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Out of the 65,038,810 total mobilized forces in WW1, 8,528,831 were killed and 21,189,154 were wounded. 7,750,919 were POWs or MIA creating a total of 37,468,904 casualties. 57.5% of the total mobilized forces during the war. This was the most devastating war the world had ever seen. For the majority of the war, the United States did not have boots on the ground, but at the end of the war, they had mobilized about 4.4 million troops.
What swayed the United States's opinion on the war? One event that changed the US’ outlook on the war was the sinking of the Lusitania. Despite common misconception, this was not the main or only reason the US entered the war, but it was one of the many events used to persuade public opinion to enter the war. The Lusitania was a British ocean liner that was sunk by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915, 2 years before the US officially entered the war. Within 20 minutes of the impact of the torpedo on the starboard side, 1,198 people had drowned including 128 Americans. The Lusitania was carrying about 173 tons of rifle ammunition and bombshells, justifying the U-boat attack, but in the eyes of the average American, this was an egregious crime committed against the Americans.
One of the major reasons that the US sent troops to Europe and Africa was the interception of the telegram by the British and the translation of the Zimmermann telegram by the Americans. The telegram was sent on January 16, 1917, and it reads as follows: “We intend to begin on the first of February unrestricted submarine warfare. We shall endeavor despite this to keep the United States of America neutral. In the event of this not succeeding, we make Mexico a proposal or alliance on the following basis: make war together, make peace together, generous financial support, and an understanding on our part that Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The settlement in detail is left to you. You will inform the President of the above most secretly as soon as the outbreak of war with the United States of America is certain and add the suggestion that he should, on his own initiative, invite Japan to immediate adherence and at the same time mediate between Japan and ourselves. Please call the President's attention to the fact that the ruthless employment of our submarines now offers the prospect of compelling England in a few months to make peace”.
And another event that pushed for US involvement in the Great War was when Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare. The British did not have the agriculture infrastructure to feed its citizens and they imported many tons of supplies from the Americas. Germany started aggressively using U-boat fleets to sink any and all vessels that entered the surrounding waters of Britain. Effectively severing Britain’s supply line trying to starve them out of the war. But it was the unrestricted part of the warfare that came back to haunt the Germans. They sunk many civilian ships killing many Americans, this unwarranted killing of Americans was another reason the US entered the war.
The German government announced on January 31, 1917, that unrestricted submarine warfare would resume the next day on February 1, 1917, and on April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson sent a request to Congress to declare war on Germany. On April 4, 1917, the Senate voted in support of the measure, and the House followed suit 2 days later. The first American troops arrived at the front lines of World War 1 on April 6, 1917.
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