Chapter 19 Section 3
Americans on the European Front
In what ways was the United States
unprepared to help the Allies in 1917?
• The U.S. Army was very
small
• The Marines were busy
patrolling Central
American nations and
Pacific possessions
• The National Guard
needed training
• Only 120 small planes
• Only 55 pilots
In what ways did the U.S. offer
immediate help?
• Wilson sent the Allies
an initial force of 14,500
men led by General
John J. Pershing
• Naval support
• Supplies
• Weapons
• $3billion in loans
Why do you think this poster was so
effective?
• It inspired patriotism
while also bringing the
war to a personal level
– It is a direct appeal to
the viewer
Selective Service Act
• Passed in 1917
• Authorized a draft of
young men for military
service
– 24 million men
registered for the draft
– 3 million were drafted
American Expeditionary Force (AEF)
• American armed forces
sent to Europe
Why was training important to the war
effort?
• Most soldiers were new
to the armed forces and
needed to learn how to
– Dig ditches
– Fight with bayonets
– Learn how to operate
modern weapons
Convoy
• Consisted of a group of
unarmed ships
surrounded by a ring of
destroyers, torpedo
boats, and other armed
naval vessels equipped
with hydrophones to
track and destroy
submarines
Why were convoys important to
American war efforts?
• They enabled new
recruits to be protected
and safely transported
to Europe
How did tanks overcome the obstacles of
barbed wire, sandbags, and enemy guns?
• Tanks were able to roll
right over these
obstacles with their
heavy, durable treads.
How did American soldiers contribute
to the Allied counterattack?
• American soldiers drove
Germans out of heavily
defended positions in
September of 1918
• Later in September,
American forces took
part in an offensive that
forced the German
army to retreat
Zeppelin
• German floating air
ship…or blimp
– Zeppelins took part in
the German bombing of
London
Armistice
• A Cease fire
• Germany agreed to a
cease fire on November
11,1918 at 11am
Why did Germany agree to an
armistice in November of 1918?
• The Central Powers
were collapsing
• German soldiers
realized that defeat was
inevitable
• The German navy
mutinied
• German workers went
on a general strike
How did America’s losses in the war
compare to Germany, France and Britain?
• The U.S. only lost about
50,000 soldiers to battle
and a bunch more to
disease
• Germany and France
lose more than a million
each
• British lose just under
90,000
How do you think these losses affect the way that
people in these countries remember WWI?
• Millions are wounded
• An entire generation of
people are missing
fathers, brothers and
sons
• Physical and
psychological suffering
• Damage to land and
buildings
How did new weapons change the way
that soldiers fought during the war?
• Tanks allowed the Allies
to break though
German lines
• Aircraft were used to
scout enemy positions,
direct combat, drop
bombs
Genocide
• The organized killing of
an entire race of people
• The Ottoman Empire
would do this to the
Armenian people