America Fights the Great War

Pictures from the Front

World War I

The Schleiffen Plan

• German plan written in the 1890s to deal with a two-front war

• The plan was to eliminate France initially and rapidly by a hammer – and – anvil move, swinging the majority of the hammer force north across the plains of Belgium

• The plan failed, in large part due unexpected Belgian resistance, and Germany was forced into a two-front war

Dead Russian caught on wire

Church Ruins

Exploding Shells

WWI—a modern war

• New Technology/Inventions• Tank—invented to get through barbed wire• Airplane• Flame Throwers• machine gunners• trench warfare• Chemical Warfare—gases

– mustard gas—burns, blisters, blindness– Phostine—fluid enters lungs, asphyxiation – Poison—sneezing, nausea, vomiting

German Tank-Kampfwagen A7V - 1917 -

British Mk I - 1916

Mark IV - Male

Mark I - Female

This vehicle was called  Male or Female depending on its weaponry (guns and MG for the male version, machine guns only for the female).

• Drawing of a German flame thrower

Trench Warfare

Well Constructed German Trench

War by Air

• The development of the fighter plane arose from the need to prevent enemy reconnaissance aircraft from observing ground activity.

• The Germans introduced the first aircraft equipped with a machine gun that could safely fire through the propeller in July 1915.

Reality of War—3:33

Battles of the first World War

• 1st Battle of the Marne – Stopped the German advance 20 miles from Paris.

• Chateau-Thierry – includes Bella Woods battle. Heavy losses for the U.S. Marines stand out as a fighting force.

• Cantingy – first battle with U.S. Participation• Verdun – Longest and bloodiest battle of the war.

War becomes a moral battle for the French “They Shall Not Pass!”

Battles of the First World War

• Somme – Worst of trench warfare – over 1 million die with no effect in shifting the front line.

• Gallipoli – Attempt to force Turkey out of the war and to open a Southern Supply Route through the Black Sea to Russia

• San Mihiel – First use of the airplane as a bomber• Meuse Argonne – Germans deeply entrenched. 1.5

million American “Dough Boys” fight in this battle. Very large battle near the end of the war. The sheer number of American forces broke german resistance.

Battle of the Marne

• September 5-10, 1914

• German vs. French and English

• Significance: Stopped the German advance 20 miles from Paris.

• Both sides begin digging trenches

• Allied Victory

VerdunFebruary 21 – December 18, 1916

• A series of attacks and counterattacks in and around the town and ancient fortress.

• The Germans tried to beat the French in a war of attrition, but the battle instead turned into a moral cause for the French.

• This battle disintegrated into an artillery barrage, the scars of which are still around today.

Firefighters at Verdun

Verdun Burning

Verdun Dead

French Cemetery at Verdun

The SommeJuly 1 –November 18, 1916

• Series of attacks against established positions – this battle represents the worst of trench warfare

• In one day, the British lost 57,470 (19,240 killed)• Total losses: British 418,000

French 194,000

German 650,000

No change in location of the front

Somme

German dead at the Somme

This is supposedly the grave of the first American killed in WWI

British Gas Casualties—Bethune 1918

German Machine-Gunners in Gas Masks

British Troops “going over the top”—1917

CantignyMay 28 – 29, 1918

First fighting by U.S. Soldiers

Americans successful, but 1000 wounded and 200 dead

US soldiers stop the German advance

Ruins of Cantigny

Chateau ThierryMay 30 – June 17, 1918

• Last major campaign of the war for Pershing/US troops

• American troops attack at Belleau Wood – (6/6-6/26) where they crossed 400 yards of open field towards machine guns – called “The Wood of the Marine Brigade”– “The Gettysburg of this War” - Pershing– Major boost to Allied morale

Bridge at San Mihiel

First massive air campaign

Meuse – ArgonneSeptember 26 – November 11, 1918

• Last offensive

• 40 days of fighting – covered 25 miles

• 117,000 Allied casualties

• 120,000 German casualties

Dead French in Argonne

End of the War

• Nov. 11, 1918 – Armistice Day

• Planned the date, because they wanted to commemorate the death of the “War to end all Wars”

• Allied victors were to meet at Versailles Palace to plan the Treaty

America Fights the Great War at Home

Life for the average soldier…

The AEF had a demographic pattern unique to any army in history.

    37% were unable to read and write.     Only 21% of the drafted enlisted men had some

education beyond grammar school..     10% were African American.    52% were country boys.     39% were first or second generation immigrants to America.

The American Expeditionary Force

• The AEF was led by General John J. Pershing (a.k.a. “Blackjack Pershing”)

• The average American soldier was known as a “Doughboy”

• The American forces were rallied by the George M.Cohan song, “Over There”

Life in the Trenches

The Doughboy and his Gear

A doughboy catches some sleep in the trenches

The Doughboy’s Gas

Mask

Supporting the War—9:33

Wartime Agencies• War Industries

Board- Led by Bernard Baruch

- Coordinated the allocation of raw materials and mandated production levels.- Had complete control over the US economy- Raised industrial production 20%

• The Committee on Public Information- Led by George

Creel- Coordinated US

propaganda- Enlisted stars to

sell bonds and publicly support the war

• National War Labor Board- Headed by William Howard Taft and Frank Walsh- Settled differences between workers and employers to ensure that no strikes would injure the war effort- Recruited workers to fill open industrial jobs

• Food Administration– Headed by

Herbert Hoover– Asked Americans

to grow food in “Victory Gardens

– Encouraged Americans to go without certain foods – “wheatless” and “meatless” days

– Guaranteed farm prices to keep production high

America Fights at Home

• Fuel Administration– Promoted the

conservation of fuel

– Established Daylight Savings Time

– Harry Garfield

• Emergency Fleet Corporation– Provided Ships to

move troops overseas

• Prohibition– US needed grain for

food—not alcohol

– 18th Amendment

America Fights at Home

• Liberty and Victory Bonds– Helped pay for military

and supplies

– War Bonds

– Brought in 2/3 of the money needed for the war

• Selective Service Act– Draft

– Men between 21-30• Later 18-45

– By the end of the war 24 million Americans signed up for the draft

– 4.7 million served

Punish Anti-War Americans

• Espionage Act– People were

imprisoned for fined for…

• Spying

• Sabotage

• Not going along with the draft or sale of bonds

• Sedition Act– People placed in jail

for…• Making speeches

against the war

• Speaking out against the war

Propaganda Posters

The Committee on Public

Information produced many

pieces of propaganda to

encourage Americans to support

the war.

Posters such as this one played on negative images of the Germans and served to dehumanize the enemy.

This poster appealed strongly to immigrants to support the war effort – America had significant German and Irish populations who opposed the war

These posters played on the patriotism of Americans to support the war

Women were needed to keep hope alive as well as the economy running…hence these posters

Women were a crucial labor force at home, as represented in this poster