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Americans on the European Front: Role, Impact, and Aftermath of World War I

Explore the preparations of the United States for World War I, the pivotal role played by American troops in turning the tide of the war, and the conditions in Europe and the US at the end of the war.

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Americans on the European Front: Role, Impact, and Aftermath of World War I

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  1. Chapter 12: The World War I Era III. Americans on the European Front

  2. Objectives • Analyze the preparations of the United States for World War I • Study the ways in which the American troops helped turn the tide of the war. • Learn about conditions in Europe and the US at the end of the war

  3. Bell Ringer • Are allies automatically equals? • Can allies exist without a common enemy? • Ask students what kind of relationships allies share • List 5 ways US entry in the war would change the Allies situation • Change Central Powers situation.

  4. Setting the Scene • US 16th largest army in world • 15,000 marines scattered • 100,000 men in uniform • Sent small group (14,500) under the command of General John “Black Jack” Pershing • movie

  5. A) Preparing for War • Pershing told US to have 1 million by 1918 and 3 million by 1919 • Select Service Act: draft of young men for military service • American Expeditionary Force: Force US sent to Europe (doughboys) • No riots for draft • Limited training – bayonet, gas mask, rifle • convoy: group of unarmed ships surrounded by a ring of military ships • Not one transport ships sunk • US kept independent of Allied forces – Pershing did not want to be defensive – offensive • African Americans (300,000) did menial tasks – US loaned the French the 369th regiment – won the Croix de Guerre – Frances highest combat medal

  6. B) Turning the Tide of War • November 1917 (Red October) – Bolsheviks – Vladimir Lenin’s communists – overthrew the Russian Republic • Germany’s 2 front war over - Race to beat the Americans • Broke the stalemate on March 21st – 1918; by May 50 miles from Paris • US Marines rushed to stop the advance, “We dig no trenches to fall back on. The Marines will hold were they stand” • Allies counter attack wins Battle of Amiens (August)– General Ludendorff tells Kaiser Wilhelm to seek peace • September – 500,000 US soldiers on last push – break all German lines – Germans in full retreat

  7. C) War in the Air • US used biplanes • First used to scout • Dogfights with pistols and later machine guns • Eddie Rickenbacker – 26 kills • zeppelins: floating airships (Germany) • 1918 – fleet of 1,400 planes bombed enemy positions

  8. D) Ending the War • Bulgaria and Ottoman Empire made separate peace • Austria – Hungary splintered – Poles, Hungarians, Czechs, and Slovaks declared independence • Germany asked for peace – allies refused • German navy told to engage British – mutinied at Kiel – spread • Kaiser fled to Holland • armistice: cease-fire November 11, 1918 at 11 am • Influenza epidemic – US brought it to Europe – ravaged Allied and German armies and continental US - 30 million worldwide - .5 million US

  9. E) Results of the War • 50,000 US died in battle • 8 million total – estimate • 5,000 killed on each day • Germany, Austria – Hungary, Russia, and France each lost 1 million • 900,000 troops from Britain • Millions of civilians • genocide: organized killing of an entire people • Ottoman forces committed Genocide on Armenians – disloyal – hundreds of thousands

  10. Review • How did the US prepare to fight in World War I? • In What ways did American troops help turn the tide of war? • What were conditions like in Europe and in the US at the end of the war?

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