At the end of the Great War, the U.S. Army faced the challenge of integrating what it had learned in its war effort. During the interwar years the army sought to balance readiness and modernization in a period of limited resources and technological advances with profound implications for the conduct of warfare.In ""After the Trenches"", William O. Odom traces the military's developments between the world wars through an examination of the army's primary doctrine manuals, the Field Service Regulations. Odom concludes that the Field Service Regulations of 1923 successfully assimilated the experiences of the First World War and translated them into viable tactical practice.This impressively researched study serves as the standard reference on the subject for scholars and others interested in military history. It also broadens the perspectives of those who must deal with these important contemporary issues.