0:12

Imagine. It's January nineteen eighteen in

0:14

Washington D C and you're a senator

0:17

on the Military Affairs committee. You when

0:19

your fellow committee members are investigating the

0:21

administration's efforts to build up the military

0:23

and the way you see it. So

0:25

far, it's been a mass. Production

0:28

has been slow and inefficient. Opportunistic

0:30

companies have hiked their prices and

0:32

exploded the surge in demand last

0:35

fall, competition between the military and

0:37

manufacturers caused a shortage of freight

0:39

trains and snarled up the Eastern

0:42

railroads. So today

0:44

you summon Secretary of War Newton Baker

0:46

to answer some questions and you've got

0:48

plenty of am now. Sir Terry Beggar,

0:50

What is the administration doing to ensure

0:52

we are adequately quip for this war?

0:55

Well. Senator and just nine months the

0:57

army has increased from two hundred twelve

0:59

thousand to one and a half million

1:01

men. It's the largest for several mobilize

1:03

by this nation Know army in history

1:05

has been raised, equipped and trained so

1:07

quickly. Yes, Mister Secretary, we have called

1:10

up a million and a half young

1:12

men into service but at the same

1:14

time to do not abandon the Springfield

1:16

rival already being manufactured in favor of

1:18

some new design that indeed prove slower

1:20

to manufacture. Yes Senator, that is correct.

1:23

And. That decision left our young recruits

1:25

without guns correct and they remain without

1:27

them now. They. They have them now.

1:30

I assure you that every soldier being trained

1:32

in this country who ought to have a

1:34

rifle has a rifle. Is. That right,

1:36

mister Secretary, Because the reports from camp

1:38

commanders do not support your claim. Some

1:40

say they have only half the guns

1:43

necessary to train their men sat. Not

1:45

a sign of your department inefficiency. It.

1:47

Is not inefficient to decide to are

1:49

more men with better guns. But at

1:52

the outset of the war, this country

1:54

had a manufacturing capacity of fifteen thousand

1:56

rifles a day. Now we're only manufacturing

1:58

at best seven thousand. These new

2:00

supposedly better rifles. Senator I believe

2:02

it's of the utmost importance that

2:05

our army has a right weaponry.

2:07

It will save lives, an increase

2:09

our odds of winning. The. Right?

2:12

Weaponry. The. Original rifles are the

2:14

same ones used by millions of British

2:16

soldiers. That's because they say the pressure

2:18

of necessity war was on their doorstep.

2:21

They did not have the choice to

2:23

upgrade their arsenals. We do. You.

2:25

Can see the secretary Baker is losing his

2:27

temper, but you're not about to let up.

2:30

And yet, isn't it true that we place

2:32

an order five months ago for machine guns

2:34

in the army still has almost non not

2:37

to mention the lack of aircraft, lack of

2:39

advanced artillery. And today I've also learned that

2:41

it will be six months before new gunpowder

2:43

plant will be operational. How do we expect

2:46

to win this war? Figures.

2:50

Faces read with anger or for the

2:52

moment, he stay silent. This hearing may

2:54

lead his political reputation battered and bruised,

2:57

but that doesn't change the fact that

2:59

the production problems you and the rest

3:01

of the committee have highlighted are threatening

3:04

the entire war effort. If the situation

3:06

doesn't improve and quickly, the biggest army

3:08

America, as ever raised, won't stand a

3:11

chance on the battlefields of your Us.

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on George Orwell's classic Nineteen Eighty

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audible.com/big Brother. From.

4:49

One, I'm Lindsey Graham and this

4:51

is American History Towers. Our

4:54

history years. By.

5:10

Early nineteen eighteen Us troops had arrived

5:12

in Europe and we're finally fighting alongside

5:15

their British and French allies on the

5:17

Western Front. United States is

5:19

entry into the war had required the

5:21

nation to transform it's small standing army

5:23

into a fighting force to be reckoned

5:25

with. Are drafting enough men to

5:28

fight? Was just a start. The.

5:30

U S was also struggling to keep

5:32

up with a production needed to see

5:34

wartime demand for weapons and supplies. The.

5:36

Nation needed to manufacture guns,

5:38

ammunition, aircraft, uniforms, and other

5:41

military supplies in large quantities

5:43

and at a rapid pace.

5:46

But. Neither the military or American industry

5:48

was ready to meet the surge in

5:50

demand. Military procurement was

5:52

uncoordinated, with different departments issuing duplicate

5:54

and overlapping orders in a scramble

5:56

to secure as much equipment as

5:58

they could. This lack of coordination

6:01

made it hard for factories to predict what

6:03

the government wanted, which in turn made it

6:05

even harder for them to meet the demands

6:07

of war. Things. Needed to

6:09

change and quickly because the tide of

6:11

the war was turning in Germany. Staver.

6:14

But. Before he could get Us industry

6:16

into gear, President Woodrow Wilson would first

6:19

have to convince the American public to

6:21

stay the course. This is

6:23

Episode three: The Spring Offensive. On.

