1. Americans on the European Front
Chapter 19 Section 3
Americans on the European Front

2. In what ways was the United States unprepared to help the Allies in 1917?  
The U.S. Army was very small
The Marines were busy patrolling Central American nations and Pacific possessions
The National Guard needed training
Only 120 small planes
Only 55 pilots

3. In what ways did the U.S. offer immediate help?
Wilson sent the Allies an initial force of 14,500 men led by General John J. Pershing
Naval support
Supplies
Weapons
$3billion in loans

4. Why do you think this poster was so effective?
It inspired patriotism while also bringing the war to a personal level
It is a direct appeal to the viewer

5. Selective Service Act Passed in 1917
Authorized a draft of young men for military service
24 million men registered for the draft
3 million were drafted

6. American Expeditionary Force (AEF)
American armed forces sent to Europe

7. Why was training important to the war effort?
Most soldiers were new to the armed forces and needed to learn how to
Dig ditches
Fight with bayonets
Learn how to operate modern weapons

8. Convoy
Consisted of a group of unarmed ships surrounded by a ring of destroyers, torpedo boats, and other armed naval vessels equipped with hydrophones to track and destroy submarines

9. Why were convoys important to American war efforts?
They enabled new recruits to be protected and safely transported to Europe

10. How did tanks overcome the obstacles of barbed wire, sandbags, and enemy guns?
Tanks were able to roll right over these obstacles with their heavy, durable treads.

11. How did American soldiers contribute to the Allied counterattack?
American soldiers drove Germans out of heavily defended positions in September of 1918
Later in September, American forces took part in an offensive that forced the German army to retreat

12. Zeppelin German floating air ship…or blimp
Zeppelins took part in the German bombing of London

13. Armistice
A Cease fire
Germany agreed to a cease fire on November 11,1918 at 11am

14. Why did Germany agree to an armistice in November of 1918?
The Central Powers were collapsing
German soldiers realized that defeat was inevitable
The German navy mutinied
German workers went on a general strike

15. How did America’s losses in the war compare to Germany, France and Britain?
The U.S. only lost about 50,000 soldiers to battle and a bunch more to disease
Germany and France lose more than a million each
British lose just under 90,000

16. How do you think these losses affect the way that people in these countries remember WWI?
Millions are wounded
An entire generation of people are missing fathers, brothers and sons
Physical and psychological suffering
Damage to land and buildings

17. How did new weapons change the way that soldiers fought during the war?  
Tanks allowed the Allies to break though German lines
Aircraft were used to scout enemy positions, direct combat, drop bombs

18. Genocide The organized killing of an entire race of people
The Ottoman Empire would do this to the Armenian people