They thought it would be over within months. They were wrong.
Instead, the world was at war for four long years. Powerful nations took sides — the Allies versus the Central Powers. From 1914 to 1918, they battled across Europe and into Asia and Africa. The United States supplied the Allies with goods but tried to stay out of the fighting. But in April 1917, 100 years ago this week, it joined the Allies (led by Great Britain and France) by declaring war on Germany and Austria-Hungary.
World War I brought an end to one way of fighting and the start of another. Soldiers on horseback, called cavalry, were replaced by tanks. Planes and submarines also saw action.
By the war’s end, more than 16million people had died. The shocking numbers of dead and wounded led some to call it “the war to end all wars.”
They were wrong about that, too.
U.S. kids don’t learn much about World War I in school. Why? For starters, the war was a long time ago, and it wasn’t fought here. Also, America joined late, so its losses were limited.
America got into the war mostly because German U-boats (subs) kept sinking unarmed ships in the Atlantic. Germany knew this risked pulling the United States into the war but thought it could defeat the Allies before U.S. troops or warships were ready.
Instead, America’s entry changed the course of the war. In addition to troops, the United States provided arms, tanks, ships, fuel and food to its friends. This aid helped the Allies win.
As in any war, unexpected heroes arise. Here are two American ones:
You could say Stubby joined the Army in 1917. The terrier pup with a short tail showed up one day at a training camp in Connecticut and became the troops’ mascot. He learned their bugle calls and drills.
When the men left to join the fighting, they smuggled Stubby onto their ship. He was discovered after they arrived in France but was allowed to stay after lifting his right paw to his forehead and saluting the commanding officer!
On the battlefield, Stubby’s keen nose picked up the tiniest trace of poison gas, and he barked until everyone donned gas masks. (Dogs and horses also had masks.) Stubby’s keen ears helped him find wounded soldiers in the field. He listened for English being spoken, then barked until medics came to help. He even captured an enemy soldier by biting him on the leg.
Stubby took part in 17 battles and was made a sergeant. He has been the subject of several books and a movie that is due out in 2018.
That’s what Alvin York wrote to explain his feelings about going to war. York’s father had died when Alvin was young, and he was needed at home in Tennessee to help raise his eight younger siblings.
But the Army had other ideas and shipped him to France. In October 1918, York led an attack on a German machine-gun nest. With just a rifle and pistol, he killed several German soldiers and captured 132. When he got back to camp, he wrote later, a general said: “ ‘Well, York, I hear you have captured the whole … German army.’ And I told him I only had 132.”
Though awarded the Medal of Honor — the highest U.S. military award — York shunned celebrity and went home to Tennessee. Back on the farm, the war hero with the third-grade education raised money to build a good high school for his neighbors’ kids.
FAQs
From 1914 to 1918, they battled across Europe and into Asia and Africa. The United States supplied the Allies with goods but tried to stay out of the fighting. But in April 1917, 100 years ago this week, it joined the Allies (led by Great Britain and France) by declaring war on Germany and Austria-Hungary.
How did the United States aid their allies in Europe? ›
With pressure from Roosevelt, Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act in March 1941, authorizing the president to lend war supplies to nations whose defense he deemed vital to American security. Roosevelt quietly provided limited military support as well.
When did the US get involved in Europe? ›
On 11 December 1941, three days after the United States declared war on Japan, Germany declared war on the U.S.. Italy also declared war on the U.S. the same day. That same day, the United States, in its turn, declared war on Germany and Italy.
When did the United States military finally arrive in Europe in support of the Allies of World War I? ›
Although the first American troops arrived in Europe in June 1917, the AEF did not fully participate at the front until October, when the First Division, one of the best-trained divisions of the AEF, entered the trenches at Nancy, France.
What did the United States contribute to the Allies victory in Europe? ›
Over the course of the war, the United States contracted Lend-Lease agreements with more than 30 countries, dispensing some $50 billion in assistance.
Why did the United States want to send aid to the countries of Europe? ›
Fanned by the fear of Communist expansion and the rapid deterioration of European economies in the winter of 1946–1947, Congress passed the Economic Cooperation Act in March 1948 and approved funding that would eventually rise to over $12 billion for the rebuilding of Western Europe.
Which countries was the US allied with in the fight in Europe? ›
In World War II, the three great Allied powers—Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union—formed a Grand Alliance that was the key to victory.
What if the US never joined WWII? ›
If the U.S. had maintained formal neutrality, Operation Torch (the invasion of North Africa) might never have happened, and progress in the Med would have come much more slowly.
How many allies does the US have? ›
The report lists 34 countries—NATO members, Japan, South Korea and Australia, (three Pacific allies) and the six member countries of the GCC. These countries are seen as US allies given the minimal requirements of alliance.
Would Germany have won ww2 if the US didn't enter? ›
If the U.S. had not participated in the conflict, the. The Germans would still have been defeated by the Soviet Union and the British Empire. It would've been more time-consuming, costing a lot more in life and money, and the Reich would've been occupied by the Allies during the conflict's conclusion.
The United States has been physically invaded on several occasions: once during the War of 1812; once during the Mexican–American War; several times during the Mexican Border War; and three times during World War II, two of which were air attacks on American soil.
What did German soldiers think of American soldiers? ›
The German soldiers thought that the Americans were too close together during battle and they wildly fired their weapons at their direction. Plus they used poor camouflage and concealment and were exposed during their troop advancements and were targets.
What do American soldiers think of British soldiers? ›
American soldiers think of British (or Canadian or Australian too) soldiers as excellent soldiers, brave men and women, our finest, most reliable allies, funny as hell to talk to, and easy to become friends with. Also as undermanned, under-equipped, underfunded, and operating on a shoestring budget.
Did the US save France in WWII? ›
No-one 'saved' France WW2. France was liberated from German occupation by the allied forces of the UK, Canada and the USA.
Why did America bomb France in WWII? ›
“We couldn't wait.” Meanwhile, the American and British air forces in England conducted a tremendous bombing campaign that targeted railroad bridges and roadways in northern France to prevent the Germans from bringing in reserves to stop the invasion.
How long did D-Day last? ›
On June 6, 1944, the long-awaited Allied landing in northern France began. Facing Hitlers Atlantic Wall, soldiers of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and other Allied nations landed on beaches in Normandy, beginning a campaign which lasted until July 24, 1944.
How did the US help the Allies in WWI? ›
American loans to the Allies worth $7,000,000,000 between 1917 and the end of the war maintained the flow of U.S. arms and food across the Atlantic. The American military contribution was as important as the economic one.
How did the US help Europe in ww1? ›
The United States sent more than a million troops to Europe, where they encountered a war unlike any other—one waged in trenches and in the air, and one marked by the rise of such military technologies as the tank, the field telephone, and poison gas.
How does the United States contribute to an Allied victory? ›
Raising an armed force was just part of America's war effort. That force had to be supplied with the uniforms, guns, tanks, ships, warplanes, and other weapons and equipment needed to fight. With its vast human and material resources, the United States had the potential to supply both itself and its allies.
Did the US give aid to Europe after ww1? ›
Americans sent about $6 billion worth of food and other supplies to Europe during 1914–1923. U.S. government subsidies and loans for supplies amounted to $624 million during the armistice, and contributed $81 million to reconstruction and relieving the Russian famine.
