1. The Hopelessness of 1917 Nivelle Offensives French Mutinies
Passchendaele
Easter Rising
USW
Russian Revolution
Cambrai
The Entry of the United States

2. The Allies: France Manpower reserves gone
French Mutiny after the Nivelle Offensives (15-29 April 1917)
120,000 casualties to take 600 yards
23,000 courts martial
Promotion of Pétain
French “poilus” in their Trenches

3. The Allies: Britain The Somme 1 July 1916
60,000 casualties in one day; 620,000 total allied casualties
Paschendaele (Third Ypres) July to Nov., 1917
500,000 casualties; no gain
Empire loosening
Easter Rising
German U-Boat Threat
“Victory was to be bought so dear as to be almost indistinguishable from defeat” -- Winston Churchill.

4. The Allies: Russia Brusilov Offensives (June to October, 1916)
Russians gain 25 miles and take 25,000 Austrian POW in one day!
Still stalemate, but further west
War is very unpopular
Russian Revolution growing strong
General Alexei Brusilov

5. The Central Powers German-Austrian alliance cracking
Brusilov Offensives destroy Austrian amry
Severe shortages in both nations
Must gamble on Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
U Boat Attack

6. Cambrai (20 November 1917) British concentrate 381 tanks
Temporarily break German lines
But tanks can’t hold ground
Tanks are expensive, hard to maintain

7. Enter the United States
Lusitania (May, 1915)
“Rights of Neutrals”
Zimmerman Telegram
US connections to Britain, France
Woodrow Wilson

8. America on the Battlefield
Building an army and navy
Selective Service
Getting it to Europe
Convoy system
Use navy to protect ships themselves rather than sea lanes
Reduces losses from 25% to 4%
General John Pershing

9. Debates for 1918
Germany: How to win before the US arrives on the battlefield?
Allies: How to use the American army? Amalgamation?
Both: Will US troops offset German troops arriving from Russia?