liam against Verdun. The Battle of Verdun had begun. The French soon lost Douaumont and Hardaumont but were able to eventually stop the German advance. In July the British launched an offensive on Somme which made the Battle at Verdun a little easier. By December the French had taken most of the land they lost. The Battle of Verdun was the longest and one of the bloodiest battles of the war. The Germans soon realized they couldn't kill enough French to win the war. They found themselves losing as many men as the French. Over two million soldiers from both sides took part in the battle. A combination of about 675,000 men from both sides lost their lives; 348,000 French and 328,000 Germans.On January 16, 1917, the German Foreign Secretary, Arthur Zimmermann, sent a telegram to Johann von Bernstorff, the German ambassador to the U.S. The telegram said that if the U.S. did decide to enter the war, Mexico should be asked to join as an ally to Germany. In return, Germany would help Mexico regain Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The British intercepted and deciphered the message. They gave it to the U.S. government. On March 1, President Wilson released the telegram to the press. A month later on April 6, the United States declared war on Germany and officially entered the war. The U.S. gave the Allies much needed money and soldiers. It also helped to improve the moral of the other Allied troops. Now the Allies could replace worn out soldiers with fresh ones.On March 3, 1918, Russia signed a treaty with the Central Powers. It was the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. After the armistice the Germans, Russians, and the other Central Powers began negotiations. Those negotiations soon broke down and fighting on the Eastern Front resumed. Vladimir Lenin wanted to end the fighting so he accepted the German demands. The German demands were even harsher this time. Russia would lose Poland, the Baltic states, and recognize Finland, Ukraine, and Georgia as indepe...
