French Praise for
the American Approach to the
First World War

In a column for La Revue Mondale, written ten years after the Armistice, Stéphane Lauzanne (1887 – 1928), Editor-in-Chief of the semi-official Paris Matin wrote a few bitter-sweet words about the American character and how it was both a hindrance and a benefit to the Allies in the war. Yet, he was full of praise when he recalled the bold and forward-thinking manner in which America entered the war and committed both blood and treasure:

“…all America sees far ahead and sees on a grand scale…when America entered the war, it did not say: ‘Let us get a few regiments together, give some money to our allies, and send some bushels of wheat to various ports.’ No, America envisioned the matter on a big scale. Men were recruited by the millions, and the money to be sent to the Allies was calculated in the millions. The wheat for Europe was grouped in millions of bushels. The material necessary for construction of sixteen great camps was gathered in millions of cubic yards. If America had not seen the problem on this grand scale, would the war have ended as quickly?”

Click here to read an interview with the World War I American fighter pilot Eddy Rickenbacker.