(the reasons for ww1)


A- Alliance: European nations signed secret treaties that created a system of alliances pitting nation versus nation.

N - Nationalism: There were intense feelings of nationalism on the part of subjugated nationalities. These feelings would eventually lead to rash acts.

I - Imperialism: Competition to develop vast empires caused tension and conflict.

M - Militarism: Nations built huge armies to defend themselves and help to gain these empires. It was a natural feeling for them to want to use these militaries.

A - Anarchy: There was no international organization to help them deal with their problems.

L - Leadership: It was poor. Just look at the system they set up...quite poor indeed.




Austria Hungary blamed the Serbian government for the assassination of the Archduke and issued an ultimatum (demands). The Serbians agreed to all but two of the demands, one of which was the placement of Austro Hungarian troops within Serbia. The Serbians appealed to Russia for support and Russia as the "protector of the Slavs" agreed to support Serbia. Meanwhile the Austro Hungarians still wanting revenge and fearing Russia secured the support of their traditional ally, Germany. In a famous decision Germany issued what has become know as "Carte Blanche," of blank check, to Austria Hungary. This unqualified military support from Germany made Austria Hungary rather confident that Russia would not attack. At this point the Austro Hungarians declared war on Serbia. In response to the declaration of war Russia mobilized her military forces. Perhaps it was a bit of saber rattling, perhaps not. Regardless Germany demanded Russia demobilize its army. When Russia refused Germany attacked Russia. The effect of the war on the Russian front were devastating. The Russians were ill prepared for war and lost millions of men. In the end the Czars refusal to exit the war cost him his throne as the Bolsheviks (Communists) revolted in 1917 overthrowing Czar Nicholas II.www.socialstudieshelp.com/lesson_72_notes.htm

The newly invented airplane entered World War I as an observer of enemy activity (see The Beginning of Air Warfare, 1914). The importance of the information gathered by this new technological innovation was made evident to all the belligerents in the opening days of the conflict. The equal importance of preventing the enemy from accomplishing this mission was also apparent.


Anthony Fokker (left) at an
airbase at the time of the
introduction of his
new machinegun, 1915
The French were the first to develop an effective solution. On April 1, 1915 French pilot Roland Garros took to the air in an airplane armed with a machine gun that fired through its propeller. This feat was accomplished by protecting the lower section of the propeller blades with steel armor plates that deflected any bullets that might strike the spinning blades. It was a crude solution but it worked, on his first flight Garros downed a German observation plane. Within two weeks Garros added four more planes to his list of kills. Garros became a national hero and his total of five enemy kills became the benchmark for an air "Ace."

However, on April 19, Garros was forced down behind enemy lines and his secret revealed to the Germans. Dutch aircraft manufacturer Anthony Fokker, whose factory was nearby, was immediately summoned to inspect the plane. The Germans ordered Fokker to return to his factory, duplicate the French machinegun and demonstrate it to them within 48 hours. Fokker did what he was told and then some. Aware that the French device was crude and would ultimately result in damaging the propeller, Fokker and his engineers looked for a better solution. The result was a machinegun whose rate of fire was controlled by the turning of the propeller. This synchronization assured that the bullets would pass harmlessly through the empty space between the propeller bladeswww.eyewitnesstohistory.com/fokker.htm

In 1901 Britain had a constitutional government, but it was not a fully-fledged democracy. In 1918 it became a democracy, with the introduction of universal adult male suffrage and votes for women aged over 30.

World War One determined the timing of democratic change.

What mattered more by then was the fact that the country was engaged in the greatest war of modern times, one in which Britain's military deaths were more than twice those it would suffer in World War Two.

World War One may not have initiated democratic change, but it determined its timing. Ironically, the war's demands also weakened the exercise of constitutional government, albeit temporarily.

Freedom of speech was curtailed by the Defence of the Realm Act in 1914. Elections, due in 1915, were deferred until the war was concluded. And the formation of a coalition government in the same year all but silenced parliamentary opposition.

When Britain entered World War One, it did so in the name of 19th century liberal values - the rights of small nations and the rule of law.

What justified these claims, which became the touchstone of British propaganda, was Germany's invasion of Belgium, as its army bypassed France's eastern defences by swinging round them to the north.
www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_ww...britain_ww1_01.shtml

The Lusitania made her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York in September 1907. Construction had begun in 1903 with the goal of building the fastest liner afloat. Her engines produced 68,000-horse power and pushed the giant through the water at an

The Lusitania leaves New York
May 1, 1915average speed over 25 knots. Dubbed the "Greyhound of the Seas" she soon captured the Blue Ribbon for the fastest Atlantic crossing.

