Download Americans on the European Front

Americans on the European Front
1
TEKS
3(C), 8(B), 24(A)
Listen
2
The United States was unprepared for war in 1917. At first, Congress
Congress sent a small army with supplies
and loans for the Allies. At the same time, Congress passed the Selective Service Act authorizing a
draft of men into the military. Three million men eventually were
were selected to serve in the American
Expeditionary Force (AEF). Thousands of women also contributed to the war effort by volunteering
volunteering as
nurses, drivers, and clerks. African Americans served in segregated
segregated units, but few saw combat.
Listen
3
To get the soldiers to Europe without being attacked by German UU-boats,
Americans used a convoy system in which troop and merchant ships sailed to
Europe surrounded by armed warships.
Listen
4
The Russians, led by Vladimir Lenin, signed a truce with Germany.
Germany. This allowed Germany to move all its
troops into France and attempt a final offensive before American reinforcements could arrive. Once in
Europe, American soldiers fought German forces along the front and
and deep in Allied territory. Turning the
Germans back near Paris, the Allies, with the help of American soldiers,
soldiers, counterattacked in July 1918
and pushed the Germans back.
Listen
5
The war finally ended on November 11, 1918, with an armistice, or ceasefire. Around
50,000 American soldiers died in battle, but more died from influenza,
influenza, a global epidemic
that took the lives of some 30 million people around the world. Adding to the casualties
was the genocide, or deliberate killing of a group of people, of the Armenians by the
Turkish government.
Americans on the European Front
Begin Taking Notes
1. How did the United States prepare to fight in World War I?
2. In what ways did American troops help turn the tide of war?
3. What were conditions like in Europe and in the United States at the end of the
war?
6
Moving Toward War
7
1
Building an Army
2
Despite the preparedness movement, the United States lacked a large
large and available military force. Congress therefore passed a Selective
Service Act in May 1917, drafting many young men into the military.
Draftees, volunteers, and National Guardsmen made up what was called
called the American Expeditionary Force (AEF),
(AEF), led by General John J.
Pershing.
Training for War
New recruits were trained in the weapons and tactics of the war by American and British lecturers at new and expanded training camps
camps
around the country.
Ideally, the military planned to give new soldiers several months
months of training. However, the need to send forces to Europe quickly
quickly sometimes
cut training time short.
The Convoy System and Americans in Europe
8
1
The Convoy System
2
To transport troops across the Atlantic, the United States employed
employed convoys,
convoys, or groups of unarmed ships surrounded by
armed naval vessels equipped to track and destroy submarines.
Due to the convoy system, German submarines did not sink a single
single ship carrying American troops.
American Soldiers in Europe
By 1918, European nations had begun to run out of men to recruit.
recruit. Energetic American soldiers, nicknamed doughboys, helped replace
replace the
tired fighters of Europe.
Many African Americans volunteered or were drafted for service. However, these men served in segregated units and were often relegated
relegated
1
to noncombat roles.
9
Turning the Tide of War
10
Turning the Tide of War
11
The resulting truce ceded valuable Russian land to Germany and also
also meant that the German
military could concentrate exclusively on the Western front. Before
Before the arrival of American troops,
Germany was able to gain ground in France, coming within 50 miles
miles of Paris.
General Pershing’s troops, however, pushed back the Germans in a series of attacks. Finally, the
German army was driven to full retreat in the MeuseMeuse-Argonne Offensive begun on September 26,
1918.
Ending the War
12
New methods of military transportation, including tanks, airplanes,
airplanes, and German
zeppelins,
zeppelins, or floating airships, influenced the manner in which the war was
was fought.
In the spring of 1918, Germany provided safe passage for Vladimir
Vladimir Lenin, leader of the
Russian Bolsheviks, from Switzerland to Russia. The Bolsheviks successfully
overthrew the Russian republican government and made peace with Germany.
In the face of Allied attacks and domestic revolutions, the Central
Central Powers collapsed one by one. AustriaAustriaHungary splintered into smaller nations of ethnic groups, and German
German soldiers mutinied, feeling that
defeat was inevitable.
When the Kaiser of Germany fled to Holland, a civilian representative
representative of the new German republic signed
an armistice,
armistice, or ceasecease-fire, in a French railroad car at 5am on November 11, 1918.
Although guns fell silent six hours later, many more deaths were to follow. The influenza epidemic of
1918 killed more people, both in the United States and Europe, than
than all of the wartime battles.
Results of the War
13
14
Americans on the European Front—
Front—Assessment
What was the convoy system?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
A pattern of tank and airplane use
A method of transporting American troops across the Atlantic
A strategy for German advancement into France
A means of training new soldiers
Which of the following proved to be a turning point in the war?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
15
The enactment of a Selective Service Act
The breakup of AustriaAustria-Hungary
The work of Red Cross volunteers in saving lives
The actions of General Pershing’s troops
Americans on the European Front—
Front—Assessment
What was the convoy system?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
A pattern of tank and airplane use
A method of transporting American troops across the Atlantic
A strategy for German advancement into France
A means of training new soldiers
Which of the following proved to be a turning point in the war?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
16
The enactment of a Selective Service Act
The breakup of AustriaAustria-Hungary
The work of Red Cross volunteers in saving lives
The actions of General Pershing’s troops
Work
Look over your notes from today.
1. Answer the 3 questions from today’s lecture.
2. In five sentences, write a brief summary of what we went over in class today. Use the highlighted key terms in your
summary!
Title the paper the same as the Lecture Notes.
Make sure to put your Name,
Name, Date,
Date, and Period in the upper right hand corner of your page.
Turn this in at the beginning of class tomorrow – put it in the handhand-in/collection basket.
Worth 25 out of 100 points for this week’s Daily grade.
2
ERROR: undefined
OFFENDING COMMAND:
STACK: