What If America Entered WW1 By 1916?

OTL, the US wasn't involved (offically) in ww1 until 1917, and our role was largely in keeping money and material flowing into France and Britain. But what if America got dragged in sooner, say by spring 1916? Wilson still wins in 1912 but finds a more aggressive Germany, who extends a far larger, borderline unreasonable, USW zone around not only the English Channel but much of the north sea and what they can reach into the Bay of Biscay. when a few ATL Lusitania's go off, the kaiser is cowed by the admiralty and thus refuses to shrink the zone. Likewise, the army or foreign ministry are now faced with American intervention sooner and proc the Zimmerman Telegraph, which goes as OTL. Wilson decides enough is enough and gets the needed war. How does this go? with the war, wilson can't use his famous "he kept us out of war" campaign, but would the US vote him out during the great war? similarly, how would germany conduct the war going into summer 1916, knowing they have at best until fall to break the French and British lines? would this result in forces diverted from the east sooner? How would that go?
Perhaps most importantly, would this creat enough bad blood for wilson to support a territorially harsher peace treaty?
 
Wilhelm & his friends feel that perhaps to meet the AMERICAN threat they must withdraw SOME troops
from the Eastern Front. This reduces Russian losses & suffering, keeping Nicholas(barely)on his throne &
butterflying always- @ least for a while- the Russian Revolution.
 
OTL, the US wasn't involved (offically) in ww1 until 1917, and our role was largely in keeping money and material flowing into France and Britain. But what if America got dragged in sooner, say by spring 1916? Wilson still wins in 1912 but finds a more aggressive Germany, who extends a far larger, borderline unreasonable, USW zone around not only the English Channel but much of the north sea and what they can reach into the Bay of Biscay. when a few ATL Lusitania's go off,

The "Lusitania's" would have to be *American* in order to produce war. Sinking of foreign ships, even with Americans aboard, would not have been enough.
 

Driftless

Donor
I can think of a number of elements, but I'm not at all sure how they fit together. IF the Germans go with an unrestricted submarine warfare plan and/or US sabotage (more Black Tom episodes) early enough where the US feels compelled to enter the war in spring or summer of 1916, then:

* What campaign route does Wilson do? No more "He kept us out of war". Does he get re-elected?
* Wilson really left the operation of the military to his Secretary of the Navy (Josephus Daniels) and the Secretary of War(Newton Baker replaced Lindley Garrison in Mar 1916). Baker had no experience with the military and went through his learning curve during the Pancho Villa Expedition
* Frederick Funston likely would be the US Commander of the AEF. He was Pershing's superior officer during the OTL Villa Expedition.
* Speaking of the OTL Villa Expedition, what happens with that operation in light of the US entering the European War. The US put 100k US National Guard and Regular Army on the US/Mexican border and 10k US Cavalry and support elements into Mexico from April 1916 into 1917 before withdrawing. Valuable organizing and logistical experience was gained, but not much was learned on the tactical front. It was a sheriffs posse on a massive scale.....
* Funston died of a heart attack in Feb. 1917 in the US. Without the Villa Expedition as we know it to demostrate his organizational skills, does Pershing still ascend to the command of the budding AEF?
* The OTL US Army struggled mightily to get a significant force into uniform and under tents in 1917-18 - literally. Just getting cloth for unis and tents was a massive undertaking. They were even less prepared to make that move in OTL 1916 than 1917. To be sure, the economic and organizing resource was there, but not in motion - yet.

As I noted above, I'm not sure of the follow on impact of those elements.
 
since america got involved in ww1 earlier ttl, it makes sense it would take on a different role in the culture of the states; would it be more like ww2 where America likes to flex on stopping the expansionist germans, or would it be seen similar to how Europe saw it as pointless death and destruction?
 
* What campaign route does Wilson do? No more "He kept us out of war". Does he get re-elected?
Although he can't say he kept the US out of the war, in general the rally-around-the-flag-effect is strong. As long as he keeps the voters convinced that it was really Germany's fault the US got dragged into it, he'll be re-elected.
 
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