The German 1918 offensive was always one of the great "what ifs" of the war. I've always felt that if it had been focused on the French only, that it was Germany's last, best chance of knocking France out of the war.
To be sure, when the BEF was hit, the German's enjoyed moderate success, but it was nothing like what happened to the French. It is widely believed that the actions of the AEF's 2nd Division at Belleau Wood and 3rd Division's at Chateau Thielly that really slowed the Germans down long enough for the French to get reserves into the line.
So what would have happened of the German's had focused on the French from the start? Or if the AEF was just a little bit slow in moving up?
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The reason that the American Army does so well in wartime, is that war is chaos, and the American Army practices chaos on a daily basis.
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