When the US entered world war one, did it include declaration of war against the Ottoman Empire? Were there any actions or plans for US military operations in the Middle East?
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1 Answer
No. During World War I, the United States first waged war only against Germany. It was not even officially an "Ally," although it cooperated with the Allies. America had tried hard to remain neutral during the war, and turned against Germany only because of the Zimmerman Telegram. That's because this message purported to encourage Mexico to tie down America by "invading" Texas, even though such an "invasion" was really an attempt by Mexico's Pancho Villa to flee his enemies in the so-called Mexican Revolution. America had no quarrel with the Ottoman Empire, although it did later declare war against Austria-Hungary.
Although war was declared against Germany on April 6, 1917, American troops began arriving in France in large numbers about a year later, thereby deciding a close issue. The arrival of American soldiers gave the Allies of supply of fresh troops, at a time when everyone else's was worn out by four years of war, giving the Allies a decisive advantage.
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4Wiki suggests several actions against Austro-Hungary. The 332nd Infantry participated in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto in late October/early November 1918. And, on October 11, 1918, the US Navy participated in an attack on Durrazo, Albania (again, Austro-Hungary). There seems to be no intersection with the Ottomans, however. Commented Apr 7, 2017 at 18:08
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4And, the US Senate explicitly declared war on Austria-Hungary on December 7th, 1917 (yes, December 7th - 24 years too early to be infamous). Commented Apr 7, 2017 at 18:10
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3The US troops in no way saved the Allies form defeat. The actual amount of fighting the US Troops did was tiny. The Belgians contributed more do people go around saying the Belgians won ww1. US troops had no material impact on the outcome of ww1. They simply were not committed in any significant numbers until the very end, when the Germans were already beaten. Commented Apr 7, 2017 at 22:19
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1I'd suggest using a better wording than "just in time to save the Allies from defeat." It implies the allies were on the verge of defeat, which I don't think was the case. Commented Apr 7, 2017 at 23:10
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1It is true; Pershing's great U.S.-led offensive of spring and summer 1919 decisively won the war for the Western Allies. Except the Brits and French, ably assisted by Commonwealth and Territorial troops, had already forced a Central Powers surrender on Nov. 11, 1918. Despite the great number of (mostly still untrained) U.S. troops in France by summer of 1918, the role they played during the final months of the War was minor, with the possible exception of Chateau Thierry in the Second Battle of the Marne. There were as many Canadians in the line for the final 100 days as there were Americans. Commented Apr 9, 2017 at 0:44