6:29

January Tenth. Nineteen eighteen, President Woodrow Wilson

6:31

strode into the Us. Capitol and made

6:33

his way to the podium on the

6:35

floor the House Chamber. He. Positioned his

6:37

speech in front of him, Adjusted.

6:40

His thin wire frame spectacles and looked down

6:42

at the members of Congress who had gathered

6:44

to hear him speak. Wilson's.

6:46

Audience That They were keenly aware that the

6:48

United States had already been at war for

6:50

nine months and there was no end in

6:52

sight. Is anything to War was

6:55

intensify because only a month earlier the

6:57

U S had declared war on Germany's

6:59

ally, Austria Hungary in order to appease

7:01

Italy and stop and bowing out with

7:03

the site. Since. Then American

7:05

casualties have been taking up. And.

7:08

Now it looks like the Us and Allied

7:10

powers might lose a major member of their

7:12

coalition anyway. Russia. Had a

7:15

new leader, the Bolshevik revolutionary Vladimir

7:17

Lenin, who had agreed to a

7:19

ceasefire was Germany. And Lenin's

7:21

representatives were now negotiating for peace

7:23

with the Germans. If a

7:25

struck a deal, one million German troops

7:27

would suddenly be freed up and be

7:29

sent to France instead for an all

7:31

out assault on the Western front. Wilson.

7:34

Knew it was unlikely to us army would

7:36

reach full strength for another year and yet

7:38

there seemed little hope of a quick and

7:40

to the war. That. Meant Wilson

7:43

needed to persuade Congress and the nation

7:45

to stand firm. So. He

7:47

decided to lay out a clear reason to

7:49

keep fighting. As Congress listened,

7:51

he spelled out and ambitious fourteen

7:53

point peace plan which if adopted,

7:55

would redraw the world map. And.

7:58

Fundamentally change how? into. That.

8:01

Wilson's. Proposal for a New World

8:03

Order had been developed by secret team

8:05

of one hundred fifty political theorists. Bad.

8:07

Team known as the Inquiry had been

8:10

tasked with figuring out the best way

8:12

to ensure lasting peace once the war

8:14

ended. The. Inquiry spent months writing

8:16

hundreds of reports and drawing maps.

8:18

The fleshed out a post war

8:20

world remade to America's like. The.

8:23

President opened his speech by explaining to

8:25

Congress. he was there to discuss the

8:27

objects of the war and the possible

8:29

basis of a general piece. Wilson.

8:31

Began by calling for an end to secret treaties

8:34

between nations was he saw as one of the

8:36

causes of the war. Next. On

8:38

his wishlist was the removal of barriers

8:40

to free trade. He. Also made

8:42

a plea for arms reductions and freedom

8:45

of navigation in international waters. Wilson.

8:47

Imagine that for a lasting peace

8:50

to be secured, Germany must return

8:52

all the European territory to had

8:54

conquered since eighteen seventy One, meaning

8:56

Belgium and Poland would regain independence.

8:59

Wilson. Also stressed the importance of

9:01

national self determination or government by

9:04

consent of the people, which he

9:06

saw as the opposite of militaristic

9:08

autocracy and imperialism. And he

9:10

especially wanted the oppressed minorities living under

9:12

the Ottoman Empire and Austria Hungary to

9:14

have a say in the borders of

9:16

their territories. And so they were governed.

9:19

When. He was point number fourteen that wilson

9:21

hope for the most. It call

9:24

for the creation of a global assembly,

9:26

a League of Nations, whose job it

9:28

would be to preserve the territorial integrity

9:30

of all nations big and small. He.

9:33

Imagined this league could secure peace

9:35

across the world. Wilson.

9:37

Declared that the United States was fighting

9:39

for justice, not conquest, And. He

9:42

claimed the U S was in the Great War

9:44

to protect the rights of every nation and their

9:46

people, because it was the morally right thing to

9:48

do. As. Wilson's included his

9:51

speech members of Congress a. But.

9:54

Wilson's fourteen points received a claim at

9:56

home. The Allied Powers were less keen

9:58

on the plane. Britain disliked

10:00

Wilson's call for freedom of navigation

10:02

in international waters as it would rain

10:05

in their power to see. France.

10:08

Wanted more than their last territories.

10:10

Bad. They. Want to germany punished

10:12

and it's military weekend. And.

10:14

The reaction to Wilson's Fourteen Points from

10:16

the Central Powers was mixed. Austria.

10:19

Hungary and the Ottoman Empire rejected

10:21

Wilson's plan out right. Is

10:23

demand for self determination for national minorities

10:25

threatened to erase them from the map.

10:28

And while Germany also disliked the terms,

10:30

they knew that if they lost the

10:32

war or the tories, Britain and France

10:35

would press for of beer reparations. Is.

10:37

As happened the kaiser new President Wilson's plan

10:39

would be the best offer on the table.

10:42

But. One of Wilson's fourteen points was

10:44

also intended to send a message to

10:46

Moscow. In his speech,

10:49

the president stressed the need for Russia

10:51

to be treated with respect and have

10:53

it's lost territory returned. It. Was

10:55

an olive branch to the world's first

10:57

communist regimes, and one Wilson hoped would

10:59

persuade Russia's new leader, Vladimir Lenin to

11:02

bring Russia back into the fight. It.

