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The War Begins
World War I began in 1914. It started because of MANIA. Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire were the Central Powers. Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan, and the US were the Allied Powers. The Central Powers fought against the Allied Powers. -
Machine Guns
When WWI began in August of 1914, machine guns were already being used. They were based off of Hiram Maxim's 1884 design. They fired 450-600 rounds per minute. People thought they'd completely replace the rifle. They were not, however, the most lethal weapon of World War I. -
The First Battle
On August 4th, 1914, Germany crossed the border into Belgium. They captured the city of Liege on August 15th. Many people died. Many civilians were shot, including a Belgian priest. The First Battle of the Marne was fought from September 6th-9th, 1914. -
Aircrafts
Fighter planes were first used in 1915. They were very flimsy. They were often described as kite-like. They had top speeds of 100mph. There was not a lot of protection for pilots. -
Flamethrowers
The first recorded use of a flamethrower in combat was on February 26th, 1915. The Germans were the first to use them. They used them at Malancourt. Germany used over 3,000 flamethrower troops. 650 flamethrower attacks were made. -
Poison Gas
Poison gas was first used on April 22nd, 1915. The Germans fired cylinders of chlorine gas onto their enemies. This was the beginning of the gas attacks in WWI. There were many different kinds of poison gas. There was chlorine gas, as well as mustard gas. -
America Enters the War
America remained neutral at the beginning of the war. They joined the war for many reasons. The Germans sunk the Lusitania, which was a British ship that had 100 American passengers on board. They also sent the Zimmerman telegram to Mexico. These things forced the US to join the war in 1917 -
Tanks
The first recorded use of tanks in WWI was during the battle at Malmaison. This battle was on October 23rd, 1917. The British coined the term tank, as they secretly developed it. They were originally called "land battleships". The first tanks had a top speed of 3mph. -
Entering the War
Ralph writes to his wife and talks about how it has been very boring at his camp. He also talks to his wife about how things will get worse. He says that he wants her to write him. He also talks about how he's "a little peculiar" because of his religion. He also thinks that the odds are against him. -
Goes to Camp Taylor
Ralph writes to Josephine on June 8th, 1918. He tells her about how they have moved camps. He is now located at Camp Taylor. Camp Taylor is in Chillicothe. He says that he is "tickled pink" to be there. -
Last German Offensive
On July 15th, 1918, the Germans fought their last fight. This was the Second Battle of the Marne. The allies pushed the Germans back, and then launched a counter attack. This battle was the turning point in the war for the allies. Germany sought an armistice on November 11th, 1918 -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was created at the Paris Peace Conference. This took place in 1919. Germany was forced to pay all of the nations involved in the war back for what they spent fighting. WWI took more than 9 million soldiers lives. It also wounded more than 21 million. -
Court Martial Jones
Ralph talks about how February 10th was a very nice day. He also says how he has to go do "court martial stuff" the next day. He says that he hopes Josephine gets over her sickness. Ralph is now in France. He talks about how he bought steak knives in a town called Alencon. -
Easter in France
Ralph describes his Easter Sunday. At this time, he was still in France. He was still away from his family and his beloved wife, Josephine. He describes the weather as warm and sunny. He talks about how much he misses his wife. -
Boring Office Day
Ralph talks about how his day was very boring. Ralph was a court martial, so he never actually encountered combat. He talks about if he had to stay in the service, he'd like to do the same thing (being a court martial). He thinks the work is very interesting, but it was a boring day.
