This multi-layered history of World War I's doughboys recapitulates the enthusiasm of scores of soldiers as they trained for war, voyaged to France, and finally, faced the harsh reality of combat on the Western Front. Drawing on journals, diaries, personal narratives and unit histories, Hallas relates the story of men in combat - the men behind the rifles. He portrays the realities of all the major campaigns, from the first experiences in the muddy trenches to the bloody battle for Belleau Wood, from the violent clash on the Marne to the seemingly unending morass of the Argonne. His account reveals what the doughboys saw, what they did, how they felt and the impact the Great War had on them.