Bell Ringer
True or False:!
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1. More soldiers died than civilians in World War I!
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False
2. African American combat units spent little time on the front lines!
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False
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World War I
Pushing the Germans Back
Lesson Essential Question & Objectives
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LEQ: !
How did Americans help to win the war for the Allies
and what effects did World War I have?!
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Objectives:!
1. Explain how American efforts helped to win the war for the allies. !
2. Summarize how World War I came to an end and what its effects were
One American’s Story
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Eddie Rickenbacker: The
American “ace of aces”!
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“There appeared to be nothing
below me but old battered
trenches…and billions of shell
holes..Not a tree, a fence…
nothing but….ruin and
desolation. The awfulness of
the thing was truly appalling.”
Eddie was one of the first to see the trenches from the cockpit of an airplane. The United States sent Eddie and other U.S. soldiers to Europe after declaring
war on the Central Powers and joining the Allies in 1917. He shot down 26 enemy planes
American Troops Enter the War
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June 1917: 14,000 American
soldiers arrived in France!
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Bulk of Americans did not
arrive until another year!
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Allies had been fighting the
Great War for three years!
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“Yanks” boosted the morale
of the battle weary Allies.
American Ships Make a Difference
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German U-boat attacks were a
serious threat to the Allied war
effort!
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Admiral William S. Sims:
Convoy: a guard that
accompanies and protects
ships or troops!
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Americans also laid a barrier of
70,000 mines in the North Sea
This strategy quickly reduced the rate of lost ships. The minefield made U-boat access to the North Atlantic almost impossible
Just in Time
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Spring Offensive:!
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March 1918: with Russia out
of the war, Germany launched
an offensive to end the war!
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Once, again Germany reaches
the Marne River to take Paris!
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One million Americans were
ready to fight by midsummer
Spring Offensive: Second Battle of the Marne
It took only two months for Germany to smash through French lines. When they reached the Marne River they were only 50 miles from Paris
Americans Take Cantigny
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May 28, 1918: Americans took
The French town of Cantigny
from German control!
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June 1918: Germans moved
against the town of ChateauThierry but were stopped. !
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Belleau Wood: site of American
victory in France in 1918!
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General John Pershing (AEF)
The American soldiers advanced into the town, blasting enemy troops out of their trenches. Within two hours they took control of the city. This victory
boosted Allied morale. !
Germans moved against Chateau-Thierry but the Americans counterattacked on June 3-4 and halted the German advance on Paris. !
Belleau Wood: General John Pershing and the AEF. Forest near the Marne River well defended by German troops. American soldiers were successful but at a horrific cost. One unit lost 380 of its 400 troops
The Turning Point
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Second Battle of the Marne:
battle that was the turning point
of the war!
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Summer of 1918: German drove
against French lines!
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Americans forced the Germans
back after three days of fighting!
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September: Germans lost all the
land gained since the spring
Second Battle of the Marne: 85,000 Americans helped the Allies halt the German advance. The Allies then took the initiative and forced the Germans back. !
After Allies won the Second Battle of the Marne, Allies started the Meuse-Argonne offensive
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
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September 26, 1918!
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1.2 million U.S. soldiers took part
in the massive drive to push the
Germans back!
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Between Argonne Forest and the
Meuse River!
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November, 1918: Germans start
to retreat!
Alvin York: Tennessee-born soldier
whose action in the Argonne Forest
made him an American hero
video
The war’s final battle left 26,000 Americans dead. York: refused to bear arms due to his religious beliefs, until his superiors changed his mind. In October 1918, in the Argonne Forest, York attacked
German machine gunners killing 25 of them. Other German soldiers surrendered, and York returned to the U.S. lines with 132 captives.
African Americans in the War
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Over 100 African Americans
were recognized for their
battlefield valor!
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Two of France’s Highest Military Awards
Soldiers from the 369th: !
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Croix de Guerre and the
Legions of Merit!
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Spend more continuous
time on the front lines than
any other American unit
Summarizing Question
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How did American troops help the Allies win the war?
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1. One million fresh troops arrived in 1918!
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2. Took the Town of Cantigny!
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3. Halted German advance in Paris!
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4. Retook Belleau Wood!
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5. Helped win the Second Battle of the Marne!
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6. Pushed the Germans back in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive
The War Comes to an End
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Germans knew American aid
would result in their defeat!
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General Erich Ludendorff advised
government for an armistice (end
to fighting)!
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Germany’s navy mutinied!
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Austria & Bulgaria dropped out !
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Nov. 9th: Kaiser stepped down!
November 11, 1918: all fighting
ceased with German armistice
Germany lost land in Western Front but still had vast areas of land across Europe. However, 10,000 Americans arrived in France every day. !
11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month
!
War Comes to an End
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8.5 million soldiers died !
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21 million were wounded !
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“The suffering of the men at
the Front, of the wounded
whose flesh and bodies torn in
a way you cannot conceive; the
sorrow of those at home...What
a cruel and mad diversion of
human activity!”
-William John Mason
Civilian Deaths during the War
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An estimated 13 million civilians
in Europe, Asia, and Africa died
in the war from starvation and
disease!
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1918-1919: Flu Epidemic swept the
globe killing more than 20 million
people (55,000 American)!
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Schools and public places
closed to limit the flu’s spread!
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AEF units: 1/3 died in trenches
In some AEF units, one third of the troops died from the flu
The Flu had no known cure!
Summarizing Question
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What were the human costs of World War I?
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During the War:!
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8.5 million soldier died and another 21 million were
wounded. 13 million civilians died of starvation & disease!
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Flu Epidemic:!
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20 million people around the world died (no cure!)
Review
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Complete the Re-teaching
Worksheet with your Partner!
Summarizing Activity
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WWI Timeline Presentation:!
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1. Cantigny!
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2. Chateau-Thierry!
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3. Belleau Wood!
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4. 2nd Battle of the Marne!
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5. Meuse-Argonne Offensive!
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6. Armistice Day (November 11, 1918)!
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Requirements: Date, Detailed Summary of Event, and a Picture!
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Online Timeline Builder: Tiki-Toki (Must Sign Up)