The British Admiralty had secretly subsidized her construction and she was built to Admiralty specifications with the understanding that at the outbreak of war the ship would be consigned to government service. As war clouds gathered in 1913, the Lusitania quietly entered dry dock in Liverpool and was fitted for war service. This included the installation of ammunition magazines and gun mounts on her decks. The mounts, concealed under the teak deck, were ready for the addition of the guns when needed.

On May 1, 1915, the ship departed New York City bound for Liverpool. Unknown to her passengers but probably no secret to the Germans, almost all her hidden cargo consisted of munitions and contraband destined for the British war effort. As the fastest ship afloat, the luxurious liner felt secure in the belief she could easily outdistance any submarine. Nonetheless, the menace of submarine attack reduced her passenger list to only half her capacity.


A contemporary illustration
of the sinkingOn May 7, the ship neared the coast of Ireland. At 2:10 in the afternoon a torpedo fired by the German submarine U 20 slammed into her side. A mysterious second explosion ripped the liner apart. Chaos reigned. The ship listed so badly and quickly that lifeboats crashed into passengers crowded on deck, or dumped their loads into the water. Most passengers never had a chance. Within 18 minutes the giant ship slipped beneath the sea. One thousand one hundred nineteen of the 1,924 aboard died. The dead included 114 Americans.www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/snpwwi2.htm

The American entry into World War I came in April 1917, after two and a half years of efforts by President Woodrow Wilson to keep the United States neutral during World War I. Americans had no idea that war was imminent in Europe in the summer of 1914, and tens of thousands of tourists were caught by surprise.[1] Apart from an Anglophile element supporting the British, American public opinion went along with neutrality at first. The sentiment for neutrality was strong among Irish Americans, German Americans and Swedish Americans,[2] as well as among church leaders and women. On the other hand, even before the war broke out American opinion toward Germany was already more negative than it was toward any other country in Europe.[3] The citizenry increasingly came to see the German Empire as the villain after news of atrocities in Belgium in 1914, and the sinking of the passenger liner RMS Lusitania in May 1915 in defiance of international law. Wilson made all the key decisions and kept the economy on a peacetime basis, while allowing large-scale loans to Britain and France. To preclude making any military threat Wilson made only minimal preparations for war and kept the U.S. Army on its small peacetime basis despite increasing demands for preparedness. However, he did enlarge the U.S Navy.

At the beginning of 1917, Germany decided to resume all-out submarine warfare on every commercial ship headed toward Britain, realizing that this decision would almost certainly mean war with the United States. Germany also offered a military alliance to Mexico in the Zimmermann Telegram. Publication of that offer outraged Americans just as German U-boats (submarines) started sinking American ships in the North Atlantic. Wilson asked Congress for "a war to end all wars" that would "make the world safe for democracy", and Congress voted to declare war on Germany on April 6, 1917.[4] On December 7, 1917, the US declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire.[5][6] en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_entry_into_World_War_I

WB|War hawk1-5 wrote: On January 31, 1917, Germany, determined to win its war of attrition against the Allies, announced it would resume unrestricted warfare in war-zone waters. Three days later, the United States broke diplomatic relations with Germany, and just hours after that the American ship Housatonic was sunk by a German U-boat.

On February 22, Congress passed a $250 million arms appropriations bill intended to make the United States ready for war. In late March, Germany sunk four more U.S. merchant ships, and on April 2 President Wilson appeared before Congress and called for a declaration of war against Germany. On April 4, the Senate voted to declare war against Germany, and two days later the House of Representatives endorsed the declaration. With that, America entered World Warwww.history.com/topics/world-war-i/lusitania

Umm, are you sure of the name of the ship? Housatonic was the name of the first ship ever sunk by a submarine. The sub was the CSS Hunley and it happened in 1865.

[M] TR wrote:

WB|War hawk1-5 wrote: On January 31, 1917, Germany, determined to win its war of attrition against the Allies, announced it would resume unrestricted warfare in war-zone waters. Three days later, the United States broke diplomatic relations with Germany, and just hours after that the American ship Housatonic was sunk by a German U-boat.

