america fights the great war pictures from the front world war i
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America Fights the Great War
Pictures from the Front
World War I
The Schleiffen Plan
• German plan written in the 1890s to deal with a two-front war
• The plan was to eliminate France initially and rapidly by a hammer – and – anvil move, swinging the majority of the hammer force north across the plains of Belgium
• The plan failed, in large part due unexpected Belgian resistance, and Germany was forced into a two-front war
Dead Russian caught on wire
Church Ruins
Exploding Shells
WWI—a modern war
• New Technology/Inventions• Tank—invented to get through barbed wire• Airplane• Flame Throwers• machine gunners• trench warfare• Chemical Warfare—gases
– mustard gas—burns, blisters, blindness– Phostine—fluid enters lungs, asphyxiation – Poison—sneezing, nausea, vomiting
German Tank-Kampfwagen A7V - 1917 -
British Mk I - 1916
Mark IV - Male
Mark I - Female
This vehicle was called Male or Female depending on its weaponry (guns and MG for the male version, machine guns only for the female).
• Drawing of a German flame thrower
Well Constructed German Trench
War by Air
• The development of the fighter plane arose from the need to prevent enemy reconnaissance aircraft from observing ground activity.
• The Germans introduced the first aircraft equipped with a machine gun that could safely fire through the propeller in July 1915.
Reality of War—3:33
Battles of the first World War
• 1st Battle of the Marne – Stopped the German advance 20 miles from Paris.
• Chateau-Thierry – includes Bella Woods battle. Heavy losses for the U.S. Marines stand out as a fighting force.
• Cantingy – first battle with U.S. Participation• Verdun – Longest and bloodiest battle of the war.
War becomes a moral battle for the French “They Shall Not Pass!”
Battles of the First World War
• Somme – Worst of trench warfare – over 1 million die with no effect in shifting the front line.
• Gallipoli – Attempt to force Turkey out of the war and to open a Southern Supply Route through the Black Sea to Russia
• San Mihiel – First use of the airplane as a bomber• Meuse Argonne – Germans deeply entrenched. 1.5
million American “Dough Boys” fight in this battle. Very large battle near the end of the war. The sheer number of American forces broke german resistance.
Battle of the Marne
• September 5-10, 1914
• German vs. French and English
• Significance: Stopped the German advance 20 miles from Paris.
• Both sides begin digging trenches
• Allied Victory
VerdunFebruary 21 – December 18, 1916
• A series of attacks and counterattacks in and around the town and ancient fortress.
• The Germans tried to beat the French in a war of attrition, but the battle instead turned into a moral cause for the French.
• This battle disintegrated into an artillery barrage, the scars of which are still around today.
Firefighters at Verdun
Verdun Burning
Verdun Dead
French Cemetery at Verdun
The SommeJuly 1 –November 18, 1916
• Series of attacks against established positions – this battle represents the worst of trench warfare
• In one day, the British lost 57,470 (19,240 killed)• Total losses: British 418,000
French 194,000
German 650,000
No change in location of the front
Somme
German dead at the Somme
This is supposedly the grave of the first American killed in WWI
British Gas Casualties—Bethune 1918
German Machine-Gunners in Gas Masks
British Troops “going over the top”—1917
CantignyMay 28 – 29, 1918
First fighting by U.S. Soldiers
Americans successful, but 1000 wounded and 200 dead
US soldiers stop the German advance
Ruins of Cantigny
Chateau ThierryMay 30 – June 17, 1918
• Last major campaign of the war for Pershing/US troops
• American troops attack at Belleau Wood – (6/6-6/26) where they crossed 400 yards of open field towards machine guns – called “The Wood of the Marine Brigade”– “The Gettysburg of this War” - Pershing– Major boost to Allied morale
Bridge at San Mihiel
First massive air campaign
Meuse – ArgonneSeptember 26 – November 11, 1918
• Last offensive
• 40 days of fighting – covered 25 miles
• 117,000 Allied casualties
• 120,000 German casualties
Dead French in Argonne
End of the War
• Nov. 11, 1918 – Armistice Day
• Planned the date, because they wanted to commemorate the death of the “War to end all Wars”
• Allied victors were to meet at Versailles Palace to plan the Treaty
America Fights the Great War at Home
Life for the average soldier…
The AEF had a demographic pattern unique to any army in history.
37% were unable to read and write. Only 21% of the drafted enlisted men had some
education beyond grammar school.. 10% were African American. 52% were country boys. 39% were first or second generation immigrants to America.
The American Expeditionary Force
• The AEF was led by General John J. Pershing (a.k.a. “Blackjack Pershing”)
• The average American soldier was known as a “Doughboy”
• The American forces were rallied by the George M.Cohan song, “Over There”
Life in the Trenches
The Doughboy and his Gear
A doughboy catches some sleep in the trenches
The Doughboy’s Gas
Mask
Supporting the War—9:33
Wartime Agencies• War Industries
Board- Led by Bernard Baruch
- Coordinated the allocation of raw materials and mandated production levels.- Had complete control over the US economy- Raised industrial production 20%
• The Committee on Public Information- Led by George
Creel- Coordinated US
propaganda- Enlisted stars to
sell bonds and publicly support the war
• National War Labor Board- Headed by William Howard Taft and Frank Walsh- Settled differences between workers and employers to ensure that no strikes would injure the war effort- Recruited workers to fill open industrial jobs
• Food Administration– Headed by
Herbert Hoover– Asked Americans
to grow food in “Victory Gardens
– Encouraged Americans to go without certain foods – “wheatless” and “meatless” days
– Guaranteed farm prices to keep production high
America Fights at Home
• Fuel Administration– Promoted the
conservation of fuel
– Established Daylight Savings Time
– Harry Garfield
• Emergency Fleet Corporation– Provided Ships to
move troops overseas
• Prohibition– US needed grain for
food—not alcohol
– 18th Amendment
America Fights at Home
• Liberty and Victory Bonds– Helped pay for military
and supplies
– War Bonds
– Brought in 2/3 of the money needed for the war
• Selective Service Act– Draft
– Men between 21-30• Later 18-45
– By the end of the war 24 million Americans signed up for the draft
– 4.7 million served
Punish Anti-War Americans
• Espionage Act– People were
imprisoned for fined for…
• Spying
• Sabotage
• Not going along with the draft or sale of bonds
• Sedition Act– People placed in jail
for…• Making speeches
against the war
• Speaking out against the war
Propaganda Posters
The Committee on Public
Information produced many
pieces of propaganda to
encourage Americans to support
the war.
Posters such as this one played on negative images of the Germans and served to dehumanize the enemy.
This poster appealed strongly to immigrants to support the war effort – America had significant German and Irish populations who opposed the war
These posters played on the patriotism of Americans to support the war
Women were needed to keep hope alive as well as the economy running…hence these posters
Women were a crucial labor force at home, as represented in this poster
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