General description of the collection: This report was forwarded from Headquarters, US Army American Forces in Germany, 1918-1923, Coblenz, 13 Jan 1923. In order to carry out a portion of a training course it was considered desirable to send as many officers as practicable to visit the battlefields of Metz and Verdun, where they were to offered the services of local French officers to explain the military movements at the places visited, through the kind courtesy of General Degoutte, commanding the armies of the Rhine. The report is a brief statement of observations of various committees who were selected to report on certain aspects of these battles. There were 16 US Army, 3 British and 1 French officer that went on the staff ride. Included is a detailed list of stops and meals for the trip. The second half consists of summaries of the reports the group prepared. The group was split into five teams, one each for infantry, cavalry, field artillery, communication, and the service of supply. The teams reported on the actions of their particular subject at both the battles of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 and the Great War (World War I, WWI), 1914-1918. The tactics and strategies of both armies in both wars are mentioned.
