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The stalemate was believed to be created by two different factors, Schlieffen Plan, and the

new war tactics. Germany underestimated France defensive strategy or the aid it received from
other countries. The United Stated entered the war when Germany violated the
Sussex pledge. Germany were supposed to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare in the
North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. President Woodrow Wilson declared war for the broken
pledge as well, for Germanys attempts to get Mexico into an alliance against the United States
(history.state.gov, N.D.).
On, April 4,1917 the senate voted for war on Germany. The United States later declared
war on Germanys ally Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917. Germany violated the Sussex
pledge because they believed that the U.S. was not neutral. The reason for this assumption was,
acquiescing to the Allied blockade of Germany. Technically, the U.S, was already participating
in the war by placing U.S. naval personnel on civilian ships to protect them from German
submarines (history.state.gov, N.D.).
When the U.S. entered the war there had been four years of bloody stalemate along the
western front. Americas well-supplied forces helped the Allies to victory. The U. S. Congress
passed a $250 million arms appropriations bill. By June, 14,000 U.S. infantry troops were sent to
France to begin training for combat. During the U.S. participation in the war, more than two
million American soldiers that served on the battlefields of Western Europe (history.com,2016).
The German moved their divisions unite from the East to the French border, in April of
1918. The front line divisions were divided with fifty being assigned to the British front line and
the other sixty to the French front line. Germany believed in their offensive strategy so much

they named it, Kaiserschlacht, the Emperor Battle. The plan had two phases, the first was to
attack Somme and the second finding the break in French Flanders (Maner, N.D.).
Operation Michael was designed to destroy the British front at Arras and allow the Germans
to precede to cut off their railway supplies. The Germans wanted the attack to be quick,
assuming it would only last a few hours. The attack took place on, March 21, 1918, and caught
the British by surprise. The British units that were not dislocated retreated quickly. The attack
sent panic throughout the Allied forces. Operation Georgette took place on April 9, 1918.
Germanys attack started off successfully but the Allied were able to stabilize by April 29.
Therefore, the Kaiserschlacht ending up being a failure (Maner, N.D.).
The Allies Meuse-Argonne offensive, consisted of 37 French and American divisions.
General John J. Pershing was ordered to take over the offensive command and his American
Expeditionary Force (AEF) was to be the leading attackers. The Meuse- Argonne began with
U.S. attack at St. Mihiel. The attack killed 278 German soldiers and debilitated more than
10,000. The Allies captured 33,000 Germans. However, the Germans stood strong, and
Pershing stopped the Meuse-Argonne attack on September 30. Pershing continues the attack on
October 4. The German troops continued to fight for another month before deciding to retreat.
On November 11 an armistice was called, ending World War I America (history.com, 2016).

References
America enters World War I. (N. D.). This Day in History. Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/America-enters-world-war-i.
Le Maner, Y. (N.D.). KAISERSCHLACHT: THE GERMAN SPRING OFFENSIVE OF 1918.
History and Remembrance Centre of Northern France.
Meuse-Argonne offensive opens. (2016). This Day in History. Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/meuse-argonne-offensive-opens.
U.S. Entry into World War I, 1917. (N.D.). Office of The Historian. Retrieved from
http://www.historystate.gov/milestones/1914-1920/wwwi.

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