How did the United States mobilize a strong military during World War l?
1 Answer
They relied on the French and the British a lot and it took a long time.
Explanation:
The United States declared war on the Central Powers in April, 1917. They were involve in some minor defensive roles until the Battle of Soissons in July 1918 when there fighting value was appreciated.
The US infantry wore a British helmet but much of their equipment was American: Springfield Rifle, Browning Automatic Rifle and .45 caliber pistol. Their organisation was French what was referred to as a "square division" organization: 4 Regiments per division. Some of the allies were moving to a more efficient "triangular" Division structure of 3 regiments per division which became common by the time World War 2 arrived.
The US artillery was inadequate for this war and they borrowed almost all of it from the French. This was the same for Aircraft.
The United States had a great deal to learn to work in the large scale of World War 1. Much of the equipment and tactics had changed since the Civil War (particularly in the use of Artillery) which was the last large scale conflict that the US had been involved in.
The US had to recruit over a million men, train, safely transport across the Atlantic, equip, train some more, and integrate with the existing French and British Armies. It was an enormous task and it is no wonder it took more than a year to get significant numbers of troops into battle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_campaigns_in_World_War_I
