Americans at War: WORLD WAR I
Dec 27, 2015
Americans at War: WORLD WAR I
Congress declared war in April 1917
More than a year passed before American troops made a significant contribution to the war
ALLIED POWERS: Britain, France, United States, Russia
CENTRAL POWERS: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
Review
While the U.S. was preparing its army, Allies in Europe were growing very desperate
February-April 1917: German submarines sank 844 Allied vessels
Britain’s top naval official predicted Germany would win the war unless the flow of supplies from America increased
Joining the Fight
To maintain the flow of products needed to sustain the war effort, Allied naval leaders developed a CONVOY system
◦ A convoy is a large group of merchant vessels sailing together
Protect Allied Shipping
Light and fast Allied destroyers accompanied the convoys
The first convoys reached Britain in May
Because of the convoy system, Allied ship losses fell to a fraction of what they had been
Meanwhile, American forces were preparing to go overseas
The U.S. Army chose John J. Pershing to command the American Expeditionary Force, which was what American troops were known as in Europe
American Expeditionary Force
Pershing (pictured to the left) insisted that American soldiers fight in separate units under American command
They were rarely integrated with British or French units
President Wilson believed that in order to look victorious, the Americans had to prove themselves on their own in battle
The first American troops reached Europe in June 1917
The unit was not ready for combat…This unit was known as the “First Division”
◦ They were trying to boost up the spirits of the French, who were down from all the fighting
Even though the First Division was not very skilled at fighting, they still brought hope to the Allied nations by finally showing up to fight
1917: Allies were waiting for more American troops, but they were growing increasingly desperate
On the Western Front, Great Britain was very bogged down
Austria-Hungary and Germany had major victories in the meantime
Setbacks and Advances
The new government in Russia was struggling to keep up the war effort
Russian army was exhausted
Under the new leader, Vladimir Lenin, a new form of government started: COMMUNISM◦ Communism is an economic and political system
based on the idea that social classes and the right to private property should be eliminated
Russia Makes Peace
Lenin and Communist Russia
Lenin’s first order of business as a communist leader: pull Russia out of the war
In March 1918, Russia and Germany signed a peace agreement… called the “Treaty of Brest-Litovsk”◦ Transferred 30 percent of Russia’s territory to
Germany
This peace in the east was a huge setback to the Allies
Could Germany knock out the Allies before the bulk of American forces reached Europe?
On March 21, 1918, the German army unleashed a series of attacks called a “peace offensive”
They wanted to defeat the Allies quickly and bring peace
Germany Attacks
Pershing traveled to France to pledge that American troops would now fight under the French
This helped raise the French spirits
The Germans eventually broke through the Allied lines in Belgium and France and eventually reached a town just 50 miles from Paris
While millions of Parisians were fleeing, American troops had arrived to help the Allies