On February 22, Congress passed a $250 million arms appropriations bill intended to make the United States ready for war. In late March, Germany sunk four more U.S. merchant ships, and on April 2 President Wilson appeared before Congress and called for a declaration of war against Germany. On April 4, the Senate voted to declare war against Germany, and two days later the House of Representatives endorsed the declaration. With that, America entered World Warwww.history.com/topics/world-war-i/lusitania

Umm, are you sure of the name of the ship? Housatonic was the name of the first ship ever sunk by a submarine. The sub was the CSS Hunley and it happened in 1865.

It's a continution of how the U.S. Got into the war. This part of the article takes place after the sinking of the lousitania and i see, your right i will change it right now

U- Boat is an abbreviation of ‘unterseeboot’, which when translated into English means ‘undersea boat’.

When the First World War began the German armed forces had 29 U-Boats at their disposal.

In the first 10 weeks of the conflict they sank five British cruisers.

Between October 1916 and January 1917 a grand total of 1.4 million tons of allied shipping was lost to the U-Boats.

These losses were eventually curtailed when the allies introduced escorted convoys with merchant ships surrounded by military vessels.

During WW1 Germany built 360 U-Boat submarines, 178 of which were lost. In total they were responsible for the loss of more than 11 million tons of allied shipping
ww1facts.net/war-at-sea/ww1-submarines

The use of horses in World War I marked a transitional period in the evolution of armed conflict. Cavalry units were initially considered essential offensive elements of a military force, but over the course of the war, the vulnerability of horses to modern machine gun and artillery fire reduced their utility on the battlefield. This paralleled the development of tanks, which would ultimately replace cavalry in shock tactics. While the perceived value of the horse in war changed dramatically, horses still played a significant role throughout the war.

All of the major combatants in World War I (1914–1918) began the conflict with cavalry forces. Germany stopped using them on the Western Front soon after the war began. They continued to be deployed in a limited fashion on the Eastern Front well into the war. The Ottoman Empire used cavalry extensively during the war. On the Allied side, the United Kingdom used mounted infantry and cavalry charges throughout the war, but the United States used cavalry for only a short time. Although not particularly successful on the Western Front, Allied cavalry did have some success in the Middle Eastern theatre, possibly because they faced a weaker and less technologically advanced enemy. Russia used cavalry forces on the Eastern Front, but with limited success.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horses_in_World_War_I

World War I

1918
Finland signs treaty with Germany




Four days after Russia signs a humiliating peace treaty with the Central Powers at Brest-Litovsk, the newly declared independent state of Finland reaches a formal peace settlement with Germany.

Though Finland—a former Swedish duchy ceded to Russian control in 1809, when Russia’s Czar Alexander I attacked and occupied it—did not participate directly in the First World War, Russian troops were garrisoned in the country from the beginning of the conflict. For Finland, the war provided the ultimate opportunity for an emerging nation: independence.

In 1917, with Russia struggling on the battlefield against Germany and in the throes of internal revolution, Finland saw its chance. On November 15, 1917, a newly elected Finnish parliament announced it was assuming all powers formerly held by the Czar-Grand Duke—Nicholas II, who had abdicated the previous March. On December 6, barely a month after Vladimir Lenin’s Bolsheviks seized power in Petrograd (later St. Petersburg), the parliament voted to make Finland an independent republic.www.history.com/this-day-in-history/finl...-treaty-with-germany

Before the use of bombs, British airmen used to drop flechettes by the hundreds onto the enemy troops. These were 5" long metal arrows which could penetrate helmets, and left devastating wounds.



They were eventually phased out, since the pilots said that there use was very "unBrittish" because the enemy troops could not hear them coming. Oddly enough, shortly after they were phased out, the bomb came in to play.

ALSO BOMBS WERE DROP BY HANDS BEFORE PLANES COULD DO IT

BLACKHAWKGHOST wrote: ALSO BOMBS WERE DROP BY HANDS BEFORE PLANES COULD DO IT

If only somebody were to post a pic of a pilot dropping a bomb by hand!

