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Letters from The Great War
The main method of communication to soldier's families and friends was through letters. Letters were the way of knowing how lives were for soldiers and families at home. Children wrote to their parents and husbands wrote to their wives. Letters updated each other and made it easier to be away for a long time. -
Archduke Ferdinand's Assasination
Archduke Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated on June 18, 1914. They were killed by Gavrilo Princip, a nationalist. It was during their visit to Sarajevo. This sparked the war. Austria-Hungary began blaming the Serbian government for the attack. Alliances formed to support both sides, and this is when the war began. -
Trench Warefare
Trenches were a new defense mechanism used by both Central and Allied powers. They were a ditches dug in open fields. This is where many soldiers spent their days. Trenches were known for easily spreading diseases like dysentery, cholera, and typhoid. Rain and other precipitation caused constant wetness in the trenches. With soldiers standing and wet boots a majority of the time, they would come down with a disease called Trench Foot. Trench Foot causes tissue damage in the foot. -
First Battle of Marne
The First Battle of the Marne lasted three days, September 6 through September 9 in 1914. It started when French and British forces confronted the German army. At this time, they were only 30 miles from France. Allied troops successfully completed a counter-attack and drove Germans back North of the Aisne River. After this battle, trenches were dug and trench warfare began. -
Christmas Truce of 1914
On Christmas morning 1914, German soldiers came from their trenches and yelled "Merry Christmas!" to all of the Allied soldiers. At first, Allied troops were concerned that this was a trap. They soon noticed German soldiers were not carrying weapons so it was safe. The soldiers spent the day together celebrating Christmas by exchanging presents, singing songs, and playing soccer. -
Shellshock
Shellshock is what doctors called a condition, that is now known as PTSD, during WWI. Soldiers with shellshock experienced anxiety, nightmares, tremor, and impaired hearing and vision. It was said to be caused by combat fatigue and was the reason for half of the military discharges during the war. -
Tanks
The first tank was produced on September 6, 1916, and it was nicknamed Little Willie. Tanks were a big part of World War I. Tanks were grouped according to gender throughout the war. Female tanks carried machine guns on them. Male tanks had cannons attached. -
America Enters WWI
On April 2, 1917, America entered WWI. Many things throughout the war angered America, but our goal was to stay neutral. It became difficult when we were dragged into the war. Germany sunk a British ship, and that ship had U.S. passengers on it. This provoked our president. It wasn't until Germans sunk four more ships the next month, that Woodrow Wilson declared war on Germany. -
Red Cross Postcard
When soldiers arrived overseas, letters were sent home to let families know that their loved ones arrived safely. The American Expedory Services was in charge of delivering the news. Each letter instructed that it should be sent and arrive at the homes of the military families immediately. -
German Food in the USA
A lot of common foods popular in America today have names from German origin. German language and culture were thriving in the United States until anti-German became a thing during the war. Menu names from Germany were changed in American while the war was going on. Hamburgers were called liberty steaks and sauerkraut was called liberty cabbage. -
Letter to Blanch Doll from George Doll
On June 22, 1918, George Doll writes a letter to his wife. In the letter, he tells his wife that he is still in Marseilles. He said that he likes it there and is enjoying himself. Geroge also says that he received a box of candy. He said that he at all of it. -
Letter to Blanch Doll from George Doll
George Doll writes to his wife telling her how happy it made him to receive pictures of his kids. Blanch Doll sent George photos of their children in one of the previous letters she wrote to him. He enjoyed showing it to his coworkers. In his letter he mentions his daughter Julia, he wishes she could make him breakfast soon. -
Second Battle of the Marne
On July 15, 1918, German troops attack the French, American, and British armies. It was the last offensive move made from Germany in the war. In this battle, German suffered several casualties and it caused them to call quits on the battle. After this battle, the power of the war changed to the Allies. It helped them regain French and Belgium in the months following. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versaille was signed at the Paris peace conference with all of the Allied leaders. The Treaty of Versaille was a post-war plan to keep away future conflicts. Germany wanted to attend the conference, but the League of Nations denied their attendance. the blame of this war was put on Germany and forced them to financially take responsibility. Germany became broke and this is the main cause of WWII. -
George Doll Discharge Paper
George Doll was discharged from the Army. His discharge was honorable. The discharge paperwork included facts about his time in the service. Doll joined the service at age twenty-two. On October 17, 1919, he arrived in the United States Safely.
