Publication Date
7-1-2018
Document Type
Article
First Page
186
Last Page
201
Abstract
On April 6, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson declared that the United States would enter World War 1 on the side of the Allies, a move that would mobilize the American army and propel the 26th National Guard Division onto the world stage. Originally comprised only of boys from the New England states, most of whom had barely left home and had never fired a rifle in combat, this brave unit was put to the test on the Western Front against the Kaiser’s army, an enemy who had been at war for three years. The 26th was the first American military unit to arrive in full force in France. With almost 12,000 casualties in the 37 kilometers it had advanced by the end of the war, the 26th gained notoriety for its brutal fighting and recognition for its courage under fire, securing a place for itself in the annals of history. Steven Alboum, who came from Hillsborough, New Jersey, to study at the University of Maine, is currently working on a Bachelor of Arts in History. He hopes to eventually earn a doctoral degree and become a college professor.
Recommended Citation
Alboum, Steven. "Yankees on the Western Front: New England in France During World War I." Maine History 52, 2 (2018): 186-201. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainehistoryjournal/vol52/iss2/5