Most Famous Naval Battles: The War At Sea

World War I began on July 28, 1914 when Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by a Serbian fighter (World War I History). The archduke was the heir to the Austrian throne. This act of violence prompted an inevitable event since European powers had already established sides and had been spurning each other onto war. The Triple Entente consisted of England, France and Russia and a host of support from some smaller countries. They later became known as the Allies. The Triple Alliance; Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy along with its supporting countries, later became known as the Central Powers. The assassination sent off shock waves of declarations of war between one country and another until all of Europe was embroiled
The English and their advanced navy raced to blockade the German navy from being able to get out into the seas. The Germans made use of their new secret naval weapon, the submarine, also called the U-boat. The U-boat had the ability to attack with surprise from underwater. The use of the deadly torpedoes that the U-boats carried made them an effective weapon. One of the most famous naval battles was the Battle of Jutland in the North Sea (Battles-The War at Sea). The English suffered heavy loss before they were able to turn the German fleet back towards their home port.
Warfare in the air was a new element introduced in World War I. The use of airplanes in the war advanced incredibly through the four years of the war. Aircraft was first used as reconnaissance and scouting missions. When the first battles were engaged in the air, pilots shot pistols at each other from their cockpits. By the end of the war, aircraft had been fitted with bombs and machine guns. They became valuable tools for both the Allied forces and the Central
The United States had remained neutral up until this point in the war. This war had proven to be an economy booster for America. Although both sides of the war bought supplies from the US, the Allied forces bought more and mostly on credit. In order to see the financial income from the war, the Allies needed to win. This was an incentive for the US to root the Allies on. There was also a growing dislike for the way German submarines attacked unrestricted, especially the sinking of the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania carrying mostly passengers. The final straw was when a German telegram sent to Mexico was intercepted. This telegram, called the Zimmerman note, promised that the Central Powers would make sure that Mexico received some of US land in return for joining the war and fighting against the US. On April 6, 1917, the US declared war on Germany (U.S. Entry into World War I). This was a much needed boost to the Allied forces that had been fighting so hard. The US navy sent its fleet out with fresh troops.
These fresh troops were a turning point in the war. As the German forces pushed toward Paris, and it seemed that they would indeed take the France’s capital city, the American Expeditionary Force arrived in France bringing 300,000 men every month. This surge of new troops under the leadership of the French commanders halted the German advance and began driving the Central Powers back. By