THE EVENTS OF WORLD WAR ONE AND CHARLES LAMB'S EXPERIENCE (note, some links are on the works cited)
By R.Graham
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The Start of World War One
World War One started in 1914 when Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated. While tension had been brewing for years in Europe, his death was the final spark. It caused a chain reaction when Austria-Hungary and Serbia went to war and called their allies, Germany and Russia. This caused almost every other country to get involved in this war. World War One had finally started.
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Germany Invades Belgium
The first battle of WWI was when the German Army invaded Belgium. It was part of the Schlieffen plan to take down France while cutting through Belgium. The German Army first targeted Liege. They quickly destroyed the town and killed citizens. While Belgium put up a lot of resistance, more than Germany was expecting, but Germany had taken most of Belgium by September 4th.
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The beginning of the Stalemate
By the end of 1914, the war had turned into a stalemate. Germany realized this and decided that there was no immediate solution to their problem. Therefore they decided to focus more on the eastern front, forcing the Allied Powers on the offensive. The Allied Powers were split on what they should do. Some wanted to break through the stalemate while others wanted to get to start an assault on the Central Powers somewhere else. The Allied powers decided to try and break through the stalemate. -
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Stalemate.
The period of time when neither side of the war could gain ground. -
The Christmas Truce
The Christmas Truce was an unofficial truce on Christmas. While many of the officers didn’t approve of it and took steps to prevent it afterward, people got together and celebrated Christmas together. This only happened in certain spots on the western front, as some continued fighting and Russia didn’t celebrate Christmas until later. Historians believe a factor that allowed this to happen was that soldiers were getting tired of fighting. -
The Lusitania Sinks
The Lusitania was a British ship sunk by a German u-boat. While the crew of the boat was warned about the german’s ruthless sinking of ships, they ignored the warnings. The ship was sunk, killing most of its passengers, 128 of these passengers were American citizens. This angered America and is one of the reasons along with the Zimmerman Telegram they later declare war.
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Italy Declares War
Before World War One Italy was originally sided with the Central Powers. When the war started many Italians wanted to stay out of the war, this cause Italy to declare itself neutral in the beginning. This all changed after the conclusion of the Treaty of London. The treaty said that if Italy joined the Allied Powers then they would get a lot of land in Austria-Hungary. This caused Italy to declare war on Austria-Hungary.
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America gets involved in World War One
America originally planned to stay neutral during the course of World War One. During the war, most Americans wanted to stay neutral because of the horror’s they heard about Trench Warfare. That all changed when Germany started sinking ships with American citizens and sending the Zimmerman Telegram. All of this together pushed America to join the allied powers.
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Treaties of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was between Russia, Ukraine, and the Central Powers. The peace talks started in November 1917. While they were discussing peace the Soviet Union tried to stall as much as possible. This caused Germany to get a separate peace agreement with a part of Ukraine and start their military offensive. Russia then finally signed a treaty, giving up territories. This treaty was declared invalid during the armistice and Germany’s loss. -
Charles Lamb is Drafted
Charles was drafted into the war in 1918; after he is drafted Charles got a letter saying that he might have a heart condition and might not make it pass the exam. This was not the case when he started his training at Vancouver Washington. In his letters after he gets the barracks and gets a gun and uniform that he feels like a real soldier. Charles also writes about how everything is organized and everyone’s jobs are very specific.
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Charles Lamb's Time in the Army
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Charles travels to Camp Merritt, New Jersey
Charles finishes up his training in Washington and goes across the country to New Jersey. They go by train and stop every once in a while. At the stations where they stopped at men would get off and meet with the pretty girls at the station. The army men would sometimes joke about some of the more social women at the station. Charles was also called into the captain's office and asked why he called his family
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Charles Training in France
Charles has made it to a base in France and has continued training while in the front lines. His wife sent him a box of stuff (he doesn’t go into the specifics). During his time out in the front, they have been training for gas attacks, even wearing the gear to protect himself while marching. He tells his wife that while the marches are easier it is harder to sleep and actually rest, because it is muddy, rat-infested, and all the fighting going on. -
The Allied Powers Break through the Stalemate
After a 56 hour attack, the Allied powers finally break through the Hindenburg Line, the final defense of Germany on the Western Front. The line was strongly defended, but had a weak spot in the south and wasn’t as advanced as newer trenches. The allied powers used this weakness to their advantage when they started an attack they called the “Hundred Days Offensive”. The attack started August 8th and the barrage of bullets and artillery carried on till September 29 -
Chales at Bussang, Rest Camp
Charles moved quickly to the Rest Camp in Bussang, forgetting a lot of things, like his fountain pen. He compares the place to Vancouver and that is similar but smaller. While Charles is in Bussang he sees a few shows, but he didn’t know whether the story should be taken seriously or not. It also comes up in his letter that he was leaving the front to get there and that it was one of the hardest things he’s done. Charles also gets a few letters from his family in the middle of September. -
The End of World War One.
World war one officially ended on November 11, in 1918. The Germans had tried for a quick defeat of Britain and France. When this plan failed like most of there other plans they realized they couldn’t have won and surrendered on November 9th. After their surrender Germany and the Allied powers called a truce called the Treaty of Versailles.
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Charles Lamb is Discharged.
At the end of his time in the military, Charles writes his mother about finally getting out and back home. In the letter, he talks about how hard it is to be discharged, and that he can’t just leave. While he might be discharged soon he knows that it will probably take 6 months to get back home. He tells his mom that he expects to get back sooner if more soldiers are returned. He gets to Paris on the 15th and is on his way home.
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