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The Rescue
They sailed from Hoboken, New Jersey, Halifax, Nova Scotia. On December 1917 Buckles and his crew was aboard the HMS Carpathia. The vessel famous for the rescue of the White Star Liner Titanic. On 15 April 1912 some of the officers and crew who made the rescue were aboard the Carpathia and were not averse to describing the rescue. -
Buckles and his crew
Buckle and his crew docked in Glasgow, Scotland, and their unit was continued to Winchester, England. To wait to cross-channel shipment to France. His unit of unit of the 6th Marines was operating Camo Hospital number 35 new Winchester. Their unit was forced to replace the Marines who were sent to France. -
Alliances Are Triggered
Austria Hungarian government blamed Serbia for the attack and decided that the time had come to crush Serbia. Knowing an attack on Serbia might trigger a war with Russia. Austria Hungarian asked their German allies for support, Germany promised to support Austria-Hungary if war erupted. Austria then issued an ultimatum meaning like a final demand or statements of terms to Serbia government. The Serbians counted on Russia to back them up and so the Russians counted on France to have their back. -
Germany declared war on Russia
On August 1 Germany declared war on Russia. Two days later, it declared war on France and so WW1 had begun. Germany had long been prepared for war against France and Russia. It immediately launched an invasion of France to make sure that the French was knocked out of the war. After they knocked out France out the war they can send their troops over to Russia now. -
The German U-Boats
Britain and France depended on food, equipment, and other supplies from both the United States and their overseas empires. So to stop those shipments Germany deployed submarines also known as U-boats. In February 1915, the Germans announced that they would sink without warning if they found any ships in the water around Britain. Germany’s announcement triggered in outrage in the United States and elsewhere. -
The Propaganda
The Allied Powers believed that an Allied victory was the only way to preserve the international balance of power. So the British worked diligently which means that the British worked carefully to win American support. So one method that they used was propaganda or information designed to influence opinion. Both the American’s and the British used this method but the Germans propaganda was mostly anti-Russian and did not appeal to most Americans. -
Russia Leaves the War
In March 1917, riots broke out in Russia over the government’s handling of the war and the scarcity of food and fuel. Czar Nicholas 2 the leader of the Russian Empire abdicated his throne. Thus marked the beginning of the Russian Revolution. The Bolshevik Party led by Vladimir Lenin overthrew the provisional government and established a Communist government in November 1917. Lenin fist act after seizing power was to pull Russia out of the war and concentrate on building a Communist state. -
The Americans take sides
The American had to choose to other fight with the Central Powers or the Allied Powers. But the American public opinion favored the Allied Powers. Because many Americans valued the heritage, language, and political ideals they shared with Britain. Others treasured America’s links with France which is one of America’s best friend during the Revolutionary War. But for more than two years the United States remained neutral. -
Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare
On February 1, 1917, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare. The German military leaders believed that they could starve Britain into submission in four to six months. Although they knew that this decision might draw the United States into the war. They did not believe the Americans could raise an army and transport it to Europe in time. Between February 3 and March 21 the Germans sunk six American ships. -
The United States declares War
Germany sent a telegram to the German ambassador in Mexico. Asking him to make an offer to side with them in the war with the United States. But it was later leaked to American newspaper. Many Americans were furious about this and now concluded war with Germany was necessary. -
Selective service draft
Many progressives believed that conscription forced military service was a violation of democratic and republican principles. Believing that a draft was necessary, however, Congress, with Wilson’s support created a new conscription system called the selective service. The Selective Service Act of 1917 required all men between the ages 21 and 30 to register for the draft. A lottery randomly determined the order in which they were called before a local draft board in charge of selecting. -
Frank Woodruff Buckles
He was interested in WWI and why? Because he saw it on a newspaper. So he tried joining the Marines, Navy in multiple places but couldn’t. Because of how he looked young and so he tried for the army in Oklahoma City. There he had no luck with the navy or marines so he went out for the army, but they asked for a birth certificate from him. But he told them that the public records were not made of births in Missouri at the time I was born and my record would be in the family Bible. -
Buckles training
When choosing a branch in army in which he will serve. His old sergeant advised that the Ambulance service. Was the quickest way to get to France because the French were begging for ambulance services. Buckles followed his advice and was sent to Fort Riley, Kansas, for training. -
Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia declared independence.
Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia declared their independence. By early November the governments of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire had surrendered to the allies. On November 3, sailors in Kiel, the main base of the German fleet mutinied which means to refuse or disobey. Within days group of workers and soldiers seized power in other German towns. As the revolution spread the German emperor decided to step down. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Lenin agreed to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany on March 3, 1918. Within this treaty Russia lost substantial territory. Russia gave up the UKraine, it’s Polish and Baltic territories, and Finland. Now with the Eastern front settled Germany could now concentrate its forces in the west. The German leaders knew this was their last chance to win. If the troops transferred from Russia could not break the Allied lines than it was a only matter of time before Germany would have to surrender. -
Germany’s Last Offensive
On March 21, 1918, the Germans launched a massive attack along the Western Front. They started off with gas attacks and huge artillery bombardment. The German forces strengthened by reinforcements from the Russian front, pushed deep into the Allied lines. By the early June they were less than 40 miles from Paris. The American troops played an important role in containing the German offensive. -
German emperor decided to step down.
On November 9, Germany became a republic. Two days later the government signed an armistice. A truce or an agreement to stop fighting. At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918, the fighting had stopped. Although the fighting had stopped in November 1918, WW1 was not over. -
Fourteen Points
When President Wilson arrived in Paris in January 1919. He brought with him a peace plan known as the Fourteen Points. The President believed that if if the Fourteen Points were implemented. They would establish the conditions for a lasting peace in Europe. The Fourteen were based on “the principle of justice to all peoples and nationalities.” -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles lasted five months. The most important parts were the so called “Big Four” of the Allies. President Wilson of the United States, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, French Premier Georges Clemenceau, and Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando. Representatives from Russia were not invited to the conference. Wilson and the other Allied leaders refused to recognize Lenin’s government as legitimate. -
Returning home
Mr. Buckles was the last known surviving American veteran of World War 1. After the war he returned home and decided to get a quick education in shorthand and typewriting. At a business school in Oklahoma City. About four months of school he got a job at the post office working 4:00 p.m. to midnight. He was paid about 60 cents an hour.
