The 26th 'Yankee' Division and WWI
New England National Guard Troops and Mobilization, 1917
Sep 5, 2008 Nicholas Efstathiou
April 6th, 1917, America went to war against Imperial Germany. While the Regular Army prepared to expand, the National Guard units were called up. Due to the close proximity of the New England guard units to one another the 26th Division was ready for deployment by September 1st, 1917. Ambitious staff officers found available shipping via Canadian ships for transport to England. From England the unit moved on to Neufchateau, France for training.
The Mobilization of the New England National Guard, 1917
The organization of the New England National Guard began with a letter from the Adjutant-General’s office on August 13th, 1917, to Major-General Clarence R. Edwards. The General received orders to mobilize the New England National Guard units into a divisional formation and to prepare it for overseas deployment. Within several weeks guard units such as the 9th, 6th, and 5th Massachusetts were amalgamated into one, with the process being repeated throughout the New England states. This continued until the division’s order of battle conformed to Regular Army standards.
The Yankee Division from the United States to France
With the rapid mobilization of National Guard units, as well as conflicting shipping priorities with the English government and a less than subtle bias on the part of Regular Army officers for the National Guard, transport for troops proved to be a rare commodity.
New England staff officers used both business and familial connections in their effort to secure transportation for their division. These efforts proved fruitful with the discovery of available ships in Montreal, Canada. With the procurement of the ships all save one unit of the division – the 2nd Battalion of the 102nd Infantry stranded by shipboard mechanical failure – had sailed for the war by October 10th, 1917.
Logistical Issues in Neufchateau, France, 1917
As the division sailed from the United States to England, and then from England to France, the problem of logistics arose to a position of prominence. The majority of the division trained in Neufchateau for the war.
Once in their training camps, however, the division was plagued by numerous issues. Men did not have the cold weather gear necessary for the increasingly harsh French winter. Nor did the men have a means – either engine or animal powered – to bring food or heating fuel from the depots to their quarters.
New Englanders fight Germany
By February, 1918, however, elements of the 26th Division took up various positions in the lines. To the New England troops went a distinct honor, that of firing off an artillery barrage while representing the first fully formed American Division, as recorded by Harry A. Benwell in his History of the Yankee Division. The division, along with other National Guard units, would go on to prove their fighting worth.
The Yankee Division as Representatives of National Guard Professionalism
In the final analysis the 26th Division set a high standard for other National Guard Divisions. The 26th quickly mobilized and equipped a large majority of its troops within a matter of weeks. Staff officers used personal connections outside of their military roles to ensure rapid transportation. Finally, the division overcame logistical problems to fire the first rounds for a fully formed American division. With their energy, discipline, and motivation, the officers and men of the 26th proved themselves to be fine representatives of the professionalism to be found within American National Guard units.
Sources
Benwell, Harry A. History of the Yankee Division. Boston: The Cornhill Company, 1919.
Final Review, 1919
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