Some gave all; all gave some: U.S., world commemorates WWI losses

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Clark Staehle
  • 100 Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF Mildenhall --  Nov. 11 marks Armistice Day here in the United Kingdom, and Veterans Day in the U.S.
Armistice Day celebrates the end of World War I, and commemorates the day fighting stopped during World War I - the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. 

"Instead of a complete victory, there was a draw, essentially, an armistice, a cease of hostilities between the allied powers, the central powers of Germany and the other great alliances between Great Britain, France and the United States," said John Williamson, 100th Air Refueling Wing historian. "That's basically what happened- the guns fell silent at 11 o'clock on Nov. 11, 1918." 

The U.S. first recognized Armistice Day under President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, when many states observed it as a legal holiday. 

"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations ...," the president said of the first anniversary. 

The wing's historian said being stationed here in the United Kingdom means Armistice Day holds special meaning 

"The reason why it's important to remember, particularly in this country, is because of the significant loss of life in that war," Mr. Williamson said." Remember that the United 
States didn't come into that war until 1917 and we were only in it until 1918. Britain had been involved in the war since 1914, so they had a few years on us." 

In Britain, an entire male generation was almost wiped out, the historian said. 

"We celebrate it as a memory to all the soldiers who gave their lives to protect their country," Mr. Williamson said. 

In 1921, Congress passed legislation making Nov. 11 a day to remember those who died in the war. In 1938, the Congress declared Armistice Day a legal federal holiday. On June 1, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, himself a World War II veteran, signed legislation making Armistice Day a day to remember those who died during World War II and the Korean War as well. The law renamed the day Veterans Day. 

During the four-year conflict, about 9 million people were killed, while about 21 million were injured- almost as many as the current population of Australia. An additional 7.5 million were listed as missing in action. The staggering numbers earned the war the nickname, "The War to End All Wars," because at the time, people thought it was. 

The war started June 28, 1914, when a 19-year-old man set a chain of events in motion that would become the long conflict. 

That day, Gavrilo Princip, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Princip belonged to a group called Young Bosnia, who aimed to wrest their independence from the empire. Archduke Ferdinand was the heir to the Austria-Hungary throne, and the empire declared war on Serbia. While the assassination may have been the catalyst that set the war in motion, there was much political and social unrest in many countries throughout the region, like Germany, Italy, Russian and the Balkans, the contributed to the war's intensity. 

An arms race developed and countries began to ally themselves with each other.
By the time the war started, two major alliances remained- the Allies, which consisted of Britain, France, Russia and Italy, and the Central Powers, which was comprised of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey. 

On Aug 4, 1914, Germany invaded France, which it had declared war on the just the day before. Initially, the war was expected to be swift, quick and "over by Christmas." 

World War I gave birth to trench warfare, where the two sides dug in for months, trying to force the other out. Little or no ground was gained. The area between the two trenches was heavily fortified with barbed wire and artillery and was known as "No man's land." 
Trench warfare also saw the use of chemical warfare in the form of gas, which was used by both sides. 

Germany blockaded Britain with its U-boats, maintaining that any ship that approached the island nation would be engaged and fired upon. For America, this policy culminated in destruction of the Lusitania, an unarmed passenger ship, killing 1,198, including 128 Americans, May 7, 1915. The U.S. warned Germany that its policy was unacceptable and asked the nation to stop. Germany agreed. In January 1917, Britain intercepted and decoded a message from Germany to Mexico imploring the country to wage war on the U.S. On February 1, 1917, Germany resumed its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, sinking three more American ships. 

Until 1917, President Wilson had maintained a policy of neutrality, maintaining that the U.S. should "impartial in thought as well as in action." That aside, America was grossly unprepared to wage a war as the Army was short of the 100,000 troops mandated by Congress. The small force paled in comparison to the 2-million-strong German army and the 5-million-strong Austria-Hungary army. This changed with the draft, which was activated May 18, 1917. 

On April 6, 1917, President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany, and with that, the U.S. officially entered the war. War was later declared on Austria-Hungary that December. 

At the beginning of 1918, Germany came up with a series of offensives designed to win the war on both the Eastern and Western fronts. While the plans were initially well executed, the country had trouble taking land and that left them open to attacks. 

The allied powers launched a counteroffensive later that year, known as the Hundred Days Offensive on Aug. 8, 1918. The Battle of Amiens saw British, French, Canadian and Australian troops and 414 of their tanks advance seven miles into German lines in about seven hours. 

On Aug. 21, 1918, American and British troops fought the Germans at the Second Battle of the Somme in France. The Allied troops gained ground, pushing the Germans back 34 miles. By Sept. 2, the Germans had been pushed back to their initial starting point at the beginning of the war. 

After several successful engagements, the allied powers had brought the German army to its knees. The Germans were outnumbered, and rations for men and horses were cut. German sailors staged mutinies. That fall, it became apparent to German leaders that defeat was inevitable. 

One by one, the Central Powers capitulated. Bulgaria signed an armistice Sept. 29, 1918, with the Ottoman Empire following suit Oct. 30. Austria-Hungary asked for an armistice on Nov. 3, signaling the collapse of that empire. On Nov. 11, Germany signed an armistice, signaling an end to fighting. 

The war formally ended June 28, 1919, when Germany signed of the Treaty of Versailles.