A Great Gamble
By 1917, the Great War was entering its height. The Central Powers still stood strong, despite the allied attempts to break trough back in 1916 with the Somme, Verdun, Gallipoli, and Brusilov offensives but they only had minimal successes. Also in the start of 1917, the Germans had to make a huge decision. The winter of 1916 was quite harsh for the German populous, with the British blockade successfully keeping any goods from entering German ports. Among civilians, hunger and rampant and was known as the "Turnip Winter". To open up the North Sea to German convoys and to also wreak havoc on British convoys and trade, the Germans decided to deploy unrestricted submarine warfare again in February 1917 on Ludendorff's orders.
Last time the Germans deployed USW back in 1915, they sank the Lusitania, which killed 2,000 men, women, and children. It also took the lives of nearly 200 Americans, which enraged United States and threatened war if the Germans put on with USW. The Germans complied and brought an end to USW to avoid American entry into war. Fortunate for the Germans, the Congress and President Wilson were against American participation of war in Europe at that time. Now, it was 1917 and the Germans were getting desperate. The High Command knew that the populous couldn't tolerate another Turnip Winter in 1918 and they had to take gambles.
A painting depicting German sailors looking at a sinking allied vessel, circa 1917
When the British heard that the Germans were going to resume USW, the British leadership were in a hurried panic. They feared that such a sudden switch to USW would wreak havoc on the British economy and their access to resources throughout 1917. In a board room meeting among the top heads of the British wartime cabinet, the admirals of the Royal Navy convinced the war cabinet that the British should not enact a convoy system for the next several months, advocating that immediate implementation of the convoys would cost the British their convoy fleet. The wartime cabinet decided to align with the Royal Navy.
The plan was that the British would "stall" in the war for a little while, hoarding resources and manpower at home to keep safe from the U-Boat menace. This sparked a crisis in the allied war effort, despite America joining the war on the side of the allies on July 1917 over the U-Boast crossing into Atlantic waters attacking American vessels and their entry being a major morale booster, the Americans never really fully dedicated men to the front lines. The American were more focused on building up their navy to combat the German U-Boats, send goods to Britain, and participate in the blockade.
Big Trouble in Little Russia
Meanwhile in Russia, the war was turning out to be a major flop, and the general consensus among the Russians were STOP THE MADNESS! The Russians already forced Nicky to call it quits back in April 1917 and a new provisional government took charge. The Russians rejoiced at first, thinking that the new government would be better than the years of disaster under Nicky since 1914. The Germans took notice of this and reached out to revolutionaries, such as Lenin's Bolsheviks, in exile in Switzerland. Organized by other communists, Lenin took a train ride to Petrograd trough Germany, into Denmark, ferried into Sweden, another train ride across Sweden and Finland, and finally arriving in Petrograd on April 16, 1917 at the Finland Station, Petrograd among the zeal of a crowd.
In July 1917, the Russians launched the "Kerensky Offensive" in Austrian Galicia and German held Poland. Despite retaking land back and marching back into Austrian Galicia, it would be the last Russian offensive in the First Great War. The offensive would eventually be repulsed by the Germans and Austrians, driving the Russians from Austrian Galicia for the last time. The offensive was a disaster was the military was a disorganized mess by then, with soldiers simply deserting and returning back to home without orders. The provisional government lost popularity among the Russian populous and the Soviets saw their power increase, especially in Petrograd.
Russian crowds rejoice on the arrival of Lenin at the Finland Station, circa 1917
On July 16, 1917, the Soviets of Petrograd launch a series of spontaneous armed anti-government protests of workers and soldiers. Lvov resigned as leader of the provisional government over this and Kerensky took charge. Keresnky crushed the demonstrations and forced Lenin back into hiding, who backed the Soviets. Keresnky's new government implemented more reforms, such as granting women the right to vote and hold office but also enforced new dictatorial measure, such as bringing back the death penalty. Despite the Soviets losing their control, they still were popular among the Russian who began to despite the provisional government.
To make matter worse, Kornilov attempted to overthrow Keresnky in September 9, 1917 to suppress the Soviets once and for all. The coup attempt would only weaken the provisional government further, Kerensky also formally abolished the provisional government and proclaimed Russia as a republic. Taking advantage of the chaos, the Germans captured Riga in September 1917 and the Estonian Islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumma. On November 7, the Bolsheviks had enough power and support to launch a coup against the Russian government in Petrograd. Led by Leon Trotsky, the Bolshevik Red Guards stormed the Winter Palace in which Kerensky's Russian government convened at. The coup is a success and despite Kerensky trying to do a last stand counter-revolution, it was too late. Pro-Bolshevik rebellions occurred all across Russia and by the end of November, the Russian cities of Petrograd and Moscow were in Bolshevik hands and the Russian Republic plunged into anarchy.