11:05

Would be an unlikely alliance. America.

11:07

Was a beach and of capitalism,

11:10

liberalism and democracy ideas at loan

11:12

and and his Bolsheviks rejected. But.

11:14

Nevertheless, it seemed to hit the mark. Lenin.

11:17

Praised Wilson speech as a great

11:19

step towards peace. The. Bolsheviks even

11:21

reprinted his Fourteen Points in his best

11:24

year, the official newspaper of the Soviet

11:26

Union, as Russia was now know. It.

11:29

Looks like Wilson might have pulled off

11:31

a political masterstroke and learn the Soviet

11:33

Union back into the war. But.

11:35

That whole proof leading. Lennon.

11:38

And the Bolsheviks had used rushes participation

11:40

in the war to justify their coup,

11:42

and their control of the new Soviet

11:44

Union remain tenuous. So. For

11:46

Lennon, only one thing mannered

11:48

ensuring that the world's first

11:51

communist regime survived. On.

11:53

March Third, Nineteen eighteen, the Soviet

11:55

Union signed a lopsided peace deal

11:57

with the German Empire. Mine

11:59

in agree. To give up a huge arc

12:01

of territory stretching from Finland to the

12:03

Black Sea, comprising nearly a quarter of

12:05

their populations and much of their industry.

12:08

And. Exchange: Germany pledged to withdraw from

12:10

fighting with the Soviet Union. So.

12:13

Now the allies greatest fear was

12:15

coming true. One. Million German

12:17

troops would set up and head west

12:19

for a new offensive against the forces

12:21

of Britain, France, and now the United

12:23

States. With. Germany Spring Offensive

12:26

looming. America needed more than ever

12:28

to overcome the production bottlenecks that

12:30

relieving it's army sort on weapons

12:32

and other equipment. Thankfully, Wilson new

12:34

just who to call. The.

12:40

Day after the Soviet Union made peace

12:42

with Germany on March fourth. Nineteen, Eighteen.

12:45

Bernardo. Ruth made his way through

12:47

the cold rain pelting Washington, D C. Bruce.

12:50

Was a tall muscular me and before the

12:52

war he was one of the greatest speculators

12:54

Wall Street had ever seen. Having. Acquired

12:56

a ten million dollar fortune some worth

12:58

more than two hundred million dollars today.

13:01

But. Now she was being summoned for

13:04

an urgent meeting with President and which

13:06

Wilson as baroque to chair the War

13:08

Industries Board, a newly independent agency tasked

13:10

with on jamming the production lines. Since.

13:13

The beginning of the war, the President

13:15

had entrusted that job to Secretary of

13:17

War Newton Baker, the Army and an

13:19

advisory committee which included proof. But.

13:22

This arrangement had delivered few results,

13:24

and Baker had recently had a

13:26

disastrous running with senators over the

13:28

military supply problems. In. The

13:30

meantime, Wilson had noticed that the

13:32

advisory committees few successes in unlocking

13:34

supplies for the military usually happens

13:37

when Baruch was involved. So.

13:39

The president decided to make a change

13:41

and lean on Baru to finally get

13:43

us factories producing the goods the military

13:46

desperately needed. Was. A risky

13:48

move. Brute. Might have traded his way

13:50

to wealth in the stock market. Or. He

13:52

had almost no managerial experience. He

13:55

never run any kind of organization. His.

13:57

Secretary handled the day to day of has

13:59

been the bears and his wife ran his

14:02

household. Liberal. And tourism

14:04

status and a deep understanding of

14:06

macro economics he honed as a

14:08

stock trader. So. When presented

14:10

with this idea for route eagerly

14:12

accepted. He. Came up with a

14:14

plan to use the War Industries boards

14:17

new powers to direct production, increase

14:19

efficiency, and fix prices so businesses couldn't

14:21

exploit the supply shortages for financial

14:23

gain. A roof Same was

14:25

to shift the nation from a piece

14:27

time market economy to a centrally managed

14:30

war times. But not everyone in

14:32

America was receptive to display I. Imagine

14:38

it's nineteen eighty. You're the owner of

14:40

a lumber mill in Minnesota. Right now,

14:42

your ability to run your business the

14:44

way you want is under threat from

14:47

the Federal government. So you've traveled to

14:49

Washington, Dc to try to get the

14:51

War Industries bored out of your hair.

14:53

You enter Bernard Birds office, itching for

14:55

a showdown. He rises from his chair

14:57

behind a desk. He's taller than you

15:00

expect. You shake hands, take your seat,

15:02

begin to make your case. Mr. Brooke

15:04

I've come here to make things plane

15:06

to you because you're people. Don't. Seem

15:08

to be paying attention to my letters. Oh,

15:10

they are What, as you're aware, were tasked

15:13

with securing the materials or country needs to

15:15

meet our production for. They told me that

15:17

you're refusing to comply to shift your production

15:19

to focus on the army's lumbered. Well, that's

15:22

damn right, I'm refusing. This is America. I'm

15:24

a private citizen. I should be able to

15:26

run my business the way I see sits.

