Germany's use of U-boats pushed America into a corner and ultimately to their declaration of war. On February 4th, 1915, Germany announced that merchant shipping in a specified zone around Britain would be legitimate targets. They also added that this would include neutral ships because many Allied ships had been flying the flag of a neutral nation to assist in their safety. Wilson warned the Germans that he would hold them responsible if any American ships were sunk. This threat was tested when on May 7th, 1915 when the Lusitania was sunk. The Lusitania was a luxury ship that was carrying 1 257 passengers- 159 of them American and 168 we infants and children. It took eighteen minutes to sink the ship, which like the Titanic had been deemed “unsinkable.” Of forty-eight lifeboats on the ship, only six made it out to sea. When the final count came in, there were 1,201 dead. Of the 168 children, 125 were gone, and of the 159 Americans, 124 had perished.
The Americans fought for the Allies, and fought along the western front that stretched from the North Sea to the Swiss Frontier with France. Over 200,000 men died in the trenches of WW1, most of who died in battle, but many died from Infections and disease brought on by unsanitary conditions. Recruit, who in the beginning of the war were volunteers but were later conscripted, would first notice the smell of the frontline, rotting bodies in shallow graves, men who hadn't bathed in weeks because there were no facilities, there were no washroom facilities either, creosol or chloride of lime, used to stave off the constant threat of disease and infection. Along with the smell of cordite, the lingering odour of poison gas, rotting sandbags, stagnant mud, cigarette smoke, and cooking food. Although overwhelming to a new recruit, they would soon get used to the smell and it eventually would become a part of them. Rats were a constant companion in the trenches. There were millions and they were everywhere, surviving by eating the human remains, they could grow to the size of a cat. The men tried to kill them with bullets, shovels or anything else they had at hand, but they fought a losing battle as only 2 rats can produce 900 offspring in a year. Some soldiers believed that the rats knew when there was going to be a heavy bombardment from the enemy lines because they always seemed to disappear minutes before an attack. With the rats came lice that were impossible to get rid of because the eggs would cling to the fibers of the soldiers’ cloths. In 1918 it was discovered that the lice had caused Trench Fever, a particularly painful disease that began suddenly with severe pain followed by high fever. Recovery away from the trenches took up to twelve weeks. Approximately 80,000 men, or 2% of those who saw active service suffered from Shell-Shock. Early symptoms included tiredness, irritability, giddiness, lack of concentration and headaches. Eventually these men suffered mental breakdowns making it impossible for them to remain in the front-line. Death was everywhere in the trenches, day or night there could be a corpse laying in the mud, whether through shell bombardment, poison gases, disease or a random bullet from a sniper.
The Infantry, still today, are highly trained soldiers who fight with small arms, but are trained to use everything from their bare hands to missile systems in order to neutralize the enemy in close personally combat. The Infantrymen’s Creed of the United States Marine Corps states, “To locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver; and to repel the enemy’s assault by fire and close combat.” During WW1, U.S Infantry Troops were nicknamed Doughboys. Although the origin of this term is not known, legend says it is linked to soldiers in the civil war who had big round brass buttons on their uniforms that we reminiscent of “doughboys”, which were a dumpling of fried dough, much like a doughnut today. The term doughboy was not derogatory; it is present in diaries and letter of U.S servicemen as well as in newspapers of the time. Each doughboy carries 200 rounds of ammunition, two cans of canned beef, six boxes of hardtack (army biscuits), and a one quart canteen. At the end of the war the doughboys gave crossed no mans land and gave the Germans cigarettes, food rations, and soap in exchange for belt buckles, bayonets, and even a few iron crosses (German army metal).
Peter I. Bosco, World War I,(New York: Facts on file) pg x
Peter I. Bosco, World War I,(New York: Facts on file)pg 5
JimmyTheJock, “World War One Trench Warfare” Hubpages[online] 2007[cited February 20, 2008] available from http://hubpages.com/hub/World_War_1_Trench_Warfare
Bibliography
Bosco, Peter I. World War I, New York: Facts of Life Inc. 2003
Dancocks, Daniel G. Legacy of Valour, Edmonton: Hurtif Publishers ltd. 1986
Hanlon, Michael E. “The origins of doughboy”[online][cited February 20, 2008]; available from
http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/orgindb.htm
Iavarone, Mike “US Infantry Kit” Doughboy Centre [online]1998-2000[cited February 20, 2008] available from http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/infkit.htm
“World War I” Wikipedia [Online] 2008 [cited February 20, 2008]; available from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I#Soldiers.27_experiences
“World War One Trench Warfare 92” Hubpages[online]2007[cited February 20, 2008]; available from
http://hubpages.com/hub/World_War_1_Trench_Warfare