155 US 16th Infantry Regiment "Doughboys", 1917

On April 6, 1917 the United States of America entered the Great War.

Landing in France at the end of June 1917, the 16th Infantry Regiment was part of the 1st Infantry Division, soon to be known as the "Big Red One" due to the shoulder insignia adopted in 1918. The 1st Division was the advance guard of America's fighting men, and the 16th Regiment was the first American unit to suffer combat casualties in November 1917.

"Doughboys" was the nickname that attached to the Americans. There are various stories about where the sobriquet originated; one references the Pancho Villa expedition in 1916 when marching troops were covered in white Adobe dust, and referred to as "adobes" or "dobies" by mounted troops. However there is no definitive agreed origin story to the name.

This set shows the troops with the Montana-peak style campaign hat, gaiters (later to be replaced by puttees) and field pack. The bayonet for their Springfield M1903 rifle is carried on the field pack.

Marking the start of a new World War 1 series, we have commissioned a special label for the box and will be boxing all American related sets in the blue star paper.  The label is original artwork by David Cowe in pastel on paper, taken from a photograph of American troops in France.  The label features gold foil lettering and border.  This is in keeping with the style of many contemporary compendium books on the Great War.