John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948) was the general in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces to victory over Germany in World War I, 1917–18. He rejected British and French demands that American forces be integrated with their armies, and insisted that the AEF would operate as a single unit under his command, although some American divisions fought under British command, and he also allowed all-black units to be integrated with the French armyhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Pershing

In the spring of 1917, after the failed Nivelle Offensive, there was a series of mutinies in the French army.[31] The mutinies started on April 17, the day after the failed Nivelle Offensive, and ended on June 30.[31] Over 35,000 soldiers were involved with 68 out of 112 divisions affected, but fewer than 3,000 men were punished.[31] Following a series of court-martials, there were 49 documented executions and 2,878 sentences to penal servitude with hard labour. Of the 68 divisions affected by mutinies, 5 had been “profoundly affected”’ 6 had been “very seriously affected”, 15 had been “seriously affected”, 25 were affected by “repeated incidents” and 17 had been affected by “one incident only”, according to statistics compiled by French military historian Guy Pedroncini.[31]
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Army_in_World_War_I#Mutinies

Regarded as practical for siege operations only since Napoleonic times however, the grenade came to the attention of German army planners (notable among others) during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05.

As with most things at the start of the war in August 1914, the Germans were ahead of the pack in terms of grenade development. Even as war began the Germans had 70,000 hand grenades in readiness, along with a further 106,000 rifle grenades.

Curiously, when many, perhaps most, people are asked to consider the means of trench attack most popular during the First World War, the rifle or bayonet is often suggested as the most likely answer.

Bombing Parties

French Alpine Chasseurs training US troops with grenadesIn fact both of these weapons were to be used chiefly to defend the grenadiers: those men tasked with the bombing of trenches and positions using grenades of various types. Bombing parties grew in number and frequency as the war progressed and formed a major component of any infantry attack by the war's close (although US forces used them less, chiefly on account of supply shortages

www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/grenades.htm

Alvin Cullum York (December 13, 1887 – September 2, 1964), known also by his rank, Sergeant York, was one of the most decorated soldiers of the United States Army in World War I.[1] He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, taking 32 machine guns, killing at least 20 German soldiers, and capturing 132 others. This action occurred during the United States-led portion of the broader Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France masterminded by French Marshal Ferdinand Foch to breach the Hindenburg line and make the opposing German forces surrenderhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_C._York

Ive been slacking on the job so here is two posts in one day


The Russian invasion of East Prussia occurred during the First World War, lasting from August to September 1914. As well as being the natural course for the Russians to take upon the declaration of war with Germany, it was also an attempt to focus German military eyes on the Eastern Front, as opposed to the Western Front. Despite having an overwhelming superiority over the Germans in numbers, the Russian Army was spread out and suffered a defeat

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_invasion_of_East_Prussia_(1914)
And i think i will be posting more about this and srg york because there is more to his story than that

The Lafayette Escadrille





The first major action seen by the squadron was 13 May 1916 at the Battle of Verdun and five days later, Kiffin Rockwell recorded the unit's first aerial victory.[2] On 23 June, the Escadrille suffered its first fatality when Victor Chapman was shot down over Douaumont.[2][5] The unit was posted to the front until September 1916, when the unit was moved back to Luxeuil-les-Bains in 7 Army area. On 23 September, Rockwell was killed when his Nieuport was downed by the gunner in a German Albatross observation plane[6] and in October, Norman Prince was shot down during air battle.[7] The squadron, flying the Nieuport 11 scout, suffered heavy losses, but its core group of 38 was rapidly replenished by other Americans arriving from overseas. So many volunteered that the Lafayette Flying Corps was formed and many Americans thereafter serving with other French air units such as Michigan's Fred Zinn, who was a pioneer of aerial photography, fought as part of the French Foreign Legion and later the French Aéronautique militaire. Altogether, 265 American volunteers served in the Corps.

On 8 February 1918, the squadron was disbanded and 12 of its American members inducted into the U.S. Air Service as members of the 103rd Aero Squadron. For a brief period it retained its French aircraft and mechanics. Most of its veteran members were set to work training newly arrived American pilots. The 103rd was credited with a further 45 kills before the Armistice went into effect on 11 November.[8] The French Escadrille SPA.124, also known as the Jeanne d'Arc Escadrille, continued Lafayette Escadrille's traditions in the Service Aéronautique.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafayette_Escadrille

[IMG]http:/www.compoundchem.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Chemical-Warfare-World-War-1-Poison-Gases.png[/img]

WB|War hawk1-5 wrote: [IMG]http:/www.compoundchem.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Chemical-Warfare-World-War-1-Poison-Gases.png[/img]

Must have been redacted by the Abwehr.

