HIST 011 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, Meuse
Document Summary
Millions of europeans had already died from brutal trench warfare made more murderous by industrial age weaponry. Bolshevik revolution in russia took out the eastern front which allowed germany to concentrate all forces to one push through allies in france. German policy of unrestricted sub warfare caused merchant ships bound for britain to be sunk at staggering rate. Convoy system of armed escorts for merchant ships. By 1917 working well enough that france and britain wouldn"t be starved into submission. Us troops were eager for action of war, unable to imagine realities of trench warfare. American expeditionary force was commanded by gen. pershing. The first troops to see action were used to plug weaknesses in french and british lines. But by 1918, troops arrived in the hundreds of thousands, the aef assumed independent responsibility for one segment of the front. Enough us troops present in 1918 to hold back a ferocious german offensive at chateu-thierry on.
