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Frank Buckles assignment in Winchester
Frank's job was to drive in Winchester and help take on official assignments with some of the officers. “Most places, the military walked. And it was quite an honor to be riding in a motorcycle” (Woodruff 2). This showed that even at his young age, Woodruff was still being promoted to doing great things in the future. -
Assassination of Ferdinand Archduke
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the event that caused war to begin. Ferdinand was killed by a man named Gavrilo Princip. Gavrilo wanted independence for Serbia, not a controlling foreign power like Austria. This made Austria declare war against Serbia. -
Britain's naval blockade against Germany
In the 18th century, the British navy used the blockade tactic to maintain their power. In 1914, this tactic was still being used against Germany. British naval ships spent the war detaining thousands of merchant ships bound for enemy shores. Germany reported that 763,000 of their civilians died because of this. This is one of the key events that influenced the Allied Powers’ victory. -
The Christmas Truce - Frank Buckles
Frank Buckles was apart of the Christmas truce. However, he said that the things we learned about it were not completely true. The Christmas truce happened more than once, but he didn’t state how many times during the four years of war. Buckles thought that the Christmas truce was an amazing experience that was very peaceful. -
Lusitania Sinks
One of Germany’s U-boats sinks the Lusitania. The ship carried 1,959 people and 128 of those were Americans. This outraged America. However, Germany defended themselves saying that they did issue warnings that they were planning to attack all ships. -
Zimmerman Telegram
The telegram had a message from foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman giving information about an upcoming attack. It proposed that Mexico would side with Germany if there was a war between them and America. The telegraph ended up having the U.S. declare war on Germany. When British Navy’s intelligence deciphered it, they published it where the American public could read it and they were very shocked. -
Frank Buckles Enlistment
Frank had a strong interest in the military so he did something very risky. He lied about his age to get into the war. He said that he wanted to join to service his country so that is why he did it. Since he was 16 when he enlisted, he became known as the last survivor from WW1. When enrolling in the military he had to be very careful. -
America enters WWI
On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on Germany. At the beginning of the war, the U.S. was neutral, which was what the citizens wanted. President Woodrow Wilson entered the war mainly because of the sinking of the Lusitania and the Zimmermann Telegram. -
Selective Service Act
The Selective Service Act gave the U.S. president power to draft soldiers. The United States needed new troops so the military would be effecient. The Act required all men between the ages of 21 and 30 to register for military service. Within a few months, they had about 10 million men who had registered. -
Frank Buckles- Assignment in France
In France, Buckles drove an ambulance particularly down in the Gironde district and Bordeaux. His situation was different. Most men belonged to one unit, one group. He had the opportunity to be in several parts. During his time there, Buckles saw the war's impact on malnourished children in France and helped feed them. -
Frank Buckles - Prisoner Escort
Buckles said that everything was fine when it came to the prisoners except for one incident. He had got into an argument with one and told him to stop. If he didn’t stop they would both end up getting into trouble so they had to make up. Some other things had happened but Buckles stated, “The unpleasant things I don’t remember those, I forget those purposely”. -
Germany and Russia Peace
The Germans sign a peace treaty with the new government of Russia. The terms of the treaty give Germany land that had been the Ukraine and Poland, and peace on the Eastern Front allows Germany to move soldiers to the Western Front, causing serious problems for the Allied forces. -
The Battle of Cantigny
The Battle of Cantigny was the first major American offensive of the war. The attack was under Major General Robert Lee Bullard. Though small in scale, the Americans fight bravely and soon do larger attacks against German positions. The American victory at Cantigny was a definite boost to the Allied morale. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was made to punish Germany by having to pay for reparation during the war. The Treaty created new boundaries for them. It also stripped them of their colonies, and from having certain weapons. -
Battle of St. Mihiel
This battle is known to be the first independent American offensive of the war. With that it is the single largest American military undertaking up to this point of the war. The battle consisted of 550,000 American and 110,000 French troops. This battle was under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against German positions.
