War of Firsts• First time the government sent large

numbers of American soldiers to a war across the sea– When the war first began, the US had a

volunteer army of 200,000 soldiers– They received low pay and lacked equipment– To enter the war, the military needed tens of

thousands more soldiers• First Selective Service System

– Created a national draft– All men 21-30 must register for service– 1st time there is a draft before entering a war

• Selective Service con’t– Nearly 10 million young men registered

• First time Americans Reach French Soil– The American Expeditionary Force (AEF)

• Nicknamed the “doughboys”• Most were infantry- fought on foot• Fought under command of John J Pershing

– War was going poorly for Allies• Major defeats• Russian Revolution in 1917

– Began making plans to withdraw from war– Made a peace treaty with Germans and Austrians

»Forced Russia to give up large amounts of territory»Was the end to fighting on the Eastern front

Germany could now focus its troops on the western frontAmerican troops sent to fight on the Western Front in

France

First African American Officer Training Camp400,000 African Americans joined the Armed ForcesSegregated white and black troops in training camps

and overseas1917- Camp to train black soldiers as officersMost black soldiers served under white officers in

labor or supply units in France or US369th Regiment- operated under French command,

took part in active combat, earned high praise, “Hell Fighters”

New Technologies Unlike previous wars

No more face-to-face and hand-to-hand fightingNew technology made WWI an impersonal war and

deadlier

New WeaponsMachine gun

○ Rapid-firing: 600 bullets per minute○ Did not have to stop as often to reload○ Could make a greater effect when grouped together

• Impact?– Taking offensive and attacking head-on was

now a disadvantage– Those that charged across open fields were

mowed down– Eventually used on aircraft and warships

– Flamethrower• Not a new weapon, just improved during WWI• Sprayed burning fuel on victims• Effective in attacks on nearby trenches but could

not be fired long distances

Heavy Artillery○ “big guns”○ Used to deliver poison gas or shells○ Used to blast through barbed wire, knock out

machine gun nests○ Big Berthas- largest mobile guns ever used on

the battlefieldHelped Germany sweep through Belgium on the way

to FranceBelgian forts crumbled

○ Inflicted half of all battle casualties in WWI

Trench Warfare○ The introduction of new weapons made the old style

of ground attack too dangerousCould no longer charge across an open field would be

killed instantly

○ New type of combat Dug trenches in the ground for protectionNew defensive war

○ No Man’s LandArea between the opposing trenchesBarriers of barbed wireCrossing this area was usually lethalAny moving object was a targetWar ground to a stalemate because neither side could

effectively cross No Man’s Land

Conditions in Trenches○ Muddy, Rotting bodies, Overflowing latrines○ Soldiers caught fevers or suffered painful foot infections

called trench footFrom standing in water and mud that pooled at the

bottom of trenches○ Lice, frogs, rats○ Chemical weapons

Toxic agents such as poison gas to kill or harm many people

Both sides used this weaponEventually created masks to protect troops from these

attacks○ Tanks

Helped end the stalemate in the trenchesCould drive tanks over barbed wire, up steep

embankments, and across ditches to attack enemy trenches

Sky○ Improvements to airplanes brought war to the

skyEasier to fly and could travel further than before

○ Used to scout enemy territory○ Eventually for fighting and bombing

At first, pilots would lean out of the plane to shoot at enemy pilots with a pistol or drop bombs by hand

Eventually- device that timed the firing of a machine gun with the rotation of a plane’s propeller

Zepellins- gas-filled airships for scouting and for bombing raids

Sea○ Battleships

Largest and most heavily armored type of warship

○ U-BoatsArmed submarinesWent undetected until it was too late

○ Convoy SystemReduced effectiveness of U-Boat attacksAllied warships protected merchant ships by

escorting them across the Atlantic Ocean# of Allied losses decreased