Section 2

 1917 army and National Guard combined had around 300,000 troops  Many more were needed for war  Progressives, who were still in power, believed a draft was a violation of democratic and republican beliefs  Conscription- forced military service  Congress realized a draft was needed  Created a new conscription system called selective service  Selective Service Act required all men between to register for the draft  A lottery randomly selected the order  2.8 million Americans were drafted; 2 million more volunteered

 Selective Service Act required all men between to register for the draft  A lottery randomly selected the order  2.8 million Americans were drafted; 2 million more volunteered  Soldiers train for 8 months, often drill with fake weapons

 Nearly 400,000 African Americans were drafted  42,000 served overseas as combat troops  African Americans encountered many challenges  Encountered discrimination  Encountered prejudice  Segregated units with white officers  Fought with distinction in the war  Many won praise from Marshal Henri Petain (French commander) and General John Pershing (U.S. Commander)  Entire 369 th Infantry Division won highly prized French decoration, Croix de Guerre (war cross)

 WWI was first war in which women officially served in the armed forces…only noncombat though  Prior to WWI women worked as auxiliaries to men  Most men were called to active duty  1917 navy authorized the enlistment of women  By end of the war 11,000 women served in the navy  Women’s tasks:  Clerical duties (nurses)  Radio operators  Electricians  Pharmacists  Photographers  Chemists  Torpedo assemblers

 U.S. needs to convert industry to support war effort  Shipyards began using standardized parts to cut down on construction time

 Convoy system- merchant ships and troop transports would be gathered into small groups and escorted across the Atlantic by warships  This kept the German U-boats from firing upon them

 Allies were exhausted  American forces bring enthusiasm and freshness back to the war  Americans were shocked by the horrors of war and amazed by the new technology in weapons

 Tanks (1 st introduced by the British)  Machine guns  Poisons Gases (Mustard and Chlorine)  Planes (American ace Eddie Rickenbacker / dogfights)  Observation Balloons  Barbwire  Grenade Launchers  Flame Throwers  U-Boats (Unteerseeboots)

 1916 the British introduced the tank into battle  First tank was very slow, mechanically unreliable, and easy to destroy  Could roll over barbed wire and trenches  Not enough of them to make a difference

 Chlorine and mustard gas was first used in WWI  Fumes caused vomiting, blindness, and suffocation  Germans were the first to use gas  Allies followed close behind  Gas mask became a necessary part of soldier’s equipment

 WWI saw first use of airplanes in combat  Planes used mainly to observe enemy activities  Later used to drop small bombs  Later attached machine guns to aircraft to engage in air battles known as dogfights

 Early offensives of 1914 showed nature of war had changed from in line fighting to trench warfare  Troops dug in and relied on the modern rifle and a new weapon-rapid fire machine gun  Space between the opposing trenches was known as “no man’s land”

KEEP YOUR FEET DRY

 Collapse of Germany: November 3, 1918, Austria-Hungary surrenders to Allies German sailors, soldiers rebel; socialists establish German republic —Kaiser gives up throne Germans exhausted; armistice, or truce, signed November 11, 1918

 Final Toll: World War I bloodiest war in history to date —22 million dead (Half are civilians) —20 million more are wounded 10 million people become refugees