No Mans Land:
-Land that is unoccupied or is under conflict between parties that leave it unoccupied. This term is usually associated with World War I. It was an area of land that is between enemy trenches.
-No mans land can range from several hundred to as short as 15 yards. The areas of No Mans Land were usually littered with warfare, carnage, and the remains of artillery. After an attack stretcher bearers had to race into No Mans Land and collect the bodies of the wounded or the dead.
-The area of no man's land could change at any point because of front line shifting as of consequence of battles or actions.
-To get to No Man's Land you had to crawl under barbed wire. It was heavily fired upon. There were land mines, machine guns, mortars, artillery, and rifle man on each side.
-The fatality rate was very high, high risk of dying.
-got the name of No Mans Land because it was unoccupied by both sides, and no man wanted to be there.
America in WW1:
-Unrestricted submarine warfare:the Germans sunk the Lusitania which was carrying innocent civilians (along with supplies and weapons for Great Britain)
-the Zimmerman note: a telegram sent from Germany to Mexico. it stated that if Mexico invaded the US they would get back some of their land. fortunately the British intercepted the message and cracked the code in time to warn us.
-America had a lot of money tied into the war, if they lost we weren't ever getting the money back. the Russians withdrew from the war because they were having a revolution in their own country. they also signed a peace treaty with Germany.
-President Woodrow Wilson: worried about American people's willingness to accept the war. did everything possible to sell the war to the American public. American people supported the war far more willingly than he imagined. civilians got into the war mood with a vengeance.
-The Draft: Instituted a draft rather than relying on volunteers. it was more efficient.
WWI on the Home Front:
-Readiness for the war:
in many ways we were ill-prepared to enter the war. army had no difficulty building up numbers. demands on training and supply were overwhelming.
-Mobilization: we were a nation huge of industrial power. many miles of railroads in the united states.
-Food: Administration of American food production was turned over to Herbert hoover; increased American food production enormously. increased amount of bread, meats, and other commodities by large amounts. citizens asked to plant victory gardens and reduce their use of electric power. \
America Joins the War: when congress finally declared war on Germany in April 1917, the allied powers were i very bad shape. they looked to America for salvation, and expected the Americas industrial strength would help supply the materials needed for war and would give them a lot more manpower. most of the expectations were unrealistic and America only supplied part of the bodies and equipment that was asked for.
The turn Around: Wilson selected General John J. Pershing to head the American expeditionary force. American troops saw their first action in May 1918 in fighting along the Marne River. In September, Pershing ordered and all-out attack in the Saint-Mihiel area of eastern France. casualties were high but the attack forced a German retreat that (combined with other allied offensives along the western front) put the entire German army on the run.
Finishing it off: On November 11, Germany signed an armistice ending the war.
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