The United States did not officially join the allies, but acted as an independent power, supplying major contributions of raw material, money, and soldiers.
During the war, the U.S. mobilized over 4 million military personnel, more than 2 million of those fought in the battlefields in France under General John Pershing, Commander-in-Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces.
During the first World War offensive weapons of mass destruction and defensive strategies and tactics, unlike anything seen in previous wars, were developed. Tanks were built and used in response to the stalemate of trench warfare. Modernized submarines armed with torpedoes and deck guns were used. Giant zeppelins and airplanes were used for surveillance, bombing raids, and aerial dogfight combat. Poisonous gas killed thousands before gas masks were distributed. Flamethrowers, machine guns, field artillery, and skin burning mustard gas unleashed horrific results. Carnage was huge. [Read more…]
