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The Battle of Mons
This battle went on for the first month of WW1. The goal was to break the center line of the Germans, however the French 5th army and Lanrezac with BEF (Britain Expeditionary Forces), had poor connection so they fought separate wars against the Germans. The French and BEF then decided to make the troops leave as soon as possible because the Germans were too strong and it was too dangerous. The battle ended after 9 hours, there were around 35,000 soldiers involved and 1,600 casualties. -
The Christmas Truce
This all happened late Christmas eve when Britain Expeditionary Forces heard Germans singing Christmas carols in the trenches. The next day British and German soldiers met in no man's land to exchange gifts and played some football. This truce didn't happen everywhere in no man's land along the western front, and there was still war on Christmas day. After that the higher commands on both sides tried to prevent this from happening again they thought it would make them not want to fight anymore. -
The Lusitania
The Lusitania was a British ship that was sunk by the German U-boat on May 7, 1915. The construction for the boat began in 1904, the Lusitania was launched on June 7, 1906 and the liner was completed the next year, which at the time was the largest ship in the World. When the Germans sank the boat it made a stronger opinion for the U.S. public against Germany. This made a stronger viewpoint against Germany and kinda contributed to the U.S. entering WW1. -
The Battle of Verdun
The battle of Verdun was one of the longest and bloodiest wars/conflicts of WW1, it took place February 21–December 18, 1916. The Germans had prepared what was one of the largest buildups of men and equipment. They spent 7 weeks making new railway lines, creating heavy concrete bunk beds, and stockpiling more than 1,200 artillery pieces. There were multiple casualties including 400,000 for the French and 350,000 for the Germans, with 300,000 deaths. -
The Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos took place between September 25 and October 13 1915. This was the largest British offensive of WW1 and the Army's first use of gas. By September 28 the Germans had pushed the British back to their starting point. When the British lost Marshal Sir John French resigned as commander of the British Expeditionary Force and was replaced by General Sir Douglas Haig. -
The Battle of Jutland - May 31 - June 1st, 1916
The Battle of Jutland was the largest naval battle of WW1. The German High Seas Fleet launched an ambush on the British Grand Fleet to try and weaken them in the North Sea. This battle involved 250 ships and about 100,000 men. The British ship (Admiral Sir David Betty's) initially made the German High Seas Fleet lose several ships, but the Germans then came back and damaged 2 and sank 2. In the end the British lost 14 ships and over 6,000 men, the Germans lost 11 ships and over 2,500 men. -
The Battle of the Somme - July 1st - November 19, 1916
The Battle of the Somme was fought between British Empires and the French Third Republic versus the German Empire. The battle was intended as a quick victory for the allies. There were about 3 million men that fought in this battle with at least 1 million wounded or killed, this made it one of the deadliest battles in all of history. Also most of the British deaths were on the front between the Albert-Bapaume road. -
The Zimmermann Telegram
The Zimmermann Telegram was written by German Foreign Secretary Arutur Zimmermann, it was a coded message sent to Mexico. They were trying to get the Mexico military to form an alliance against the United States. When the Britains and Germany got into it, the Britians released the telegram to Wilson on February 24, which was published to the American press on March 1. On April 6, 1917 the U.S. congress declared war against Germany and all of their allies. -
Curtin, Eugene A.
It is his 2nd day out at sea, he says that there has been no sea-sickness and that the ship is like a hotel. Also that everyone on board is happy and everyone knows that the men out there will do their part. They were now at rest in the Harbor but hadn't docked yet, and he said that there are several warships at rest nearby. Also he said that they have life drills every morning and that it would take no time at all to empty the ship. -
Curtin, Eugene A.
He is writing to his mom and telling her about the young bunch of men. He says that the men are anxious to get over to the other side and don’t really like the idea of training camp. When he was exhausted he went out to get a soda and was surprised by some old friends; he said that it helped him pass a very hot day. He also said that in his bag he has to have all of the camp equipment, coat, slicker and woolen clothes, because they inspect their bags everyday. -
The Battle of Passchendaele
The Battle of Passchendaele was the 3rd Battle of Ypres and would be the 3rd and the largest. Ypres was the most dangerous place a British soldier could be on the whole western front. General Sir Douglas Haig aimed to capture the high ground of Ypres, where a series of smaller battles had happened, but this battle would be much bigger and be a major decisive action to break through the German defense. -
Curtin, Eugene A.
He is very happy at where he is and says his commanding officer is just like one of the boys. He also has 120 patients he looks after and does as many operations as wants if he's available. Also about 2 times a week they get 150 to 200 patients, and he says no matter how beat up they are they always come smiling. He says sometimes they are so badly done that it hurts him. -
Curtin, Eugene A.
He is glad to have moved, he said that the last trip was the worst one yet. He said that the French people are better than the English people and he thinks he is going to like France way better. They just got to their new place and he's located behind the line and isn't very active. The division probably is going to move soon. -
Curtin, Eugene A.
They just got to a new place and he said that they make sure that everyone gets all of their letters every day. Also apparently when his sister wrote back to him is when they were getting all of the boys to enter the draft. They have moved again and now 4 of them have to sleep in the same room with no beds. Also at this new place the Army gave everyone gas mask just in case, and the only reason he took it was because he thought it would make a good souvenir for his grandchildren. -
The Battle of Saint-Mihiel - September 12 - 16, 1918
The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was the first U.S. offensive in WW1. The Allies attacked against the Saint-Mihiel salient that provided them the opportunity to use their forces on the western front. Also when the Allies attacked, the Germans were not very prepared on the front line, and when the U.S. found this out the commanders were told to speed up their advance. The U.S. air forces were led by William Mitchell and the tanks led by George Patton who led from the front of the line.