15:28

And I thought you, as a Wall Street

15:30

man would understand this. Whole. I

15:32

do good. A get your last

15:35

Easter stop Telling me how to run my mil.

15:38

For rooflines torch. Well. If

15:40

is he let me finish. I was gonna

15:42

say that I do understand but this is

15:44

not piece of. We're. At war

15:46

soldiers and sailors are laying down their lives

15:49

or our country is not much to ask

15:51

that you as a business owner relinquish some

15:53

of your process for the defense of the

15:55

nation. Now. You listen here. Mr.

15:58

Brooke. I buy Liberty Valance. I've. The

16:00

Meatless Tuesday's I do my parts but the

16:02

Federal government has no right to go poking

16:04

it's nose into My business actually does is

16:07

within the power to War Industries Board

16:09

to seize your lumber mills. I to call

16:11

the military right now and make that happen

16:13

if I were so inclined. And. You

16:15

threatening me? You. Really think the government can

16:18

run my mil even half as well as I can't.

16:20

Know. I don't. We could consider

16:22

this. By the time we commandeer your

16:24

meal, you'll be such an object of

16:27

contempt and scorn in your home that

16:29

you won't want to show your face,

16:31

your fellow citizens. They'll call you a

16:33

slacker trade or even likely run you

16:36

out of town. you gold. Knowing this

16:38

is a serious threat. And. Used

16:40

to be that only those who dodged a

16:42

draft that smeared with the term slacker. Now.

16:45

It's a pliant anybody who isn't scenery pulling

16:47

their weight. Your. Community is very

16:49

supported. The war you know your business

16:51

wouldn't survive if they turned against. Well,

16:54

Mister Baroque. Or

16:57

perhaps I I may have misunderstood

16:59

just how vital my businesses to

17:01

the war effort. So

17:05

thank you! I can see clearly and

17:07

us of course stand ready to serve

17:09

the next. The. Roof smiles

17:11

for one. Very glad to hear. You.

17:16

Shake Bruce hand and head toward the office

17:18

door. You've. Always thought of yourself

17:20

as a patriot and you been supportive of

17:22

the war effort, so to be accused of

17:25

being a slacker is infuriating. but an effective

17:27

threat. Right now you have

17:29

little choice but to give in to the

17:31

government demands because if not, your business could

17:34

be ruined. Thanks.

17:38

To Bernard Bruce efforts, the War

17:40

Industries Board finally got American industry

17:43

up and running. Had managed

17:45

to convince distributors to use lighter and

17:47

less bulky packaging to free up space

17:49

on railroad cars. To reduce choice

17:51

and consumer goods to save on raw

17:53

material including saving an estimated two thousand

17:55

tons of steel by limiting the number

17:57

a bicycle designs on the market. The

18:00

manufacturers of non essential items like

18:02

pianos were ordered to reduce or

18:04

output, while those mission critical items

18:06

were encouraged to adopt more efficient

18:09

methods of mass production. When it

18:11

was his only, stubborn business owners

18:13

who are concerned about being labeled

18:15

anti American As Us troops in

18:17

Europe ready themselves for the Kaiser

18:19

Spring Offensive, hostility toward German Americans

18:21

grew and those in the Us

18:23

with familial ties to the enemy

18:25

found themselves to target of in.

18:35

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today. Late.

20:18

In the evening on April Fourth,

20:20

Nineteen eighteen, a mob arrived outside

20:22

Robert Prayers Home and Commons Dale,

20:24

Illinois. Prager. Was a thirty

20:27

year old German coal miner and he was

20:29

horrified to find one hundred angry men and

20:31

his door. A. Rumor had spread

20:33

around town that Prager had attended a

20:35

meeting a socialist said he thinks and

20:37

made disloyal remark. That. Was also

20:39

talked as he was a spy plotting the

20:42

sabotage the mines. Prager. Had

20:44

come to the United States and ninety know five

20:46

at the age of seventeen had moved to Tall

20:48

and Stale the previous summer. But. After

20:50

he made complaints about being refused

20:52

membership into the local minors union

20:54

had become a target of local

20:56

suspicion. That. Night, the mob

20:59

dragged him from his home and stripped him

21:01

of his shirts, pants, and shoes before wrapping

21:03

him in an American flag. And.

21:05

As they paraded him around, main patrons

21:08

from the nearby saloons join the crowd.

21:10

Soon. The mom was three hundred strong.

21:13

The. Police intervened and took prayer into custody

21:15

and city Hall for his own protection.

21:18

But. The mob refused to disperse. Mayor.

21:20

John Siegel arrived and try to persuade

21:23

the crowd to leave, but he angry

21:25

throng accused the mayor of being pro

21:27

German himself. Trying to defuse

21:29

the situation, the Mayor and formed the crowd

21:32

that the police had already smuggled prayer have

21:34

a city hall. So they should all

21:36

go home. But. The mob was furious

21:38

and demanded to search the building. The

21:40

mayor agreed. But. The information the

21:42

Mayor had been given was wrong. Prager.

