U-boats played an extremely significant role in World War I and were the main reason that the Americans joined the war. German U-boats were a more advanced form of a submarine. U-boats allowed Germany to gain ground, but ultimately caused their downfall. The u-boat became the prime weapon because it could easily spot its enemies and fire, but stay undetected. This powerful weapon resulted in many German sea victories which would have been otherwise impossible because the British navy was the strongest in the world. On February 4, 1915 the Germans declared unrestricted submarine warfare around the British isles. Therefore, any ship was vulnerable to the attack by the u-boats. Merchant vessels were now prime targets. By attacking merchants Germans were able to cut off much of the supplies being imported to Britain. In addition, some passenger ships happened to be hit, including one carrying Americans. President Woodrow Wilson found this unacceptable and demanded the Germans stop unrestricted warfare. They agreed at first, but soon continued the campaign and the Americans were forced to join the war. The Americans helped to aid the depleting British supplies and fight off Germany. Not only did this cause the Americans join the war, but Mexico was called on by Germany for aid (because their army wasn’t strong enough to take on America too). In return Germany offered to help retrieve New Mexico and Texas. Because of this the war got much larger than intended and rightfully earned the name of “World” War I. Though the Germans lost the war, they were almost successful with the u-boat campaign and destroyed 11 million tons of shipping. Because of this success submarine warfare was reintroduced to the world after previously thought to be ...
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...lightly built merchant ships in one hit. This weapon made the u-boat an even more intimidating oponent, with an unexpected deadly strike at any minute.
Works Cited
“U.S. Ultimatum to Germany Regarding Unrestricted U-Boat Warfare, 18 April 1916.”
2009. First World War. Mar 18 2014, 6:14 http://www.firstworldwar.com/source /uboat1916_usultimatum.html
“Submarine Warfare in World War I” Cityofart.Net. Mar 21 2014, 10:23. http://www.cityofart
.net/bship/u_boat.html
“U-boat War in World War One.” Lowrey, Michael, Dufeil, Yves, Johan, Ryheul, and Helgason,
Guðmundur. Uboat.Net. Mar 17, 7:24. http://www.uboat.net/history/wwi/index.html
“Germans unleash U-boats.” 2014. The History Channel website. Mar 18 2014, 6:07. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-unleash-u-boats. Dooly, William G. Great Weapons of World War 1. New York: Bonanza books. Print.
In the American Revolutionary War, a manned underwater craft named the American Turtle (or the "water-machine") was used against the British Navy. David Brushnell designed this ingenious machine in 1771. The submarine was a one manned, egg-shaped vessel which was propelled by hand-operated screw-like devices. It was bottom-heavy in order for it to remain upright. The operator would plant a submersible mine that could be triggered by a simple clockwork mechanism. He could paddle away after he attached the magazine of gunpowder onto the enemy ship. The operator could stay under for about thirty minutes
When the Merrimac came into view, she fought the Cumberland and ended up destroying it. The shell burst into the rail and knocked down nine men of the Cumberland. In the end, the Merrimac destroyed the Cumberland. But no ship in the navy ever fought as hard or as brave as the Cumberland did. Once the word got around about the ironclad everyone started to make them.
World War one started with the assassination of the Austrian emperor's nephew, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, on June 18, 1914, while they were visiting Sarajevo, part of the Austria-Hungary Empire, the province of Bosnia Herzegovina. The assassination by a Serbian Nationalist caused the Austria Hungary Empire to plan to start war against Serbia. Instead of reacting quickly to the incident, Austria Hungary made sure to have a treaty with Germany. This allowed Serbia to create a treaty with Russia. Russia also had a treaty with France and Britain. Austria Hungary declared war on the July 28, 1914, over a month after the assassination. By then most of Europe was involved. The two main sides of this war were the allied forces, and the central powers. The allied forces consisted of France, UK, and Russia, and the central powers were Germany and Austria Hungary. WW1 was from 1914 to 1919, resulting in 10 million military deaths, and 20 million injured. Originally, the allied forces wanted the United States to join the war, but the US was neutral. However, two events changed this opinion. In 1915, a German U-boat sunk the British Ocean liner RMS Lusitania. This was a neutral passenger ship, and the Americans were furious when it was sunk, as 159 of the passengers were American. Also, in 1917, Mexico was sent a coded message from Germany, which was intercepted by the British and shown to the US. The message promised sections of US land in return for entering the war on the German side. On April 6, 1917, the US entered the war. Russia, during this time, was planning on getting out of the war. In 1917, a revolution happened, removing the czar from power. The new communist government wanted to focus on intern...
While the naval war is usually known for only little attention in histories of World War I, the Royal Navy's blockade of Germany played a dangerous role in the War. The U.S. Navy linking with the Royal Navy played a significant role in overcoming the German U-boats in the North Atlantic. The Germany Navy while technically effective disastrously diminished the German war effort. Germany's building of a High Seas Fleet was one of the causes that public view on Britain turned against Germany and that Britain come unto the War. Yet, the small U-boat fleet, showed a key competition to the British. In the early war, U-boats drowned three British cruisers, shocking the people of both England and Germany. The U-boat campaign was a major reason that public opinion in America turned against Germany and that America entered the War. Despite the huge investment, the German Navy accomplished nothing in return to counter balance the cost for Germany.
