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61 Chapter 4 France, 1918 Private Neibaur wrote, “On the 10th of February[1918] I was transferred to the Forty-second, or Rainbow Division. Continued with them until I was wounded and disabled.”1 The 42nd Division arrived in France in segments beginning in November 1917 and was one of the first of four American divisions to arrive in France to form the first major combat units of the AEF, or the American Expeditionary Force. World War I was America’s first major conflict abroad deploying millions of men, billions of dollars of resources, and huge army formations. To lead such a major and complex campaign , the United States needed an exceptional army officer to command this force. That leader was one of several major generals in the Regular Army, and one of the older ones for that matter, who had a nickname gained from his early years with a black cavalry regiment on the frontier that stuck: “Black Jack.” A Missourian and West Point graduate of 1886, John J. Pershing was one of the most promising officers in the army at the turn of the century.2 When President Theodore Roosevelt decided to promote him from captain to brigadier general, skipping three ranks and hundreds of other more senior officers , Pershing was a marked man. “Teddie” Roosevelt, the old Rough Rider, fought with “Black Jack” in Cuba in 1898, forming a friendship and mutual regard that paid off, at least for 62 Place the Headstones Where They Belong the former cavalryman of the 10th Cavalry.3 When another crisis came along on the Mexican border in 1916, Pershing led more than 130,000 soldiers and guardsmen to find and punish the Mexican revolutionaries.4 When President Wilson contemplated the requirements for a commander for the American Expeditionary Forces, he wanted an experienced and determined officer. Even before the war he had first considered the battle-hardened veteran of the Philippine Insurrection (1899–1902) and Medal of Honor recipient Major General Frederick Funston. But Funston suddenly died during the winter of 1917 of a massive heart attack just weeks before the declaration of war. Pershing was Wilson’s second choice and proved to be an outstanding and perhaps better choice.5 General Pershing had the tremendous task of organizing, deploying, training, and leading an expeditionary force that later grew into an army group of nearly two million soldiers. Pershing and the AEF had several bloody campaigns with the Germans before them. He also had a few battles with the Allies. By any standard his was an incredible feat. Pershing had a lot of help, and he especially was blessed with a crop of mostly decent, God-fearing, and dedicated American soldiers . The greatest challenge that Pershing faced was probably not the Germans or training and leading a vast army, but the Allies themselves. Great Britain and France, as we will see, constantly wanted to “amalgamate” the AEF and distribute individual soldiers and smaller units, no larger than regiments, to their own divisions and corps, assigning them permanently, for the duration of the war. Perhaps Pershing’s greatest service was to keep the AEF intact.6 However, Pershing and his staff realized some adjustments had to take place. Not all the divisions arriving were needed on the front immediately. Officers, NCOs, and soldiers were also needed as replacements to those divisions in the sectors. The reason Neibaur was transferred to the 42nd was because the 41st Division no longer served as a combat unit but became a training depot division, a pool for replacements assisting other divisions as they arrived. The AEF recommended that the shortage of officers in other divisions France, 1918 63 should be taken from the 42nd Division. It seemed likely that the 42nd would face the same fate as the 41st Division. Fortunately for the 42nd Division, its chief of staff was Colonel Douglas MacArthur, who would not accept the stripping of the Rainbow Division that he helped create and name. He quarreled with the AEF staff over this and many other issues, several exchanges becoming altercations, and then he made a visit to Chaumont, the AEF headquarters. There he convinced Brigadier General James Harbord, the AEF chief of staff, to keep the 42nd Division intact. Harbord in turn convinced Pershing. It worked. The Rainbow Division remained an active combat division but MacArthur paid a heavy price by alienating the AEF staff.7 A difficult challenge that Private Neibaur now faced was his new company and regiment...

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