Chapter 11 Section 2

 Pg:  Directions: Answer the following question using 5-7 sentences  What did the entrance of the United States tip the Balance of power?

 When the U.S. entered the war there were 200,000 enlisted men, the government needed more service men.  Selective Service Act: May 1917, authorization of a draft of young men for military service. Men required to register with the government, in order to be randomly selected.  By 1918, 24 million men had signed up and 3 million were called upon.

 400,000 African Americans served in the armed forces.  More than half served in France.  They were put in segregated units and excluded from the marines and navy.  Women were also excluded from the military, but allowed in the Army Corps of Nurses. But they were denied army rank, pay and benefits.  13,000 women were accepted into non-military positions during the war.

 U.S. had to find a way to transport men, food and equipment over the ocean, but more ships were being sunk than built.  U.S. took 4 steps to meet this demand  Shipyard workers exempt from the draft  Government emphasized importance of shipyard work.  Ships built in several parts, and put together at shipyard.  Commercial and Private ships converted for war use.

 Because of German U-boat threat, government created convoy system: heavy guard of destroyers escorted merchant ships back and forth across the Atlantic groups.  Eventually Germany was losing more U-boats and men, than they could replace or train.  When the U.S. had entered the war, 2 ½ years of WWI had already passed.  The U.S. brought a large number men, freshness, and enthusiasm to the war effort.

 American Expeditionary Force (AEF): Voluntary national guardsmen, during the time of the draft.

 WWI, brought about the large scale use of weapons in modern warfare.  Some weapons were new, some were refined which changed the nature of warfare.  The two most innovative weapons were the tank and airplane.  Together they started the use of mechanized warfare

 Tanks  Ran on caterpillar treads  They were built of steel which repelled bullets.  First used in the Battle of Somme in  By 1917 British learned how to drive them through barbed wire.  Airplanes  Early planes were flimsy and meant for scouting.  Pilots would sit in open air cockpits firing at each other with pistols.  Eventually, planes carried machine guns; but the propeller blades would get in the way.

 Observation Balloons  Used by both sides in Europe.  They were important strategically, and protected by aircraft  Were prime targets for fighter pilots.  Poison Gas  Yellow-green chlorine fog would sicken, suffocate burn, and blind it’s victims.  Gas masks became standard issue on both sides.

 New weapons and tactics brought new injuries and hazards.  Men were surrounded by filth, lice, rats, and polluted water.  Body’s would rot in the trenches, men would suffer from lack of sleep; and constant bombing would cause “shell shock”.  Men developed trench foot, caused by standing in cold wet trenches for long periods of time. The toes would turn red or blue, and then start to rot.

 1917, Russia pulled out of the war.  Germany then turned their focus on France, and at this point U.S. then joined the war.  U.S. troops played a major role in pushing the German back, and leading to an offensive by the allies.  November 3, 1918, Austria-Hungary surrendered to the allies. At the same time German soldiers began revolting against their government.

 Although there were no allied soldiers in Germany, they surrendered because they were to tired to fight.  On November 11, 1918, Germany agreed to a cease fire and signed and armistice-truce that ended the war.