Anton Herman Gerard "Anthony" Fokker (6 April 1890 – 23 December 1939) was a Dutch aviation pioneer and an aircraft manufacturer. He is most famous for the fighter aircraft he produced in Germany during the First World War such as the Eindecker monoplanes, the Dr.1 triplane and the D.VII biplane.

After the treaty of Versailles forbade Germany to produce airplanes, Fokker moved his business to the Netherlands. There his company was responsible for a variety of successful aircraft including the Fokker trimotor, a successful passenger aircraft of the inter-war years. He died in North America in 1939. Later authors suggest he was personally charismatic but unscrupulous in business and a controversial character
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Fokker

www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/11/12/3614692/t...cles-in-the-trenches

Great Thread

The German fire took a heavy toll. Something had to be done to silence the German machine guns. Sergeant Early took three squads of men to attack the machine guns (this included York). They worked their way behind the Germans and captured a large group of German soldiers who were preparing a counter-attack. Early’s men where contending with the prisoners when machine gun fire hit them, killing six Americans and wounding three others. The fire came from German machine guns on the ridge, which turned their weapons on the US soldiers. The loss of the nine put Corporal York in charge of the eight remaining US soldiers. As his men remained under cover, guarding the prisoners, York worked his way into position to silence the German machine guns.

"And those machine guns were spitting fire and cutting down the undergrowth all around me something awful. And the Germans were yelling orders. You never heard such a 'racket in all of your life. I didn't have time to dodge behind a tree or dive into the brush... As soon as the machine guns opened fire on me, I began to exchange shots with them. There were over thirty of them in continuous action, and all I could do was touch the Germans off just as fast as I could. I was sharp shooting. I don't think I missed a shot. It was no time to miss… All the time I kept yelling at them to come down. I didn't want to kill any more than I had to. But it was they or I. And I was giving them the best I had." (3) Sergeant Alvin York.

One of York’s prisoners, First Lieutenant Vollmer, emptied his pistol trying to kill York (while York was contending with the machine guns). Failing to injure York, and seeing his mounting loses; he offered to surrender the unit to York, which was gladly accepted. By the end of the fight, York and his men marched 132 German prisoners back to the American lines. York was promoted to Sergeant and awarded the Medal of Honor. Sergeant Alvin York’s life is relevant for us since it is an example to emulate.
www.sgtyorkdiscovery.com/The_York_Story.php

Japan participated in World War I from 1914 to 1918 in an alliance with Entente Powers and played an important role in securing the sea lanes in the West Pacific and Indian Oceans against the Imperial German Navy. Politically, Japan seized the opportunity to expand its sphere of influence in China, and to gain recognition as a great power in postwar geopolitics.

Japan's military, taking advantage of the great distances and Germany's preoccupation with the war in Europe, seized German possessions in the Pacific and East Asia, but there was no large-scale mobilization of the economy.[1] Foreign Minister Katō Takaaki and Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu wanted to use the opportunity to expand Japanese influence in China. They enlisted Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925), then in exile in Japan, but they had little success.[2] The Imperial Japanese Navy, a nearly autonomous bureaucratic institution, made its own decision to undertake expansion in the Pacific. It captured Germany's Micronesian territories north of the equator, and ruled the islands until 1921. The operation gave the Navy a rationale for enlarging its budget to double the Army budget and expanding the fleet. The Navy thus gained significant political influence over national and international affairs.[3]
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_during_World_War_I

The NSDAP was made to help germany to get out of the Dprashin


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icient for the purposes for which they were designed because they are outranged by
foreign ships having guns of superior range and possessing superior speed.”

A New York Tribune in February 1916 article cited, “Only 19 First Class capital ships
available for war, all based in the Atlantic Fleet”.

World War I

In 1917 Germany elected to resume full unrestricted submarine warfare. They anticipated this
would bring America into the war, but the Germans gambled that they could defeat Britain
by this means before the U.S. could mobilize. As the result of careful calculations, the German
high command firmly believed that their submarines could not only prevent the large scale
transportation of American troops across the Atlantic, but furthermore could also cut the sea
communications of her European enemies to such an extent as to force them to an early
surrender through lack of supplies from overseas. German planners estimated that if the
sunken tonnage exceeded 600,000 tons per month, Britain would be forced to sue for peace
after 5 to 6 months. The Germans hoped their submarines would be the decisive weapon to
win the war.

