The Course and Conduct of World War I How was World War I different from previous wars? Chapter 7 Section 3 Pages 194-199
Introduction 1917 How did Americans view our country s entry into WW I? Great Adventure Noble or heroic cause we can demonstrate our courage Idealism make the world safe for democracy War to end all wars
Introduction William Langer enlisted Here was our one great chance for excitement and risk. We could not afford to pass it up Henry Villard There were posters everywhere. I want you Join the Marines Join the Army and there was a irresistible feeling that you should do something
Introduction Villard joined army to drive ambulances in Italy Realized how little he knew of war The first person I put in my ambulance was a man who had just had a grenade explode in his hands I changed very quickly It was the real world.
A WAR OF FIRSTS 1 ST time the US government committed a large # of troops overseas When US first declared war many Americans thought we would provide money, food, and equipment to the war not troops Could the US train and get to Europe quickly enough to stop Germany?
A WAR OF FIRSTS First Selective Service 200,000 volunteers prior to US entry into WW I Low pay Lacked equipment Few had ever seen combat Military needed tens of thousands more soldiers and quick
A WAR OF FIRSTS First Selective Service May 1917 Selective Service Act national draft Men 21-30 to register US launched a major propaganda campaign to encourage Americans to comply with the draft
A WAR OF FIRSTS First Selective Service Nearly 10,000 men registered Many towns held parades to honor the draftees More than 500,000 draftees began training Allies were anxious for our troops needed help Britain the difference in even a week in the date of arrival may be absolutely vital
A WAR OF FIRSTS Americans reach French soil June 1917 Americans land in France American Expeditionary Force (AEF) Nicknamed doughboys Found under command of General John J Pershing Most were infantry soldiers who fought on foot American presence boosted Allies morale
A WAR OF FIRSTS Americans reach French soil When Americans reached France the war was not going well for the Allies Armies were suffering staggering losses of men, even when winning battles Battle at Passchendaele November 1917 cost Allies 300,000 soldiers just to regain control of 5 miles in German held territory
A WAR OF FIRSTS Americans reach French soil Russian Revolution was causing trouble for Allies as well Russian troops were able to occupy the Central powers on the eastern front When Russia s new leaders took control of the government they were making plans to withdraw Russia from the war
A WAR OF FIRSTS Americans reach French soil 1918 Russia peacemakers met with German and Austrian officials Treaty of Bret-Litovsk Treaty hurts Russia Forces them to give up large amount of land Finland, Poland, Ukraine as well as Baltic State Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
A WAR OF FIRSTS Americans reach French soil After this treaty the Central powers gained not only territory but ended the fighting on the eastern front Germany could now put all of its troops in the western front
A WAR OF FIRSTS Americans reach French soil Allies asked General Pershing to put his troops in the Allied forces where men had died or were wounded Pershing declined this and kept the AEF together 1. He didn t like the Allied military strategy 2. If US does well as a separate Army the US could demand more in the peace making process after war
NEW TECHNOLOGY Unlike wars of the past Before combat was hand to hand and face to face Before troops only fired at targets they could see WWI became more impersonal thus more deadly
NEW TECHNOLOGY Killing Machines: Machine Gun automatic and rapid fire. 600 bullets per minute Flame Thrower Large cannons (howitzers)
NEW TECHNOLOGY Machine gun changed military strategy Well placed machine guns cold stop a large force Allied armies didn t learn this well at first and would plow across a field and get picked off by the enemy s machine guns
NEW TECHNOLOGY Flame thrower Old weapon Tubes of burning fuel hurdled at one another Could attack nearby trenches but not be fired long distances
NEW TECHNOLOGY Heavy artillery big guns Gunners loaded them with shells and small lead balls Used big guns to deliver poison gas Used to blast through barbed wire, knock out enemy machine gun nests and lob poison gas shells on enemy trenches
NEW TECHNOLOGY Germany s Big Berthas big guns most famous Weight 75 tons and could fire 2100 pound shells a distance of more than 9 miles Largest mobile guns on a battlefield Used these to sweep through Belgium Heavy Artillery caused more than half the battle casualties of World War I
NEW TECHNOLOGY Even though there were great changes, the rifle was the most used weapon of World War I Lighter and easier to carry Good aim = sharpshooters Rifles were key in trench warfare
TRENCHES Ground attacks were too dangerous with machine guns and heavy artillery Open fields and charging each other were too dangerous Dug trenches for protection
TRENCHES Multiple lines of trenches Zig zag patterns to make it hard for sharpshooters to hit soldiers Frontline trenches were closest to the enemy Hurled grenades and fired machine guns in the front lines
TRENCHES Behind the front line were the supply trenches Ammo, supplies and communication equipment were here
TRENCHES Third line of reserve trenches weary soldiers rested before going back to front lines Soldiers rotated through the three categories of trenches
TRENCHES Trenches were 6 8 feet deep Wide enough for 2 people to stand side by side Short trenches connected front lines to the others Trench systems had kitchens, bathrooms and supply rooms Nurses were there for medical care
TRENCHES Barbed wire circled the front line and in the open area between the opposing trenches No Man s Land 250 yard wide (2.5 football fields) Crossing this could be deadly Going into no man s land meant you could be shot or blown up
TRENCHES Stalemate because both side stayed in trenches, firing when could Neither side could safely pass no man s land and it was difficult to gain an upper hand
TRENCHES Trenches were muddy Conditions terrible Smelled of rotting bodies, sweat and overflowing latrines Trench foot painful foot infection Fevers were common Lice, frogs and rats often surrounded the men
TRENCHES One got used to many things, but I never overcame the horror of the rats. They abounded in some parts, great loathsome beasts gorged with flesh About the same time every night the dug out was invaded by swarms of rats. They gnawed holes in our backpacks and devoured our rations Everyone at War
Chemical Weapons Chemical weapons Poison gas to kill the enemy Germany was the first to use it Odorless mustard gas is the most dangerous and deadliest Huge painful blisters, blindness and lethal damage to the lungs If you survived you had life long injuries
Chemical Weapons Release mustard gas from can and relied on the wind to carry to the enemy Shifting winds could be an issue Put the gas in shells and fired at one another Gas masks help troops survive these attacks
Tanks Could drive over barbed wire and crush it Steer up steep embankments and across ditches Germany was slow to develop a tank Allies developed tanks first
Airplanes Planes were easier to fly and could travel further than ever before. 1 st used planes to scout enemy territory Next pilots would lean out of the plane and shoot at enemy pilots or drop bombs by hand Dutch inventor Anthony Fokker built a device that timed the firing of a machine gun with rotation of a plane s propeller.
