AMERICAN POWER TIPS

THE BALANCEChapter 11 Section 2

WARM UP: WEEK 23 Pg: 159-160

Directions: Answer the following question using 5-7 sentences

What did the entrance of the United States tip the Balance of power?

RAISING AN ARMY When the U.S. entered the war there were

200,000 enlisted men, the government needed more service men.

Selective Service Act: May 1917, authorization of a draft of young men for military service. Men required to register with the government, in order to be randomly selected.

By 1918, 24 million men had signed up and 3 million were called upon.

RAISING AN ARMY CONT… 400,000 African Americans

served in the armed forces. More than half served in France. They were put in segregated

units and excluded from the marines and navy.

Women were also excluded from the military, but allowed in the Army Corps of Nurses. But they were denied army rank, pay and benefits.

13,000 women were accepted into non-military positions during the war.

MASS PRODUCTION U.S. had to find a way to

transport men, food and equipment over the ocean, but more ships were being sunk than built.

U.S. took 4 steps to meet this demand Shipyard workers exempt from the

draft Government emphasized

importance of shipyard work. Ships built in several parts, and

put together at shipyard. Commercial and Private ships

converted for war use.

AMERICA TURNS THE TIDE Because of German U-boat

threat, government created convoy system: heavy guard of destroyers escorted merchant ships back and forth across the Atlantic groups.

Eventually Germany was losing more U-boats and men, than they could replace or train.

When the U.S. had entered the war, 2 ½ years of WWI had already passed.

The U.S. brought a large number men, freshness, and enthusiasm to the war effort.

NEW WEAPONS WWI, brought about the large scale use

of weapons in modern warfare. Some weapons were new, some were

refined which changed the nature of warfare.

The two most innovative weapons were the tank and airplane.

Together they started the use of mechanized warfare

Tanks Ran on caterpillar

treads They were built of

steel which repelled bullets.

First used in the Battle of Somme in 1916.

By 1917 British learned how to drive them through barbed wire .

Airplanes Early planes were

flimsy and meant for scouting.

Pilots would sit in open air cockpits firing at each other with pistols.

Eventually, planes carried machine guns; but the propeller blades would get in the way.

Observation BalloonsUsed by both sides in

Europe.They were important

strategically, and protected by aircraft

Were prime targets for fighter pilots.

Poison GasYellow-green chlorine

fog would sicken , suffocate burn, and blind it’s victims.

Gas masks became standard issue on both sides.

THE WAR INTRODUCES NEW HAZARDS

New weapons and tactics brought new injuries and hazards.

Men were surrounded by filth, lice, rats, and polluted water.

Body’s would rot in the trenches, men would suffer from lack of sleep; and constant bombing would cause “shell shock”.

Men developed trench foot, caused by standing in cold wet trenches for long periods of time. The toes would turn red or blue, and then start to rot.

AMERICAN TROOPS GO ON THE OFFENSIVE 1917, Russia pulled out of the war. Germany then turned their focus on

France, and at this point U.S. then joined the war.

U.S. troops played a major role in pushing the German back, and leading to an offensive by the allies.

November 3, 1918, Austria-Hungary surrendered to the allies. At the same time German soldiers began revolting against their government.

Although there were no allied soldiers in Germany, they surrendered because they were to tired to fight.

On November 11, 1918, Germany agreed to a cease fire and signed and armistice-truce that ended the war.