Americans in Europe Unit 2 Section 2 Part 3

A. Raising an Army  U.S. did not have a large standing army  Selective Service Act  Men ages get drafted  Some men refused the draft base on religion  Conscientious Objectors  African Americans served in segregated units

B. Arriving in Europe  American soldiers were placed under the command of Gen. John J. Pershing  In order to get troops to Europe safely, U.S. used the Convoy System  Troops ships escorted across the Atlantic by battleships  When Americans arrived, Europeans wanted U.S. to begin fighting  Pershing decided instead to train

C. Allied Setbacks  November 1917, Russia taken over by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks  Russia becomes communist and withdraws from the war  Now Germany can focus solely on their western front

D. U.S. Troops in Action  After almost 12 months of training, U.S. troops sent into battle  Life in trenches was harsh  Constant bombing  Poisoned gas  Rats  U.S. troops were a major factor in the war  U.S. saved Paris in June 1918 and halted German advance

E. American Military Women  French-speaking American women worked as switchboard operators  Called Hello Girls  20,000 women served as nurses  Also served as typists, bookkeepers, telegraphers, radio operators, and electricians

F. The End of the War  July 15, 1918, Germans launch a last ditch effort to invade France  2 nd Battle of the Marne  U.S. destroy every German bridge on the Marne River  Germans retreat  Allies then push into Belgium and expel Germans

 The Armistice  By late 1918, German economy crippled by war  Civilians lacked food and supplies  Food riots and strikes broke out  Revolution swept across Austria-Hungary  Central Powers began to surrender  Nov. 11, 1918, Armistice went into effect  8.5 million people dead