The Yanks are (not) Coming
The resumption of USW for America was quite a shock, knowing that the Germans might try to sink American vessels but Congress and President Wilson were still not convinced to commit land troops to Europe, with many American families not liking the ideas of their boys dying for some "European affairs". In April 1917, President Wilson and the Congress passed the Naval Buildup Act, which allowed large sums of money to be invested into the navy to defend American vessels from German U-Boat attacks and also to ward off U-Boats in the West Atlantic. The American public approved of this act, most Americans were okay to defend American vessels against U-Boat raids but not sending trooped to fight in Europe. The Germans knew that the Americans would have to intervene sooner or later due to their resumption of USW but their main strategy was to keep the Americans bottled up in the Atlantic and try not to call America's bluff and make them send troops to France. Despite some mad ideas like having Mexico invade the Southwestern United States within the German leadership, the Germans kept their cool.
In September 1917, Congress approved of an undeclared naval war against U-Boats in the West Alantic and approved minor economic sanctions against the Germans over their continued strategy of USW. The Germans were posing threats in the West Atlantic and the Americans were focused to protecting American shipping from U-Boats rather than a real commitment to the war. Although technically at war with the Germans, the Americans never formally declared war on the Germans, with intervention still unpopular among the public. This decisions was heavily controversial among Americans, with many wanting to help the Entente and get revenge for German's aggression in the West Atlantic but the current president in charge and Congress held power and wanted not to go to war.
President Wilson formally declares a "naval war" against the Germans, circa 1917
As for the allies in the rest of Europe, the situation looked no better. In the Italian Front, the Austro-Hungarians, supported by German troops, broke trough Italian lines along the Isonzo River. The Austro-Germans attackers used a combination of new stormtrooper tactics and poison gas to defeat the Italians. The Italians were badly defeated and were forced to retreat nearly 100 km, leaving much of Veneto under Austrian occupation. The Italians suffered nearly 300,000 casualties and 250,000 prisoners captured, along with all of their artillery. This was a major morale blow for the Italian war effort and from this point on, it would only get worse for Italy.
In the East, as Russia collapsed to a Bolshevik insurrection, the Romanians were left any protectors to defend from the Austro-Hungarians and Germans. With no other choice, the Romanians gave up and were forced to make an armistice with Austria-Hungary in the town of Focşani on December 1917. The allied war effort in the East was essentially collapsed and won by the Central Powers, now the Central Powers would focus their attention West to finally gain their ultimate victory.
Holding the Line
On February 21, 1917, the Germans began to strategically withdraw to the Hindenburg Line. This decision was enacted by the dual command of Ludendorff and Hindenburg who already had total power over Germany by this point. They proposed that the Germans to strategically withdraw to the Hindenburg Line, stretching from Artois to Aisne and to construct a heavily fortified line of defense. Called Operation Alberich, it took five weeks to complete and the Germans withdrew. The Germans also sabotaged and destroyed surrounding infrastructure in the process to prevent the allies from using it.
The French also carried out several offensives. Several battles ensued throughout 1917. The French offensives took place, the Second Battle of Aisne occurred from April 16 to May 9 1917 and also the Third Battle of Champagne from from April 17 to April 20 1917. As for the British, they participated in the attack on German lines in the trenches made them only take a defense position. The British promised that they will supply new recruits from the dominions and volunteers from America to help out. The French offensives ultimately failed and morale plummeted. Some mutinies took place but were mostly under control in protest of the terrible casualties inflicted on the failed offensives. New reforms were also declared and there was less emphasis placed on offensive warfare, buying time to continue the war without a dissenting army.
Empty German trenches captured by an allied spy plane during Operation Alberich, circa 1917
The Brits also started to deploy the new "tank"deployed to be used in battle. This occurred in the Battle of Cambrai from November 20 to December 7 1917. The British launched a surprise attack against German positions using tanks, in which the Germans were unfamiliar with. The British did gain the advantage at first, but a German counter offensive on November 30 pushed the Brits back where they started. Despite the battle being a loss for the British, it was the first battle to use tanks in a massive assault, in which the Germans would catch on by 1918.
In July of 1917, the allies also launch an attack on the German held area to Ypres, Belgium. The Battle of Passchendaele lasted from July 31 1917 to November 10 1917 would prove to be one of the mostly costly in casualties since the Battle of the Somme, with both sides losing 700,000 men. In the end of the battle, the allies emerged victorious and recaptured Passchendaele. Many historians would point out that the Battle of Passchendhendaele would prove to be the last real allied offensive in the Great War and the allied would be on the defense from now on.
