The American Aunt: US Doughboys & Damsels from Luxembourg

By Fausto Gardini

World War I on the Western front got underway on Saturday, August 1, 1914, with a sort of nonsensical pre-invasion of Luxembourg, before the winds of war swept for over four long years through Belgium and France, with indescribable destructive pandemonium and untold sequels of tragedies and human suffering. Ultimately, on November 21, 1918, units of the American Expeditionary Force (A.E.F.), led by their commander, General John Joseph Black Jack Pershing (1860-1948), paraded through the city of Luxembourg at the heels of hastily retreating German forces, and preceding the arrival of French troops a day later. The war was over. Millions had paid the ultimate prize, most on the battlefields, but many non-combatant civilians too. American soldiers were to stay in Luxembourg throughout the first half of 1919 with the last units departing on July 9, 1919..............The American Third Army became the Army of Occupation. In mid-December 1918, the Fifth Division established its headquarters in the south of Luxembourg, at Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg's second largest city, with many units spread out throughout the region..................Many returning doughboys took more than their equipment and the odd souvenir back to the United States of America. Some brought home a brand-new, happy bride; while others returned to Luxembourg in 1920 or 1921, honoring a pledge made to a budding sweetheart. Some though did leave shattered hearts, disappointed dreams, broken promises ... and babies behind..............Did the girls from Luxembourg find happiness and / or fortune in their new home? What were their dreams and expectations? One can only imagine their trepidation arriving in the United States after four dreary years of German occupation. Their individual stories will never be told. Though, the hope is that this book may, down the road, serve as a source for the odd researcher to discover a feisty ancestor from a small European country who embarked on a fabulous journey across the sea.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1463545444
• ISBN13: 9781463545444
• Release Date: October 2011
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 286 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.7" x 6.0"