21:45

Was still in the building. The.

21:47

Mob sound him cowering in the

21:49

basement. And marched into a bluff on the

21:51

edge of town, beating him as they went. A.

21:54

Plan to tar and feather him but they

21:56

had no tar so they got a rope

21:58

instead. After letting him right

22:00

a brief farewell to his parents in Germany,

22:02

they asked him if he had any last

22:05

words. Prayer. Dropped to his knees

22:07

and prayed and German. When. He finished,

22:09

they put a noose around his neck and

22:11

strong him off from alone secondary tree. News.

22:14

Of the lynching traveled nationwide and President

22:16

Woodrow Wilson condemned the violence and a

22:19

murder trial follow it. But. After

22:21

just ten minutes, the jury cleared every

22:23

defendant. After the verdict was

22:25

delivered, one juror reportedly said. At

22:28

least now he and his fellow jurors couldn't

22:30

be accused of being traders. The.

22:32

German press seize upon the incident to

22:34

as proof of America as barbarism. And.

22:37

Prayers murder was just one of

22:39

multiple incidents that spring as anti

22:41

German sentiment swept the nation. In.

22:43

Kansas. A vigilante group called

22:46

The Night Writers terrorize German

22:48

speaking communities. I was governor

22:50

decreed that only English to be spoken

22:52

in public. Montana ban speaking German

22:54

for two years, while Pennsylvania legislature

22:56

tried to ban the language entirely

22:58

only for the state governor to

23:00

veto the mister. Elsewhere.

23:03

School stop teaching German. German.

23:05

Books were burned, German Americans

23:07

change their last names, rebranded

23:09

their businesses, and abandon their

23:11

traditions to escape persecution. Sauerkraut.

23:14

Was recast as Liberty Cabbage and

23:17

the American Kennel Club officially declared

23:19

the.since we're now Badger Dogs. And

23:22

the growing prohibition movement also road

23:24

the wave of anti German ceiling.

23:27

Many. Of the nation's brewery had been

23:29

sounded by German immigrants and prohibitionists. Use

23:31

this back to rally people to his

23:34

costs calling for Congress to ban

23:36

alcohol. But. While the United

23:38

States entry into the war unleashed

23:40

a wave of discrimination and oppression

23:42

of German immigrants and German Americans,

23:44

it provided opportunities for others. To.

23:46

Fill a depleted labor pool, Us

23:49

businesses continue to recruit women to

23:51

take over traditionally male worth like

23:54

running drill, press, operating cranes, driving

23:56

trucks, welding ships, and making munitions.

23:59

Yet. While when. The opportunities expanded.

24:01

They often down themselves working just as hard

24:03

as their male colleagues, but for less pay.

24:06

Still, Women's vital contribution to wartime

24:08

production was undeniable and strengthen the case

24:11

for women to be granted the right

24:13

to vote. Despite. Having

24:15

previously spoken out against women suffered in

24:17

early Nineteen eighteen, President Woodrow Wilson changed

24:20

his position, arguing that he come to

24:22

view the right to vote as a

24:24

just reward for women's crucial role in

24:26

the war. But. The war

24:29

did last to broaden opportunities for

24:31

African Americans. All. White local

24:33

draft boards decided which draftees would

24:35

and would not go overseas. And

24:37

while the vast majority of soldiers were white,

24:40

Black men were more likely to be

24:42

selected for service. By. The end of

24:44

the war, half of the black men on

24:46

the draft register had been deemed eligible for

24:48

immediate service, but only a third of the

24:50

white men. And even

24:52

once drafted, black soldiers face

24:54

barriers. The. Marines refused to let

24:57

them serve. The Navy restricted

24:59

them to menial work. So. Most

25:01

African Americans, both draftees and volunteers

25:03

went to the army, which let

25:05

them join any branch except aviation.

25:08

But. Ultimately, most black soldiers were assigned

25:10

to labour battalions rather than the

25:12

army segregated combat units. And.

25:14

Initially, the Us. Army had no plans to send

25:17

black com and regiments to fight in Europe at

25:19

all. But. After protests from

25:21

the African American community, the War

25:23

Department relented. To black combat

25:25

to be since the Ninety Second and

25:27

the Ninety Third Infantry Divisions performed and

25:30

sent overseas. And in April

25:32

Nineteen eighteen, the Ninety Third Infantry Division

25:34

became the first of the to to

25:36

arrive in France. But. For Gen.

25:38

John Pursing, the commander of the

25:40

American Expeditionary Force, their arrival brought

25:43

problems. The army may have

25:45

left Us soil, but it hadn't left

25:47

racism at home. Eager to

25:49

maintain segregation, the Army built separate

25:51

bathrooms, barbershops, and living spaces for

25:54

white and black soldiers. But.

25:56

That only worked behind the lights and army

25:58

camps where there was space. To spread

26:00

the facilities out. In. A cramped

26:02

mais why trenches of the Western Front

26:05

It would be impractical. But.

