Les Invalides during the Great War, twenty second episode : 4 July 1917, celebration of Independence Day !

This photograph shows the American General Pershing walking at a brisk pace across the main courtyard of the Hôtel des Invalides on 4 July 1917. Beside him on his left, with his top hat in his hand, the President of the French Republic, Raymond Poincaré, keeps in step with him.

American soldiers, all of the same height, are standing to attention and keep back the crowd pushing forward to see the military and political leaders. The public has invaded the courtyard’s upper balconies and, to the right of the picture, has even formed a sort of pyramid in the courtyard. To the left of the picture, French soldiers, wearing Adrian helmets, stand on guard and remind us of the role played by aviation during the Great War. The roundel is visible on its wingtips.

French and Americans together celebrate the American national holiday. The French officially handed over to the Americans the emblems of the War of Independence kept in the Musée de l’Armée. In return, American volunteers offered their flags to General Niox, the museum’s director. The ceremony took place in the presence of Pershing, Poincaré, Painlevé, the Minister of War, the Minister of the Navy, the presidents of the Senate and the
Chamber, and also Marshall Joffre, General Foch, deputies, as well as descendants of those who fought in the American War of Independence.

Black Jack

As Germany launched an all-out submarine war in early 1917, the United States declared war on 6 April 1917. President Wilson chose General John Joseph Pershing (1860-1948), nicknamed «Black Jack», to command the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in France. Pershing, who spoke French well, arrived in Paris in June 1917.