Congress passed the declaration of war against Germany primarily based on its unrestricted use of U-boats against American ships. Thus through actions taken by the Germans, the United States would begin its involvement in the Great War. Works Cited James, D. Clayton, and Anne Sharp Wells. America and the Great War, 1914-1920. Wheeling: Harlan Davidson, 1998.
World War I, otherwise known as the Great War, began as a small battle that eventually developed into a prodigious uproar between several countries. An event that could have perhaps been avoided and prevented unnecessary deaths. WWI’s beginnings are controversial and historians throughout the world have several theories about the destructive event. Said to be one of the most disastrous and ruinous struggles between nations, The Great War lasted from July 1914 until November 1918. Referred to as a World War because of the global participation and the international unsettle; this war was exacerbated by 7 million casualties. World War I was primarily concerned with the struggle for mastery in Europe, but it was a global conflict that reached across five oceans and three continents. (Wilmott, 1) World War I introduced modern technologies including weaponry and nuclear machinery from opposing forces known as Central Powers against the Allied powers.
Indeed, Hitler’s plan to defeat the Allies with U-boats was looking very good. For some unknown reason the Allied ships could not defend against the U-boats. With Hitler in control it looked like the Axis powers were going to drive the Allies out of the Atlantic and win the Battle of the Atlantic. With Hitler taking over most of England, and Great Britain trying to hold the Germans off, the United States decides to send war aid to Britain. The United States gave the British fifty old American destroyers (Von Der Porten 171).
In World War I France and Britain gained a lot of new land and resources when Germany suffered the most. The outcome in Eastern Europe led to communism and the United States joined World War I because of the sinking of the Lusitania in 1916 (Thompson). The sinking of the Lusitania killed 128 Americans (Ellis, Esler 468). The adults that have g...
On April 2nd 1917, President Woodrow Wilson of the United States of America, ??went before Congress and called for a declaration of war. Both the House and the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of going to war with Germany.?# This was an act that led to much resistance among the American people. Not four months earlier the American people re-elected President Wilson, partly because of his success in keeping the United States out of this European war. However, a series of events, such as the Germans continuing submarine warfare and the attacks on five American ships, led President Wilson to sever diplomatic relations with Germany and send the United States into what would be labeled as World War I. As a result of the war the
International law was also a big part of United States neutrality during the war. Germany and Britain each sought to end U.S. trade with the other. With a series of what Berlin called "illegal" blockades, Britain gained the upper ha...
Gunpowder’s effect on the world can be exemplified through the grand changes in weapons. This can be shown through the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 by the English navy. In this sea battle, the Spanish Armada outnumbered the English navy immensely turning the odds against the English. However, the Spanish Armada still used old boarding tactics while the English used advanced weaponry. In the end, “the English used their superior firepower to whittle away the Spanish forces” (Schlager). The English navy's victory over the Spanish Armada illustrates the effects of the invention of gunpowder. With the successful usage of advanced gunpowder based weapons, the English navy crushed the opposition even when the Spanish Armada clearly had the upper hand. The defeat of the Spanish Armada shows that weapons based on gunpowder allowed countries with smaller armies to have a higher chance in winning their fights. The gunpowder weapons proved to be a tactical advant...
These kinds of weapons were impractical for military use, but attracted many people to the arms race for weapons that could sweep the battlefield. “They had limitations in practice, among them slow re...
World War 1 World War 1 was called “The Great War”, “The war to end all wars”, and “The first modern war”. It has many causes and a few repercussions and I will describe them in detail. The most widely known reason for the start of World War 1 was the assassination of the Arch Duke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in the Serbian capital of Sarajevo. The ArchDuke was there to talk to the Serbian leaders about peace on the Balkan Peninsula. After a Serbian was arrested for the assassination, Austria-Hungary pulled out of the peace talks and declared war on Serbia.
World War One was a war that would change the way countries fight their battles for the rest of time. The large economies previous to the war allowed countries to create technology, and weapons that would create more damage than ever seen before. There were more countries, and better technology which caused this war to be the most brutal in the world’s history. It introduced things such as airplanes, tanks, grenades, automatic weapons, and the horrific trench warfare. This was a war so destructive that President Wilson would stay out of and keep the United States neutral, causing an economic boom from selling weapons to European countries; until it was time for the U.S. to get involved. Money, technology, and the friendship of countries would end up in a horrific mess that would scar the world forever.
World War I also changed America's economy and industries. When America joined the war, supplies like guns, ammunition, food, and uniforms were needed, so businesses stepped up to fill this demand. In addition, with most of the men at war, regular daily life halted and the rest of the people found jobs to help get su...