26:07

General person believe he had a solution. The

26:09

French had been asking for for Us

26:11

residents to support their depleted and exhausted

26:14

army. For. Person gave France the

26:16

ninety Third division and rid himself of the

26:18

headaches of working out what to do with

26:20

him. And to the surprise

26:22

of the men of the Ninety Third,

26:24

the French didn't practice segregation. Their

26:26

armies already included soldiers from French

26:28

colonies on the African continent like

26:31

Senegal. So. The Ninety Third found

26:33

themselves joining an integrated fighting force. It

26:35

offered more freedom than they had at

26:37

home. And not only did

26:39

the French Army permit African American and

26:41

white soldiers to mix, they recognize the

26:43

contribution a Last soldiers to the war.

26:45

A reward them for their bravery. Imagine

26:51

as May Twentieth, Nineteen Eighteen and you're

26:54

a private from the Ninety Second Divisions.

26:56

Three Hundred Sixty Ninth Infantry Regiment, Six.

26:59

Days ago your unit phone off a

27:01

raid by twenty four German soldiers. You

27:03

were wounded. Now you're recovering in a

27:05

French hospital Ward turned to face the

27:07

private in the bed next yours. Like.

27:10

You can read Johnson was badly injured

27:12

in the rain and this is the

27:14

first chance you've had to thank him

27:16

for getting you out with the final

27:19

one. Entering enters a. Wanna.

27:21

Let you know you save my life. When.

27:23

That grenade. When off I was. My

27:26

ears were ringing, my arm length

27:28

of bleeding so badly and then

27:30

you just became some sort of

27:33

hellfire. Always

27:35

Nelson. Anyone would have done the same. Know.

27:37

Not just anybody would do what you

27:40

did. Plenty would have frozen like rabbits.

27:42

John. This all slaughtered Mr. Darcy Humans

27:44

to say both of us even though

27:46

they suck you in the head oh

27:48

says that was that says i hurt

27:50

like hell. I know you're joking, but

27:52

you managed to go after them. Forty

27:54

five foot five? No, not even that

27:56

exactly. Most of them were a half

27:58

foot tall and you. What? you're

28:00

after them like a madman swinging the

28:02

rifle once and he pulled out that

28:04

nice was ahead for you do and

28:06

before you got called up not much.

28:08

I was a porter the all money

28:10

train station. You. Stare at Johnson

28:13

loss for words. but then you see a

28:15

white French general and or the ward. The

28:18

general speak to the nurse, points

28:20

toward you have officer intense you

28:22

and Johnson way for the French

28:24

officer to approach. He salutes you

28:26

and Johnson's lupus. Privates I come

28:28

to thank you on behalf of

28:30

France for your extreme bravery. My

28:32

pleasure to award both. Are you

28:35

with francis highest military honor. The

28:38

client again. You.

28:41

And johnson stare in disbelief. First.

28:44

The French let you fight alongside white

28:46

soldiers. Now they're giving mouse.

28:49

You. Can't wait to see the look on

28:51

the face of the next races. White American

28:53

officer You meets Macys and now you're

28:55

more highly decorated than he's. Privates:

29:01

Henry Johnson and Need Him Robbers were

29:03

the first Americans to be awarded the

29:06

French quadir. Their. Regiments, The three

29:08

Sixty Fifth became known as the Harlem

29:10

Cel Signers for their fierceness and bravery

29:12

in combat. A would suffer

29:14

the greatest losses have any Us regiment

29:17

in the war with fifteen hundred casualties.

29:19

After. Returning to the U S. Johnson was

29:21

hailed as an American hero. But. When

29:24

he publicly spoke out against the racism

29:26

he experienced from white American soldiers, his

29:28

heroism was quickly forgotten. He would take

29:31

until two thousand and fifteen for the

29:33

Us would posthumously award him the equivalent

29:35

of the Quad again the medal of

29:37

honor. But while Johnson and the other

29:40

Harlem Hell fighters were fighting for their

29:42

lives in the trenches, America and it's

29:44

allies were in trouble. Little had changed

29:47

on the bow front of Western Europe

29:49

since Nineteen Fourteen, but now the German

29:51

Empire was determined to launch their new.

29:53

Offensive one designed to finally

29:55

break the stalemate. American

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32:01

the evening of March eighteenth, Nineteen eighteen,

32:03

the Deputy Commander of Germany's Army, General

32:05

Eric Loon Doors sat in his car

32:07

as motor toward the village of Of

32:09

and. Although. Of and used

32:12

to be part of Northern France. It was

32:14

now with in German occupied territory. And

32:16

Luton doors intended to make it his new

32:18

base of operations. Ludendorff. Have

32:20

been instrumental in inflicting devastating defeat on

32:22

Russia before they withdrew from the war,

32:25

and his aggressive policies had turned Germany

32:27

into a clause a military dictatorship. Now.

