A bit mor erecent, but wasn’t this British chap who got accused of war crimes in Iraq in charge of some US soldiers? If I remember correctly, it was a US soldier that was unhappy with the situation that made the accusations.
began after WW1.
After the Czar was overthrown in Russia, a small military force was sent by the Allies to secure the Russian ports. This was a combined force,.
In Siberia, a joint-command US/Japanese force almost started shooting each other.
But in the European ports, the problems for US forces were much worse.
All American troops had their US-made weapons taken away, & inferior Russian-made equipment was issued. This was intended to insure that the troops could use materials made in Russian factories, & not be dependent on imported supplies. Bad idea. Most Red Army forces had US made weapons, that the Czar had purchased & issued. Also, lack of raw materials forced ammo factories to close.
The force commander was British, and the mission objectives were murky. Conflicting objectives were issued by the Joint Agreement, and the British Foreign Office. The British Commander ignored the Agreement, and carried out the Foreign Office’s directives.
With all the evasions & BS sweped away, the British Commander tried to move inland & overthrow the Reds. His troops were improperly equipped for a Russian Winter, & he himself issued various orders that further damaged morale.
US Officers were ignored or relegated too minor roles, while British officers in the field over-used US troops, thus avoiding British casualties.
There were instances in which US soldiers were court-martialed under British regs, & their own officers were not allowed to represent them, or even testify.
Disease, especially the 1918 Spanish Flu, killed many.
Casualties were high, morale low.
Eventually, Washington raised Hell, & uS forces were withdrawn.
This was one of our first experiences in letting other nations command our troops, & it was a complete bust.
BTW–much of the hostility towards the West in Soviet Russia dates from this era.
US reservists have been, probably still are, under British command in Iraq, it doesn’t always work out well.. Nothing new in that notion.
Policy (at least the US Government public version of policy) and operational realities rarely mesh.