Political Science, International Relations, Diplomacy, United States
Pages: 335

Len's Summary: An important new biography of Wilson's alter ego and roving diplomatic emissary. How a Texas pol made to the center of the national and international political stages.