32:30

He had the future of the German Empire in

32:32

his hands. And. For months, Wooden

32:34

had been preparing to launch a major

32:36

spring offensive. Russia's. Exit from the

32:38

war had given him fifty more divisions he could

32:41

send to the Western Front to try to break

32:43

the deadlock there. And He knew he had

32:45

to use them now. If he

32:47

waited to the summer, the influx of American

32:49

troops would put the Central Powers at a

32:51

disadvantage. When. Until then, Germany

32:53

had the upper hand. Luton,

32:56

Doors plan was to strike in the

32:58

spring with an all out assault, smash

33:00

through the Allied defenses and finish the

33:02

war before Us reinforcements can make it

33:04

potentially unwinnable for German. And. Luton.had

33:06

already selected the day the offensive would

33:08

begin March twenty first, a day he

33:11

hoped would go down in history as

33:13

the start of the German march to

33:15

victory. And. For weeks the

33:17

weather had been sunny and windy, which

33:19

had helped dry the winter mud, providing

33:21

the perfect conditions for the offensive. But.

33:24

As wooden doors car approached. Ah

33:26

then the weather turned. Violent.

33:28

Thunderstorms rolled in in, the rain began to

33:30

last and. The. Next day

33:32

the rain continued. Then. Ludendorff

33:34

was informed that to German soldiers had

33:37

deserted, surrendered to the British, and revealed

33:39

the date of his attached. It.

33:41

Was pressure the general didn't need. Kaiser.

33:44

Wilhelm the second had just arrived in our

33:46

band in his royal trained her. It. Loot.

33:48

And or had promised him victory in the

33:51

Kaiser wanted to be there to see it

33:53

for himself. But. As the rain

33:55

continued to soak the ground outside Luton

33:57

doors, confidence began to wane. And

34:00

on March twentieth, a day before the

34:02

scheduled attack, Ludendorff woke to find the

34:04

rain was still pelting his window. He'd.

34:07

Planned to begin the offensive with a

34:09

barrage of artillery containing poison gas, intending

34:11

to cause terror and chaos in the

34:14

Allied trenches. But. The persistent stormy

34:16

weather threatened to make his chemical weapon

34:18

attack useless. But. Then at noon

34:20

he got some good news. There. Was going

34:23

to be a break in the weather. And

34:25

with his coffin as renewed, Luton doors

34:27

ordered his officers to proceed exactly as

34:29

planned. Following. Day at

34:31

four Am the a sense of began.

34:34

The German artillery that was amassed a

34:37

forty four miles of the Western front

34:39

sundered to live. Cells. Rained

34:41

down on the Allied positions and by the

34:43

time the sun rose the battle France where

34:45

shrouded in dense smoke and missed. Wooden.

34:48

Doors peered into the thick blanket of

34:50

fog. Pleased to find a provided perfect

34:52

cover for his advance. So.

34:54

At nine am, Germany's infantry surged

34:56

forward along the length of the Western

34:59

Front. They. Were preceded by another

35:01

intense artillery bombardment which was quickly

35:03

followed by a rush of Storm

35:05

Troopers specialized imagery who use the

35:07

fog and smoke to advance Fast

35:09

cleared away for the larger forces

35:11

that were following behind. In.

35:13

The face of this onslaught, most

35:15

Allied lines crumbled as dozens of

35:18

German divisions punctured their defenses. At.

35:20

The headquarters of the American Expeditionary

35:23

Forces, General Pershing, was dismayed to

35:25

learn that the German offensive was

35:27

succeeding. that they captured vinyl railway

35:29

bridge, is five hundred British artillery

35:31

guns and tens of thousands of

35:33

Allied prisoners of war. Friends.

35:36

Commanders warned the British that if the

35:38

German advance wasn't stop soon, they would

35:40

have to withdraw their forces to protect

35:42

Paris. And now only three

35:44

days after the start of the offensive,

35:47

July's began to just. Imagine

35:52

it's late evening March Twenty Fifth, Nineteen

35:55

Eighty Year, The Commander In Chief of

35:57

the French Army. You're in your general

35:59

head. Is in the Village of

36:01

Coffee and a place as a madhouse

36:03

all around you people are passing up

36:06

and rushing to evacuate. The German offensive

36:08

is now endangering your position. Their mobile

36:10

artillery guns were getting closer by the

36:13

hour. With then you see Gen. John

36:15

first the commander of the American Expeditionary

36:17

force making his way through the chaos

36:20

to your office stance. Shake his hand

36:22

and a person afraid you've wasted your

36:24

time coming here. We're about to evacuate

36:27

first thing, looks at the frenzy and

36:29

then studies. Useless. Usually you like

36:31

to give off an air of

36:33

nonchalance in his presence of today.

36:35

You can't disguise your insight. News

36:37

pouring in from the front of

36:39

week for sings defences back addresses

36:41

you well. General what's the current

36:43

situation? As bad we just lost

36:45

our bare, we have to hold

36:47

our ground elsewhere, but we're running

36:49

out a reserve forces and the

36:51

American Expeditionary Forces are ready to

36:54

do whatever they can. Any division

36:56

of hours that to be of

36:58

services now at your disposal. You

37:00

blink. And shot since he arrived

37:02

in France. General person has made it

37:04

very clear that his orders are to

37:06

maintain Us forces as independent units under

37:09

his command and to not allow them

37:11

to be deployed by French or British

37:13

commanders. This is unexpected. I thought you

37:15

were adamant about to manage your forces

37:18

personally and hasn't changed. But given the

37:20

dire circumstances the President has authorized me

37:22

to temporarily all to that position to

37:25

situation on the ground flyers it and

37:27

I believe this situation does and I

37:29

will. Not protests. Thank you. France appreciates

37:31

America support. We will of course expect

37:34

our troops to assemble under their own

37:36

commander once the present situation has brought

37:38

under control are naturally we understand this

37:40

is alone, not a gifts for for

37:42

this to be a value we will

37:44

need to decide where and how to

37:46

deploy The men understood General Just were

37:49

in America Truths we have most service.

