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Some of the AEF Doughboys men stayed in France untill the final War settlement. Most of the AEF was slated for transport home, but it took some time to find the shipping to get more than a million men back home. As a result, there was considerable time for AEF soldiers to meet the French. Actually most AEF soldiers spent more time training before commited to conbat and then after the Armistice awaiting transport home. After the Armistace, the Doughboys had a great deal of free time. There was no more training. So there was mostly free time. For most American World War I Doughboys it was the first time away from home. Most of the soldiers had not even traveled widely in the United States, let alone Europe. We do not yet have much information about French experiences with the Americans or the Americans with the French. One widely reported experience was how more open or liberal the French were about cultural matters, incliding dress, drinking, race, sex and other matters. It was an eye-opening experience for many Americans. There seem to have been relaively few French war brides. We are not precisely sure why that was. Becaue of the timing of the Armitice, most Doughboys spent Chritmas 1918 with the French. It must have been an emtional time--for the both the Americans and French. For the Dougboys the war was over and they had mase it--but friends were lost. For the French the War was over, although fathers, brothers, and husbans were lost and there was massive huge devestation in the north and northeast. Some 1.4 milliom menm had been killed and 4.3 million wounded--many severely.
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