U.S. Naval Priorities:

In response the U.S. Navy set out to meet the following wartime challenges:

- Provide armed escort vessels for merchant convoys, capable of minimizing the submarine
threat.
- Provide the sea bridge to move the American Army to the Theater of Operations
- Reinforce the Grand Fleet with American Battleships
- Defeat the submarine through technology advancements (Sonar, Mines)
- Create a Naval Aviation arm to assist escort and scouting
- Augment the Army with Marines and Artillery

The main theater of World War I was the Western Front and in order to relieve the British
and European allies already on the frontline, the United States Navy was tasked with
transporting millions of American soldiers and supplies across the Atlantic to France as soon
as possible. The United States Navy was ill prepared for war though; the only solution was
to begin deploying whatever was available on convoy duty and arming merchantmen with
small naval guns and armed guard detachments.

Overseas American troop movements in our own transports began with the sailing of the
Tenadores, Saratoga, and Havana from New York, escorted by the U.S.S. Seattle, the U.S.S.
DeKalb (troop transport), and the destroyers Wilkes, Terry, and Roe, on June 14, 1917. The
movement grew at an astonishing pace, as the following table of aggregate troops transported
before the armistice demonstrates:

Troops Carried
United States Navy transports - 911,000
Other United States ships - 41,500
British ships - 1,007,000
Other foreign ships, French, Italian, etc.- 121,000

Only the fastest vessels, such as the Leviathan, the Northern Pacific, and the Great Northern, were
allowed to go unescorted, their high speed being considered sufficient protection.

Battleship Employment

Within a few weeks after the United States entered with the World War its battleship force,
which had been cruising in Cuban waters, was sent to Chesapeake Bay. With the American
entry into the Great War on April 6, 1917 the Delaware was assigned to the Chesapeake Bay to
train five inch gunnery crews before their assignments to other naval craft as well as armed
merchant ships. Thirteen armed guard crews of five men each were trained simultaneously, as
well as a great number of apprentice firemen, seamen, and mechanics.

Some idea of the scope of the problem of training men may be gained from the fact that at war’
s start there were 70,000 men and officers in the Navy, whereas at the time of the armistice the
number had been increased to 538,000. In addition to keeping itself ready for service by
extensive maneuvers during most of the war, the battleship force was largely engaged in this
work of training. Recruits would be sent to the greatly expanded training stations on shore
for a short preliminary period of training and then to the battleships in Chesapeake Bay for a
finishing course of several weeks, including the actual firing of guns at target practice.
Finally, the men were transferred to ships in active service at sea. Delaware’s sister ship North
Dakota spent virtually the entire war in service as a training ship based stateside on the
Eastern Seaboard.

The British First Sea Lord sent an urgent request to Washington for four coal burning
battleships to reinforce the Grand Fleet in July 1917. The Royal Navy was short of
manpower to face the growing submarine threat, and required experienced crews for its new
cruisers and destroyers. It planned to take five of its pre-Dreadnought battleships out of
commission and use their crews elsewhere. The American Battleships were to fill the gap left
behind.

The Americans had their own naval personnel problems. Many of the experienced and
trained gunnery crews from the battle fleet were lent to armed merchantmen to defend against
the submarine menace. The readiness of the battle fleet was lowered by their inexperienced
replacements.

The Royal Navy request was initially rejected. The US Navy doctrine based on Alfred Thayer
Mahan’s theories was to keep the battle fleet concentrated. America had 14 modern
Dreadnought battleships at the outbreak of war in April 1917, but only 74 destroyers. These
were too few to screen the dreadnoughts and the other 23 pre-Dreadnought class battleships,
ten armored cruisers and 25 light cruisers of the fleet. The cost of the aggressive dreadnought
building campaign came at the expense of lesser ships in the years before the war.

America was wary of splitting its fleet with the possible threat of a two ocean war and an
unpredictable Japanese presence in the Pacific. The United States had already given up a
number of destroyers for convoy duty that were needed to screen the battleships. Destroyers
and other similar warships of the escort type were thought to be the most effective means of
sinking German submarines and protecting merchantmen so destroyer squadrons were based
in the British Isles. Battleships without the scouting and screening of destroyers were
vulnerable, and the destroyers were in short supply.

