How many American soldiers died in world war 1 before the draft?

Answer 1

I don't believe any US soldiers died in WWI before the draft. The US declared war in April 1917, and just a couple of months later the Selective Service Act (the draft) was passed by Congress. Around the same time the first American troops went to France, but they were nowhere near ready to go into the trenches. They needed several months of training, at least. The first few American soldiers were killed in November 1917, as the first American units were ready to try to occupy a quiet sector of the lines. It was not until June, 1918 that American troops began to see heavy action in large numbers, and to suffer heavy losses. Almost all American casualties came in the last six months of the war, as the Americans finally weighed in and tipped the balance in the Allies favor.