World War 1 started in 1914. Britain and France were already deep into the fighting by the time the US joined in. To increase our chances of winning the war, the US became an ally with Britain and France. President Woodrow Wilson did not like to define that America was an allied power, so his administration and himself used the term “associated power”. The US remained “associated powers” with France and Britain throughout the war.
a cartoon demonstrating America's alliesAmerica soon started its own allies. The major allies were France, United Kingdom, and Russia, which lasted until 1917. America also had some minor allies, with which they did not come into as much contact with as the major allies. The minor allies were Australia, Belgium, Canada, Japan, Greece, Montenegro, Newfoundland, New Zealand, Romania, Serbia, South Africa, and Italy, who did not join us until May 23, 1915.
map of EuropeIn 1981, the Supreme War Council stated that America should organize an only American Army uner the command of an American general in order to ensure their safety and chances of winning.France, Britain, and Italy were very greatful to the US and their alliance. The Prime Ministers wrote the following message to President Woodrow Wilson;"We desire to express our warmest thanks to President Wilson for the remarkable promptness with which American aid, in excess of what at one time seemed practicable, has been rendered to the Allies during the past month to meet a great emergency. The crisis, however, still continues. General Foch has presented to us a statement of the utmost gravity, which points out that the numerical superiority of the enemy in France, where 162 Allied divisions now oppose 200 German divisions, is very heavy, and that, as there is no possibility of the British and French increasing the number of their divisions (on the contrary, they are put to extreme straits to keep them up) here is a great danger of the war being lost unless the numerical inferiority of the Allies can be remedied as rapidly as possible by the advent of American troops. He, therefore, urges with the utmost insistence that the maximum possible number of infantry and machine gunners, in which respect the shortage of men on the side of the Alliess most marked, should continue to be shipped from America in the months of June and July to avert the immediate danger of an Allied defeat in the present campaign wing to the Allied reserves being exhausted before those of the enemy. In addition to this, and looking to the future, he represents that it is impossible to foresee ultimate victory in the war unless America is able to provide such an army as will enable the Allies ultimately to establish numerical superiority. He places the total American force required for this at no less than 100 divisions, and urges the continuous raising of fresh American levies, which, in his opinion, should not be less than 300,000 a month, with a view to establishing a total American force of 100 divisions at as early a date as this can possibly be done. "We are satisfied that General Foch, who is conducting the present campaign with consummate ability, and on whose military judgment we continue to place the most absolute reliance, is not overestimating the needs of the case, and we feel confident that the Government of the United States will do everything that can be done, both to meet the needs of the immediate situation and to proceed with the continuous raising of fresh levies, calculated to provide, as soon as possible, the numerical superiority which the Commander in Chief of the Allied Armies regards as essential to ultimate victory."
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