Going to War… Preparation At first, Congress sent the Allies naval support, supplies, arms, and $3 billion in loans. Once General Pershing arrived in Europe and surveyed the scene he realized they would need between 1 and 3 million soldiers. Selective Service Act, 1917 American Expeditionary Force Training in bayonet and rifle use, dig a trench, putting on a gas mask, and throwing grenades. Convoy system: It consisted of a group of unarmed ships surrounded by a ring of destroyers, and torpedo boats.

General John Pershing In 1917, Pershing became the Commander–in-Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces. At the start of the war there was no expeditionary force. The regular army consisted of 25,000 men.

New way to fight….

New Technology…Trenches It was dark, and it rained and rained. From all directions one heard in the darkness the wounded calling, crying, and moaning. The wounded we had with us were likewise moaning and crying. All wanted to have their wounds dressed, but we had no more bandages. We tore off pieces of our dirty shirts and placed the rags on those sickening wounds. Men were dying one after the other. There were no doctors, no bandages; we had nothing whatever. You had to help the wounded and keep the French off at the same time. It was an unbearable, impossible state of things. It rained harder and harder. We were wet to our skins. We fired blindly into the darkness. The rolling fire of rifles increased, then died away, then increased again. We sappers were placed among the infantry. My neighbour gave me a dig in the ribs."

Diagram A Key 1.Communication Trench 2.Machine Gun Nest 3.Underground Bunker 4.Traverse 5.Wire Break 6.Listening Post + 7.Trench Block

Diagram B

Life in the trenches… These feet have trench foot and frostbite caused by standing for hours in a freezing waterlogged trench. To avoid this condition soldiers were told to change their socks regularly, wear waterproof footwear or gumboots and cover their feet with whale oil. All we lived on was tea and dog biscuits. If we got meat once a week we were lucky, but imagine trying to eat standing in a trench full of water with the smell of dead bodies nearby. Richard Beasley The stench of the dead bodies now is awful as they have been exposed to the sun for several days, many have swollen and burst. The trench is full of other occupants, things with lots of legs, also swarms of rats. Sergeant A Vine No washing or shaving here, and the demands of nature answered as quickly as possible in the handiest and deepest shell-hole. Guy Chapman

New Technology… Tanks were used for the first time in the First World War. They were developed to cope with the conditions on the Western Front. The first tank was called ‘Little Willie’ and needed a crew of 3. Its maximum speed was 3mph and it could not cross trenches. The more modern tank was not developed until just before the end of the war. It could carry 10 men, had a revolving turret and could reach 4mph. It could roll through barbed wire, and cross trenches. Planes were also used for the first time. At first they were used to deliver bombs and for spying work but became fighter aircraft armed with machine guns, bombs and some times canons. Fights between two planes in the sky became known as ‘dogfights’. These planes were built from wooden frames and covered with cloth. The pilot would sit in an open-air cockpit.

New Technology… Torpedoes were used by submarines. The Germans used torpedoes to blow up ships carrying supplies from America to Britain. The Germans torpedoed the passenger liner Lusitania on May 1st 1915 which sank with a loss of 1,195 lives. Americans were outraged and joined the war in 1917 on the side of the allies. The Zeppelin, also known as blimp, was an airship that was used during the early part of the war in bombing raids by the Germans. They carried machine guns and bombs. However, they were abandoned because they were easy to shoot out of the sky. The German army were the first to use chlorine gas at the battle of Ypres in Chlorine gas causes a burning sensation in the throat and chest pains. Death is painful – you suffocate! The problem with chlorine gas is that the weather must be right. Mustard gas was the most deadly weapon used. It was fired into the trenches in shells. It is colourless and takes 12 hours to take effect. Effects include – blistering skin, vomiting, sore eyes, internal and external bleeding. Death can take up to 5 weeks.

New Technology… Machine guns needed 4-6 men to work them and had to be on a flat surface. They had the fire-power of 100 guns. Large field guns (artillery) had a long range and could deliver devastating blows to the enemy but needed up to 12 men to work them. They fired shells which exploded on impact The main weapon used by British soldiers in the trenches was the bolt- action rifle. 15 rounds could be fired in a minute and a person 1,400 metres away could be killed

The Schlieffen Plan In 1914, Germany believed war with Russia was extremely likely. If war broke out, Germany assumed France would also attack as she was both an ally of Russia and keen for revenge for her defeat in the Franco-Prussian war. If this happened, Germany would face a war on two fronts. Germany wanted to avoid this at all costs. Germany planned to defeat France rapidly and then turn to the eastern front for a major offensive on Russia. This was the basis for the Schlieffen Plan.

ImportantImportant Battles Argonne Forest- largest American gathering of troops

On the Home Front… Financing the war –Liberty Bonds: Special war bonds to support the Allied cause. –They could later be redeemed for their original value plus interest. –These bonds allowed the U.S. to pay for about ¼ of the wars’ cost. Managing the Economy - New agencies: War Industries Board War trade Board National Labor Board War Labor Policies Board -Lever Food and Fuel Control Act: Headed by Herbert Hoover the Food Administration had the power to impose price controls and rationing. -Fuel Administration: Sponsored gasless days and Daylight Savings time.

“Stop before throwing any food away, and ask ‘Can it be used?’… Stop catering to different appetites. No second helpings. Stop all eating between meals… One meatless day a week. One wheatless meal a day… No butter in cooking: use substitutes.” -Herbert Hoover

On the Home Front… Censorship -the government imposed censorship on the press and banned some publications. -George Creel became the head of the Committee on Public Information. His job was to rally support for the war. His office coordinated the production of short films, pamphlets, and posters explaining the goals of the war, recruitment, etc.

Loyalty “Hate the Hun!” The war spurred a hatred toward Germans. German books were taken off shelves, German was no longer taught, hamburger became Salisbury steak, German shepards became police dogs. Espionage Act, 1917: it was illegal to discuss anything “disloyal” about the government. Members of the Socialist Party and Industrial Workers of the World who supported overthrowing capitalism found themselves in jail. “Disloyalty will be dealt with a firm hand of stern repression” -Woodrow Wilson

On the Home Front… Changing People’s Lives –The war practically stopped the flow of immigrants into the United States and young men were taken for military service; the labor pool opened to allow more African Americans and women to take jobs otherwise not available to them.

End of the war… The Allies pressed on in the face of their enemy… the Central Powers collapsed one by one. By November of 1918 the German Kaiser had fled to near by Holland. A citizen of the new German Republic signed an armistice on November 11, Six hours later the guns fell silent. “The 11 th Day, of the 11 th month, and the 11 th hour”

Results of the war… NationTotal Number of servicemen engaged in the war. Number of deaths. Number of soldiers wounded. Number of men taken prisoner or reported missing. Austria7,800,0001,200,0003,620,0002,200,000 Britain (inc Empire) 8,904,467908,3712,090,212191,652 France8,410,0001,357,8004,266,000537,000 Germany11,000,0001,773,7004,216,0581,152,800 Italy5,615,000650,000947,000600,000 Russia12,000,0001,700,0004,950,0002,500,000 Turkey2,850,000325,000400,000250,000 United States4,355,000126,000234,3004,500

Results of the war… Influenza Epidemic –In the last months of the war a flu epidemic swept across the troops killing more soldiers worldwide than in all of the battles fought. –The virus spread easily in crowded and unsanitary conditions. –Half a million Americans died over 30 million people died worldwide.