Also known as: World War I artillery, AEF artillery.
| Period | 1917-1918 |
|---|---|
| Force | American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) |
| Guns | Largely French and British, notably the French 75mm field gun and 155mm guns and howitzers |
| Character | Massed barrages of trench-warfare artillery |
Guns borrowed and learned
The United States entered the First World War in 1917 with a small army and little modern field or heavy artillery of its own ready for service. To arm the American Expeditionary Forces quickly, the Army adopted the artillery of its allies, above all the French, and American batteries in France were equipped in large part with French and British guns.
The most familiar were the French 75mm field gun and the heavier 155mm guns and howitzers, and American gunners adopted French methods of fire. The war on the Western Front was dominated by artillery, with enormous barrages preparing and supporting the infantry, and the experience shaped the modernization of American artillery in the decades that followed.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- CivilWarArtillery.com research archive: historical references on American artillery.