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The Great War.
It was the first “mechanized”
war, introducing tanks and
machine guns, aerial bombardment
and chemical warfare, to the
repertoire of battle. Not
surprisingly, The World War, as
it was known, was the venue for
some of the deadliest battles in
history. More than 9 million
soldiers lost their lives at
places such as Ypres, Vimy
Ridge, Marne, Cambrai, Somme,
Verdun and Gallipoli.
The United States didn’t enter
the war until 1917—four years
after the outbreak of
hostilities caused by the
assassination of Archduke
Ferdinand. Under the command of
Gen. John J. Pershing, The
American Expeditionary Force the
arrival of U.S. troops brought
tremendous pressure on the
Central powers, leading the
Treaty of Versailles in
November, 1918.
No other war in U.S. history has
so radically changed the map of
Europe. The Great War resulted
in the shattering of the German,
Austro-Hungarian, Habsburg and
Russian empires. And set the
stage for World War II a
generation later. |
