When the United States entered World War I in 1917, Pershing was given the command of the American Expeditionary Force.

This was not a good time for a war for the Army. There were limited supplies, no aircraft for an army still struggling with recruitment and organization.

There was a diplomatic mountain to scale as well: the French and the British expected the Americans to serve under their commands. Pershing refused, and successfully demanded separate camps for his men as well as training by American officers and sergeants.

General John “Blackjack” Pershing played a pivotal role in World War One; of this there can be no doubt.

General Blackjack Pershing World War 1914

1. It is a rare club that was only joined posthumously by General George Washington in 1976 by order of then President Gerald Ford. Lace writes that Pershing was born at the beginning of the Civil War and at the age of three survived an attack of Southern raiders on the family store in Laclede, MO.
2. General Information In 1916 he became the commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) that led the Allies to turn the tide against the Central Powers. Pershing had to form and train an army that grew in a year and a half to nearly 3,000,000 men. He would not let his troops be mixed with other European nations.

In June 1918, the Germans launched a major offensive to capture crucial bridge crossings at the Marne River in France. Throughout the month, the American Expeditionary Force waged defensive and counteroffensive warfare against the Germans at the bloody Battle of Belleau Wood.

General Blackjack Pershing World War 1942

In mid-July, the American Expeditionary Force was again tested at the Battle of Chateau-Thierry. Victories in both these engagements led to the end of the last major German offensive of the war.

In September 1918, Pershing successfully led American and French forces in an offensive against the German line in the Saint-Mihiel salient. This victory proved the competency and quality of the American troops and was followed by the final offensive of the war, Meuse-Argonne.

General Blackjack Pershing World War 1944

The slow, bloody advance of Allied troop progressed until November 11, 1918, when an armistice was finally declared.