12.2 & 12.3 The US Enters The Great War 1917-1918

Unterseeboot February 1915 – German U-boat blockade May 7, 1915 – Lusitania crisis September 1, 1915 – Arabic pledge March 24, 1916 – Sussex crisis Sussex pledge: warn ships before Germans attack Woodrow Wilson is pleased to have “kept us out of war.”

1 Road to War Zimmermann Telegram February 25, 1917 Telegraph from Germany to Mexico German-Mexican alliance Intercepted by British intelligence Wilson asks Congress for authority to arm merchant ships.

2 Road to War Russian Revolution March 15, 1917 Autocratic Russia bothered Wilson. Revolutionaries declare a republic. (This would later turn Communist.)

Escalation of U-boat attacks 3 Road to War Escalation of U-boat attacks First weeks of March 1917 German U-boats sink 5 unarmed US merchant ships. Breaking the Sussex Pledge We break off diplomatic relations with Germany Pro-war demonstrations all over US Unrestricted submarine warfare was the main cause for US joining the war.

America Declares War April 6, 1917 The United States declares war on Germany. “The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty.”

Now what?

“Blackjack” Pershing

The Draft May 1917 Selective Service Act drafts young men for military service Any man 21-30 (later 18-45) 4.7 million Americans served as part of the AEF (American Expeditionary Force) Known as the “doughboys”

Alvin York Medal of Honor Recipient Pacifist before the war Killed 25 Germans, captured 125 more AT ONCE Was shouting at them to “Give up!” the whole time

"And those machine guns were spitting fire and cutting down the undergrowth all around me something awful. And the Germans were yelling orders. You never heard such a racket in all of your life. I didn't have time to dodge behind a tree or dive into the brush... As soon as the machine guns opened fire on me, I began to exchange shots with them. There were over thirty of them in continuous action, and all I could do was touch the Germans off just as fast as I could. I was sharp shooting... All the time I kept yelling at them to come down. I didn't want to kill any more than I had to. But it was they or I. And I was giving them the best I had."

Billy Mitchell Earliest American Air Strategist Many American and Foreign Decorations. Called the “Father of Air Force”. Most of his peers and commanders did not like him

African Americans Segregated units, rarely allowed to fight Worked as cooks, laundrymen, etc. 369th US Infantry served with distinction First & longest service of any US regiment Awarded Croix de Guerre by France

Protecting Paris The Argonne Offensive Spring 1918 Russian-German peace treaty German offensive toward Paris Americans save the day!

Protecting Paris “We dig no trenches to fall back on. The Marines will hold where they stand.” They did just that.

Ending the War German sailors mutinied 10-29-18 Central Powers collapsed 1 by 1 Germans begged for peace The Allies refused. German sailors mutinied 10-29-18 Kaiser fled to Holland 11-10-18 Armistice signed 11-11-18 Fighting stopped at 11:00am

Results of the War AEF Total 48,909 dead 230,000 wounded 112,000 more dead to influenza Total 8 million soldiers/sailors dead Millions of civilians

Tomb of the Unknowns