A visit to Britain by the two senior American Admirals gave grudging acknowledgement to
the notion of sending an advance force interposed between America and her enemy. They also
recognized that the nation would not tolerate a fleet that simply stayed home in a post war
budget battle. On November 7 the British request was approved.



















This is a bit about my Great Grandfather's ship the USS Delaware BB-88

The Grand Fleet

Delaware entered the Boston Navy Yard for voyage repairs on November 15, 1917 and joined
Battleship Division Nine at Lynhaven Roads on the 24th. She put to sea the following day in
company with battleships New York (BB-34), Wyoming (BB-32), and Florida (BB-30). Off the
Grand Banks the flotilla encountered 90 mile per hour gales and enormous seas. Ships boats
were crushed and hatches sprung.

They reached Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands on December 17 for duty with the Sixth
Battle Squadron, British Grand Fleet. Delaware and her consorts were greeted by British
Admiral Sir David Beatty and the crew of the HMS Queen Elizabeth. The American fleet was
placed under the operation control of the Admiralty. British flag signals, radio codes, tactical
maneuvering orders and fire control methods were adopted and Royal Navy signalmen were
lent to the ship to teach British methods.

Delaware anchored in the Forth River at Rosyth Scotland the next day and spent much of the
next six months protecting allied shipping in ocean lanes and approaches between that port
and the Orkney Islands. Target practice in Pentland Firth revealed shortcomings in gunnery
that fell short of British wartime standards. American rate of fire and accuracy needed much
improvement.

Admiral Hugh Rodman was the American battleship force commander. He had previously
been the Captain of the Delaware (1912-1913). He had an amicable relationship with his
British colleagues. He and his American Captains were frequent dinner guests with Admiral
Beatty at Aberdour House in the Firth of Forth. The Americans were welcomed with a
baseball diamond and a couple of days off for the Fourth of July. Up to 200 of the crew were
given liberty on shore in relays. The Americans as guests on British ships complained that
they, “were too cold for men brought up in American homes. They were likewise poorly
ventilated by our standards.”

In their first sortie on their own, Delaware sailed with the squadron from the Orkney Islands
on February 6, 1918 as part of a supporting force of British Cruisers under Rodman’s
command for a convoy bound for the coast of Norway with an escort of eight British
destroyers. While waiting for the appearance of the returning convoy off Stavanger on
February 8, battleship Florida maneuvered to clear a torpedo wake and destroyers dropped
depth charges into the sea and another torpedo crossed ahead of Delaware by several hundred
yards. Three minutes later her lookout aloft reported the wake of a torpedo dead ahead of
Delaware who put her rudder hard left and passed just inside its wake. The destroyers drove
off the raiding U-Boat and she returned to Scapa Flow on February 10th. After the war,
German naval records revealed that no U-boats had attacked battleships that day off Norway.

The American squadron added USS Texas, a fifth battleship so the division could maintain
four ships on alert, allowing one to refit and repair as needed.

Delaware was a part of the escort for another convoy off the coast of Norway (March 8-12)
and then sailed with the Grand Fleet on April 24 to reinforce the 2d Battle Cruiser Squadron
which was on convoy duty and expected contact with the enemy. Only the vessels of the
advance screen made any contact, and the chance for sea action faded.

She stood out of Scapa Flow with the Sixth Battle Squadron on June 30, 1918, joined by a
submarine screen of British destroyers. This force was escorting the Mining Squadron into
the North Sea that afternoon when Delaware spotted the wake of a submarine periscope at 500
yards and let go with six rounds of 3-inch shells to discourage the enemy. The destroyers
moved in to drop depth charges and Delaware parted company with the Mining Squadron on
July 1, for return to Scapa Flow.

After six months of service the gunnery had been much improved. Rodman reported it as
“extremely fine, much better than we have ever done previously”. Admiral Beattie did not
agree. He regarded the Americans as “second string” and used them sparingly in operations.
They were assigned last in line, “where they were least likely to interfere with the movements
of the fleet.”

Delaware put to sea from Scapa Flow on July 6, 1918 with the Sixth Battle Squadron and
arrived at the Forth River anchorage of Rosyth on the 8th . King George V inspected the
ships of the squadron on July 22. Delaware cleared Rosyth after being relieved by Arkansas
(BB-33), on July 30, 1918 for her return to the United States after eight and half months on
station. She was escorted out to sea by the British destroyers Restless and Rowena, reaching
Hampton Roads on August 12.