After the Shooting Stopped: US Military Police After the Armistice of World War I

摘要

While there was a great demand for military police in Europe during World War I, the need increased after the Armistice of 11 November 1918. US military police became part of the occupation forces and remained in Europe until 1922. The first military police units formed in the US Army were two companies with the 1st Infantry Division in May 1917, only one month after the US declaration of war against Germany. They were also the first US military police to arrive in France, in July 1917. By the end of that year, US military police had arrived with four more divisions and began training with the French armies. The divisional military police were placed under the train headquarters of the division and the commander of the trains also served as the provost marshal of the combat division. (A "train" was defined during World War I as a convoy of wagons or trucks, not actual railroad trains.) This situation existed until October 1918, when the commander of the divisional military police company became the provost marshal of the combat division.