Airplanes Pilots could safely fire a machine gun mounted on the front of the plane Zeppelins high flying, gas filled airships Used these in bombing raids Germany bombed London with these Often missed targets though British countered with planes that could fly just as high and fire bullets sharp enough to blow up the zeppelins
War at Sea Battleships Britain had built the biggest and most heavily armored ship 1916 German and British navies fought a major naval battle with their battleships neither side was a clear winner Germany s new strategy U-boats First four months of 1917, German U-boats sank more than 1,000 ships
War at Sea Allied warships tried to escort supply ships across the sea Helped decrease the loss of merchant ships 1918 Allies laid an underwater barrier of mines across the North Sea and English Channel to combat U-Boats
War Comes to a Close 1918 Allies knew Germany would launch an offensive to try to end the war in the West We should strike before the Americans can throw strong forces into the scale Kaiser Wilhelm II
War Comes to a Close Spring 1918, Germans began their final push Advanced to within 50 miles of Paris Americans were arriving at the rate of 300,000 per month This was enough to make a difference in the war s outcome July 15- Aug 5, 1918 American s joined the French at the Battle of the Marne Allied forces counter attacked and German troops fell back
War Comes to a Close Late Sept 1918 Allies launched Meuse-Argonne Offensive Goal was to break through the German line and reach the Sedan railroad in northern France The rail line was Germany s main line of communication and supplies 6 weeks of hard fighting in the Argonne forest and the American s achieved their goal Nov 11, 1918 Germany agreed to an armistice a truce
Costs and Casualties Costs were immense 8 million soldiers died 21 million injured Millions of civilians throughout Europe starved or died from disease or other war related causes US 116,000 soldiers killed and twice as many wounded or missing
Costs and Casualties Horrific damage to farms, forests, factories, towns and homes through Europe Destroyed roads, bridges, railroads and other transportation facilities Economic recovery in Europe would be slow and painful Human Spirit hard to measure, but real
World War I Comes to an End
A Flawed Peace January 1919 27 countries Treaty of Versailles Lasted 5 months Big Four: US, France, Italy, Britain Russia not invited to conference others refused to recognize this as a legitimate government
Fourteen Points Wilson believed this would bring lasting peace The principle of justice to all people and nationalities First 5: eliminate the causes of war through free trade, freedom of the seas, disarmament and impartial adjustment of colonial claims, open diplomacy
Fourteen Points Next 8 points: National Self Determination Borders should be based on ethnicity and national identify No nation can keep territory taken from another nation 14 th Point League of Nations
Treaty of Versailles Wilson was popular in Europe Was willing to give up some of 14 points to get the League of Nations Other Allied Powers wanted to punish Germany
Treaty of Versailles Treaty included many terms to weaken Germany Army forces were greatly reduced in size Germany was not allowed to put troops west of the Rhine River Treaty blamed Germany for the war
Treaty of Versailles When Germany signed the treaty they admitted they were responsible for the war Reparations made Germany pay for damages during the war Would keep Germany s economy weak for a long time
Treaty of Versailles Wilson had some success with selfdetermination Four empires were dismantled Austro-Hungarian Empire, Russian Empire, German Empire, Ottoman Empire 9 new nations: Austria, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Yugoslavia
Treaty of Versailles Many of Wilson s 14 points were left out of treaty He did achieve his primary goal though and the League of Nations was included
Senate Rejects Treaty Need 2/3s of Senate to sign Treaty Senate was now Republican Irreconcilables opposition to treaty, no matter what Reservationists willing to support if some changes to League of Nations were made
Treaty of Versailles Reservationists were worried that they would be forced to war without Congress consent Congress never signed treaty When Wilson left office the US negotiated peace with each Central Power League of Nations existed, just without the US