Tag: World War 1
-
British Commander in Chief Sir Douglas Haig Ended His Army’s Offensive Near the Somme River in Northwest France, Ending the Larger-Than-Life Battle of the Somme After More Than Four Months of Blood-Stained Battle. November 18, 1916.
Image: Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, 1917. (Public Domain) On this day in history, November 18, 1916, British Commander in Chief Sir Douglas Haig ended his army’s offensive near the Somme River in northwest France, ending the larger-than-life Battle of the Somme after more than four months of blood-stained battle. The Battle of the Somme,…
-
The Battle of Passchendaele (Also Known as the Third Battle of Ypres) Ended on November 6, 1917, with a Hard-Won Victory by British and Canadian Soldiers at the Belgian Village of Passchendaele. November 6, 1917.
Image: Soldiers of an Australian 4th Division field artillery brigade on a duckboard track passing through Chateau Wood, near Hooge in the Ypres salient, 29 October 1917. (Public Domain) On this day in history, November 6, 1917, after more than three months of vicious combat, the Battle of Passchendaele (also known as the Third Battle…
-
Prisoners Of War Throughout History
When Everett Alvarez Jr. signed up for the U.S. Air Force in 1960, he didn’t imagine that he would become the first and nearly longest-held American prisoner of war in Vietnam; he just wanted to fly. Alvarez, the son of two poor Mexican immigrants, had just graduated as an engineer from Santa Clara University and…
-
Edith Cavell, a British Nurse Employed in Belgium, Was Executed by the Germans After Being Found Guilty of Assisting over 200 Allied Soldiers to Escape to England. October 12, 1915.
Image: The Execution of Edith Cavell (Public Domain) On this day in history, October 12, 1915, in the early morning hours, Edith Cavell, a British nurse employed in Belgium, was executed by the Germans after being found guilty of assisting over 200 Allied soldiers to escape to England. During her trial, she admitted openly to…
-
World War 1 in Photographs, Part 1
In July 1914, an assassin, a Serbian nationalist, killed the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary as he visited Sarajevo. This act was the catalyst for a massive conflict that lasted four years. More than 65 million soldiers were mobilized by more than 30 nations, with battles taking place around the world. Industrialization brought modern…
-
General John J. Pershing, commander in chief of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), along with 25,000 soldiers who had fought in the AEF’s 1st Division on the Western Front parade down Fifth Avenue while New Yorkers showered them with rose petals after Returning From War. September 10, 1919.
Image: General John Joseph “Black Jack” Pershing. (Wikimedia Commons.) On this day in history, September 10, 1919, almost one year after an armistice officially ended World War I, New York City holds a parade to welcome home General John J. Pershing, commander in chief of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), along with 25,000 soldiers who…
-
The Battle of Tannenberg Ended With the Destruction of the Russian Second Army, With 140,000 Killed, Injured, or Captured by the German 8th Army. August 30, 1914.
Image: Russian prisoners of war after the Battle of Tannenberg (Wikimedia Commons.) On this day in history, August 30, 1914, the Battle of Tannenberg ended with the destruction of the Russian Second Army, with 140,000 killed, injured, or captured by the German 8th Army led by Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff. History Daily: 365…
-
German Soldiers Stationed in the Belgian Village of Louvain During the Opening Month of World War I Burn and Loot Much of the Town, Executing Hundreds of Civilians. August 25, 1914.
Image: Depiction of the mass murder of civilians in Blégny by Évariste Carpentier. (Wikimedia Commons.) On this day in history, and over the next five days, German soldiers stationed in the Belgian village of Louvain during the opening month of World War I burn and loot much of the town, executing hundreds of civilians. Located…
History Daily With Francis Chappell Black 