37:51

You turn and look at the map

37:53

on the wall showing the latest known

37:55

positions of your truth. General Pershing's offers

37:57

welcome, but you know that the American.

38:00

This is are inexperienced you sense there's a

38:02

better way to use them and sending them

38:04

to the battle zones. Well, General Pershing, I

38:06

have no intention of using. Your man is

38:08

Kenneth. If you allow us to deploy them

38:10

to quieter areas of the front, would release

38:13

some of our own divisions to go fight

38:15

for it's most crucial or I'll I'll tell

38:17

our forces to prepare to move to wherever

38:19

you need them. You.

38:23

Smile American troops might still be too

38:25

few in number and too inexperienced to

38:27

do much on the front lines For

38:29

being able to move your own troops

38:31

to critical combat zones could make a

38:33

big difference. You just hope it's not

38:35

to wait. Stop the German. A sense.

38:42

General Person's decision to allow France

38:44

to deploy American forces came at

38:46

just the right time. France.

38:48

Needed more troops were the fighting was happening,

38:50

but it couldn't move them away from other

38:53

parts of the front without exposing those areas

38:55

to attack. The. Ability to strategically

38:57

deploy the less experienced American troops

38:59

to these classes are areas allowed

39:01

France to shift it's more experience

39:03

troops to the main battles on.

39:06

Increasing the chances of stopping the

39:08

German advance. Nevertheless, some

39:10

American troops were still drawn into

39:12

combat as Germans closed in on

39:14

their positions. On. March. Twenty

39:17

six companies from the U. S. Six

39:19

engineers who are repairing railroad line sound

39:21

themselves suddenly at the front line as

39:23

German stormtroopers push back the British army.

39:26

They. Were quickly armed and converted into a

39:28

combat unit. Then on

39:30

March Twenty eighth, German General Ludendorff

39:33

ordered a huge artillery John Kerry

39:35

by Railroad to start bombarding Paris

39:37

from seventy five miles away. General

39:40

Piercing received word the Allied lines

39:42

were disintegrating and the Kaiser's armies

39:44

were closing in on crucial sites

39:46

around Paris. My. To strategically important

39:49

railroad hub of army and. But.

39:51

It soon became evident that Ludendorff

39:54

had overplayed sand. The. German

39:56

army supply chains were struggling to keep

39:58

up with the advancing troops. And.

40:00

Luton Doors unsuccessful attempt a challenge. British

40:02

forces at our Us had diverted his

40:05

troops away from locations along the front

40:07

where they were making braces. And

40:09

as they advance into French territory,

40:11

German troops discovered that Allied troops

40:14

and civilians had plenty of food

40:16

and supplies while they had been

40:18

subsisting on meager rations. German.

40:20

Morale began to sink. As

40:23

a result of these setbacks in early

40:25

April, the Spring Offensive ground to a

40:27

halt. With. The fighting paused. both

40:29

size took stock of their losses. Nearly.

40:32

Two hundred, forty thousand German soldiers had

40:34

died in the offensive, along with a quarter

40:36

of a million Allied troops. American

40:39

casualties were just seventy seven men.

40:41

But. In just two weeks, General

40:43

Ludendorff had advanced Germany's position on

40:46

the Western front forty miles closer

40:48

to Paris, gained twelve hundred square

40:50

miles of territory, And. Captured eighty

40:53

thousand Allied prisoners. In. War

40:55

where most victories were counted in

40:57

yards. American General Pershing knew this

40:59

was a massive and potentially irreversible

41:01

a. Still,

41:03

Luton door and ultimately failed attempts

41:06

or his key target the railroad

41:08

hub a bomb in. His.

41:10

It fell. The British and French armies would

41:12

have been separated and their supply chains broken.

41:14

Luton Doors advance was halted, critical

41:17

Allied infrastructure was preserved, and the

41:19

balance of power was about to

41:21

shift. General Pershing's repeated demands for

41:23

more American troops had finally been

41:25

answered. Hundreds of thousands of Us

41:27

soldiers were now headed towards Europe

41:30

and with their help, the Allies

41:32

would soon be mounting their own

41:34

offensive. The home of finishing the

41:36

war once and for all, From.

41:41

Wondering this is episode three of our

41:44

series on World War One from American

41:46

History tells us in our next episode,

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hunger and the arrival of more American

41:51

troops push Germany to defeat, but the

41:53

U in it's wartime allies, class over

41:55

the new post war world and President

41:58

Woodrow Wilson struggles to realize. There's

42:00

enough. Wonder

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