Wilson’s Cabinet Votes for War But Disagreement on How to Support It. Thousands Meet, Cheer for War. Special to The Great War Project (26 March) Stalemate, bloody and murderous stalemate — that’s the state of play for the contending powers at this moment in the Great War, a century ago. Even as Russia plunges into…
Tag Archive for submarine warfare
GERMANY WOOS THE MEXICANS
by Mike Shuster
Secretly Temps Them To Join German Side. Germany Sinks American Ship; U.S. Breaks Relations Special to The Great War Project. (6 February) A clandestine German plot is underway, designed to counter an eventual American decision to get into the war. The plot is the handiwork of Dr. Arthur von Zimmermann, Germany’s newly appointed foreign minister.…
GERMANS DEBATE WIDENING U-BOAT OPERATIONS
by Mike Shuster
Seeking A Knockout Blow Against Britain; Close Eye on America. A Poet in No-Man’s-Land. Special to The Great War Project. (7-12 January) On these days a century ago, the Germans make a fateful decision. On January 9th the German Kaiser,” writes historian Martin Gilbert, “presided over a Crown Council at which the long-debated question of…
A TRULY GLOBAL WAR
by Mike Shuster
As 1916 Ends, A Yearning for Peace; But the Slaughter Continues. Special to The Great War Project. (1 January) As 1917 begins, the war just keeps on spreading, on all fronts. Eleven European nations are now at war, plus the Turkish Ottoman empire which is fighting mostly in Asia. The Allied side,” observes historian Martin…
GERMAN SUBMARINE ATTACKS RISING
by Mike Shuster
American Ships, Supplies the Targets U.S. Ponders Entering the War; Can’t Stay Neutral Forever Special to The Great War Project (3-7 October) The Germans continue their pressure on the United States, from the sea. “German submarine sinkings were continuous,” reports historian Martin Gilbert. “Many observers wondered how long it would be before these sinkings forced…
WILSON SEEKS A NEGOTIATED PEACE
by Mike Shuster
Finds Little Support, Belligerents Seek Knockout Blow; Germans Threaten U.S. Home Territory Special to The Great War Project (29 September-3 October) The Germans now eye the possibility of submarine attacks on the United States. American targets begin to attract German U-boat attention, as the underwater offensive spreads. At the beginning of October exactly a century…
FORCED LABOR FOR BELGIANS IN GERMANY
by Mike Shuster
Move Violates Laws of War; A Protest From the U.S. Wilson Running For Re-election; ‘He Kept Us Out of War’ Special to The Great War Project (18-22 September) Germany is dragooning hundreds of thousands of Belgian citizens into forced labor. According to historian Martin Gilbert, in these days in the war a century ago, Germany…
FEVERISH DEBATE IN THE U.S. OVER POLICY OF NEUTRALITY
by Mike Shuster
Wilson Struggles to Treat Britain and Germany Equally; Americans In Anti-War Mood Special to The Great War Project (22-25 January) By the beginning of 1916, the American president Woodrow Wilson still is struggling with his stance of neutrality. Wilson is trying to formulate a policy that will address the potential hostile acts at sea of…
MORE AMERICANS DIE IN U-BOAT ATTACK
by Mike Shuster
Germany Insists on Unrestricted Submarine Warfare. Wilson Struggles to Stay Out of the War. Special to The Great War Project (11-14 September) For most of 1915, the United States and Imperial Germany go head to head on the submarine war that Germany is engaged in. At times, especially after the sinking of the Lusitania in…
FACE-OFF BETWEEN GERMANY AND THE U.S.
by Mike Shuster
Lusitania Episode Takes Months to Resolve; Kaiser Calls Wilson Impertinent. A Hideous New American Weapon Special to The Great War Project (21-22 July) Relations between the United States and Germany are increasingly tense. The sinking of the British ocean liner Lusitania in May results in the death of nearly 1200, including 124 Americans. It splits President…