Army of Occupation

As part of the Allied Army of Occupation, which occupied German territory between 1918 and 1923, the American Third Army crossed into Germany in December 1918 and took up station in the north sector of the Coblenz bridgehead. Units of the Third Army were stationed at various points within the American area of control and engaged in duties of the occupation, which included participation in civil administration of German territory. The Third Army was discontinued on 2 July 1919 and was eventually succeeded by the "American Forces in Germany."

Major General Edward F. McGlachlin Jr. commanded this newly designated force until 8 July 1919, when its permanent commander, Major General Henry T. Allen, arrived in Germany. From January 1920, Allen worked with the Rhineland High Commission to govern the occupied territory. At noon on 27 January 1923, Allen relinquished command, and American troops ended their occupation of Germany.

Bibliography

Allen, Henry T. The Rhineland Occupation. Indianapolis, Ind.: Bobbs-Merrill, 1927.

Fraenkel, Ernst. Military Occupation and Rule of Law: Occupation Government in the Rhineland, 1918–1923. New York: Oxford University Press, 1944.

Keegan, John. The First World War. New York: Knopf, 1999.

—Eric J. Morser