World War 1 - Articles on The Great War

 

World War 1 - Articles on The Great War

 

As the 1914–1918 conflict came to be known, the Great War became a world war indeed as it drew in Japan, British colonies in the Pacific, and European colonial holdings throughout Africa, Asia, and North America.

Meanwhile, wary of embroiling itself in the conflict, the United States initially remained neutral. It pursued international trade profits while protecting its interests at home and in the Pacific.

World War I raged around the globe for almost three years before the United States officially entered the fight on 6 April 1917. The fighting ended after the Armistice on 11 November 1918.

 

The Red Ruins of Ypres Ypres, the British Soldiers "Wipers," Was the Scene of Much of the Bloodiest Fighting of the War.

WW1 Timeline 1914-1918

A detailed chronology of the war, month by month, dates the minor and major events of the First World War; in chronological order, important events are briefly described providing a succinct birdseye view of the Great War.

 

The Rulers of the Triple Entente. Nicholas, Once Czar of All the Russians (left), the Only Autocrat among the Allies, Was a Weak Ruler.

The Campaigns Against Russia 1914-1917

There was also fighting on a vast scale in Eastern Europe between the Central Powers and Russia. The Russians began well with two invasions of East Prussia. Still, the Germans found a Saviour in General Hindenburg, who drove the enemy back into his territories.

 

The Christmas Day Truce of 1914.

The Christmas Truce of 1914

The Christmas truce was a series of widespread unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front of the First World War around Christmas 1914. The truce occurred only five months into the war.

 

The Gas Mask Adopted by the United States.

Chemical Warfare - "Gas" In This War

The direct use of poison gases, however, was inhibited explicitly by The Hague Convention. They were used deliberately on part of the Ypres salient for the first time on April 22, 1915.

 

American Soldiers Get Their First View of the Beautiful Country Which They Were to Have the Privilege of Helping to Save.

Arrival of American Expeditionary Force Divisions

Descriptions of various American Expeditionary Force Divisions that Arrived in France During 1918: Five divisions arrived in July 1918, Five during August, and another five during September for a total force of 15 divisions.

 

Mess Time for The Soldiers of The Seas.

Feeding the Men on the Front Lines During World War I

The troops, having to march many miles a day, would greatly suffer if always compelled to await the arrival of the train carrying food. Therefore troops in the field must carry rations with them, and the ration consumed during the day must be replaced by the train at night.

 

Front Cover (Title Portion), To The Homeward Bound Americans by V. Van Vorst, 1919.

Americans Arrive in Paris - Homeward Bound Americans

So, in June 1917, when General Pershing arrived in Paris with the first contingent of the Expeditionary Forces, there were crowds in the streets and about the station to meet him and to acclaim the American soldiers.

 

Portait of General March. Library of Congress.

Chronology of WW1 American Operations

General March, American Chief of Staff, appended the following chronology to his annual report to Secretary Baker, made public on December 5, 1918. It is a complete official summary of the chief operations of the United States Army in France.

 

Arrival of Food Parcels in Prison Camp, Münster.

Food Supplies Forwarded to German Prison Camp For Captured American Soldiers

Captured American soldiers arrived in German prison camps, and American Red Cross emergency food parcels were awaiting them if arrangements already in operation were entirely carried out.

 

Forward Deck of the "Mississippi”.

The Gem of the Ocean - Our American Navy

Offensive methods, daring attacks, maneuvering to obtain the advantage, and shooting quickly and hitting the enemy vessel are the essentials of high command afloat.

 

Americans All! Victory Liberty Loan.

The Immigrant Army: Immigrant Service Members in World War I

Immigrants served in the U.S. military during World War I in various ways, both at home and abroad. Many service members embraced their heritage while they devoted themselves to the defense of the U.S.

 

Another Photograph from the Second Battle of the Marne.

In The Battles of the Great War

With clear foresight, General Pershing insisted on developing a "self-reliant infantry, thoroughly drilled in the use of the rifle and the tactics of open warfare."

 

Front Page of a Trench and Camp Newspaper Printed Weekly for the YMCA

A National War Service Newspaper

During the summer of 1917, it occurred to a number of those interested in the war work of the Y M C A that a national newspaper published primarily for and so far as possible by the service members would meet this need.

 

General Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Forces at Chaumont.

Personnel of the AEF in France

Listing of the United States Armies, Commanders, Divisions, Brigades, Regiments, and Battalions that served in France during the Great War, 1917-1918.

 

The Camp Dodger - a Camp Dodge Newspaper Shows the Format of a Typical Front Page

Review of Camp Dodger and The Bayonet Camp Newspapers

The first newspaper in the National Army, The Camp Dodger, the official publication of the Eighty-Eighth Division, U.S.N.A., was published at Camp Dodge. Iowa is a four-page eight-column sheet of vital interests.

 

RMS Laconia Torpedoed by German U-Boat - 1918

RMS Laconia Torpedoed by German U-Boat

Realizing that we had been torpedoed, my imagination was somewhat disappointed at the slightness of the shock and the meekness of the report. One or two chairs tipped over, a few glasses crashed from table to floor, and instantly, every man in the room was on his feet.

 

Portrait Photo of Floyd Gibbons Following the Sinking of the RMS Laconia on 25 February 1917 by SM U-50.

Sinking of the Cunard "Laconia"

The Cunard Line RMS Laconia, launched in 1912, was a beautiful ship that became a fatality of the first world war when she was torpedoed and sunk on 25 February 1917 by the German submarine SM U-50. This article is a first-hand account of Chicago Tribune reporter Floyd Gibbons, who became a war correspondent.

 

The USS Jacob Jones, An American Destroyer, Torpedoed and Sunk by a German U-Boat, 6 December 1917.

The Sinking of the American Destroyer Jacob Jones

The American destroyer Jacob Jones, one of its class's largest and fleetest vessels, was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine on December 6, 1917 while on patrol duty in North Atlantic waters.

 

Painting of President Woodrow Wilson by Edmund Charles Tarbell, Oil on Canvas, 1920-1921.

The American People and The Great War

The effect of the war on the United States will depend upon what American citizens say and do. Every man who loves America will act and speak in the true spirit of neutrality, which is the spirit of impartiality and fairness, and friendliness to all concerned.

 

President Woodrow Wilson Created the Committee on Public Information (CPI)

War News Not Publishable

The Committee on Public Information has modified its press regulations. It has issued the following rules that are now presented to the publishers of America to protect our military and naval forces and merchant shipping.

 

The Ablest Educators of the Country Are Now Engaged in Devising the Quickest and Easiest Methods of Teaching the Immigrant the Language of the Country of His Adoption.

What Does It Mean to Be an American?

What is it to be American? We say that it is to love the Stars and Stripes. But a flag is no more than a symbol. It represents hopes and fears, struggles and achievements. Something is done and yet to be done.

 

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