First World War Centenary: WW I in Photos(2)

4. First World War Centenary: WW I in Photos (2)

7. WorldWarI:TheWesternFront
WhenwethinkofWorldWarI,imagesofthebloody,muddyWestern
Frontaregenerallywhatcometomind.Scenesoffrightenedyoungmen
standinginknee-deepmud,awaitingthecalltogo"overthetop",facing
machineguns,barbedwire,mortars,bayonets,hand-to-handbattles,
andmore.
ThestalemateontheWesternFrontlastedforfouryears,forcingthe
advancementofnewtechnologies,bleedingtheresourcesofthe
belligerentnations,anddestroyingthesurroundingcountryside.

8. LookingoutacrossabattlefieldfromanAnzacpillboxneartheBelgiancityofYpresinWestFlandersin1917.WhenGermanforcesmetstiffresistanceinnorthernFrancein
1914,a"racetothesea"developedasFranceandGermanytriedtooutflankeachother,establishingbattlelinesthatstretchedfromSwitzerlandtotheNorthSea.Alliesand
CentralPowersliterallydugin,excavatingthousandsofmilesofdefensivetrenches,andtryingdesperatelytobreakthroughtheothersideforyears,atunspeakablyhugecostin
bloodandtreasure.(JamesFrancisHurley/StateLibraryofNewSouthWales)

9. French soldiers on horseback in street, with an airship "Dupuy De Lome" flying in air behind them, between ca. 1914.(Library of Congress)

10. A French pilot made an emergency landing in friendly territory after a failed attempt to attack a German Zeppelin hangar nearBrussels, Belgium, in 1915. Soldiers are climbing up
the tree where the biplane has landed.(Nationaal Archief)

11. German officers in a discussion on the Western Front. (The man 2nd from right, in fur collar is possibly Kaiser Willhelm, thecaption does not indicate). The German war plan
had been for a swift, decisive victory in France. Little planning had been done for a long-term, slow-moving slog of a battle.(AP Photo)

12. French soldiers in a bayonet charge, up a steep slope in the Argonne Forest in 1915. During the Second Battle of Champagne, 450,000 French soldiers advanced against a force
of 220,000 Germans, momentarily gaining a small amount of territory, but losing it back to the Germans within weeks. Combinedcasualties came to more than 215,000 from this
battle alone.(Agence de presse Meurisse)

13. A downed German twin-engined bomber being towed through a street by Allied soldiers, likely from Australia, in France.(National Library of Scotland)

14. SixGermansoldiersposeinaintrenchwithmachinegun,amere40metersfromtheBritishline,accordingtothecaptionprovided.Themachinegunappearstobea
Maschinengewehr08,orMG08,capableoffiring450-500roundsaminute.Thelargecylinderisajacketaroundthebarrel,filledwithwatertocoolthemetalduringrapidfire.
Thesoldieratright,withgasmaskcanisterslungoverhisshoulder,ispeeringintoaperiscopetogetaviewofenemyactivity.Thesoldieratrear,withsteelhelmet,holdsa
"potatomasher"model24grenade.(LibraryofCongress)

15. Harnessed dogs pull a British Army machine gun and ammo, 1914. These weapons could weigh as much as 150 pounds.(Bibliotheque nationale de France)

16. GermancaptiveballoonatEquancourt,France,onSeptember22,1916.Observationballoonswereusedbybothsidestogainanadvantageofheightacrossrelativelyflat
terrain.Observerswereliftedinasmallgondolasuspendedbelowthehydrogen-filledballoons.Hundredswereshotdownduringthecourseofthewar.(CCBYSABenjamin
Hirschfeld)

17. French Reserves from the USA, some of the two million fighters in the Battle of the Marne, fought in September of 1914. The First Battle of the Marne was a decisive week-long
battle that halted the initial German advance into France, short of Paris, and led to the "race to the sea".(Underwood & Underwood)

18. Soldiersstruggletopullahugepieceofartillerythroughmud.Thegunhasbeenplacedonatrackcreatedforalightrailway.Thesoldiersarepushingadevice,attachedtothe
gun,thatpossiblyslotsintothetracks.Someofthemenareinaditchthatrunsalongsidethetrack,therestareonthetrackitself.Amakeshiftcaterpillartreadhasbeenfittedto
thewheelsofthegun,inanattempttoaiditsmovementthroughthemud.(NationalLibraryofScotland)

19. Members of New Zealand's Maori Pioneer Battalion perform a haka for New Zealand's Prime Minister William Massey and Deputy PrimeMinister Sir Joseph Ward in Bois-de
Warnimont, France, during World War I, on June 30, 1918.(Henry Armytage Sanders/National Library of New Zealand)

20. In France, a British machine-gun team. The gun, which appears to be a Vickers, is mounted on the front of a motorcycle side car.(National Library of Scotland)

21. A German prisoner, wounded and muddy, helped by a British soldier along a railway track. A man, possibly in French military uniform, is shown behind them, holding a camera
and tripod, ca. 1916.(National Library of Scotland)

22. Three dead German soldiers outside their pill box near Zonnebeke, Belgium.(National Library of Scotland)

23. German soldiers make observations from atop, beneath, and behind large haystacks in southwest Belgium, ca. 1915.(Library of Congress)

24. Mountains of shell cases on the roadside near the front lines, the contents of which had been fired into the German lines.(Tom Aitken/National Library of Scotland)

25. A French soldier smokes a cigarette, standing near the bodies of several soldiers, apparently Germans, near Souain, France, ca. 1915.(Bibliotheque nationale de France
Francois-Mitterrand)

26. Soldiers in trenches during write letters home. Life in the trenches was summed up by the phrase which later became well-known: "Months of boredom punctuated by
moments of extreme terror."(Netherlands Nationaal Archief)

27. At Cambrai, German soldiers load a captured British Mark I tank onto a railroad, in November of 1917. Tanks were first used in battle during World War I, in September of 1916,
when 49 British Mark I tanks were sent in during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette.(Deutsches Bundesarchiv)

28. Ataheightof150metersabovethefightingline,aFrenchphotographerwasabletocaptureaphotographofFrenchtroopsontheSommeFront,launchinganattackonthe
Germans,ca.1916.Thesmokemayhavebeendeployedintentionally,asascreeningdevicetomasktheadvance.(NARA/U.S.WarDept.)

29. British soldiers on Vimy Ridge, 1917. British and Canadian forces pushed through German defenses at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April of 1917, advancing as far as six miles in
three days, retaking high ground and the town of Thelus, at the cost of nearly 4,000 dead.(Bibliotheque nationale de France)

30. An explosion near trenches dug into the grounds of Fort de la Pompelle, near Reims, France.(San Diego Air and Space Museum)

31. French soldiers wearing gas masks in a trench, 1917. gas mask technology varied widely during the war, eventually developing into an effective defense, limiting the value of gas
attacks in later years.(Bibliotheque nationale de France)

32. Gassed patients are treated at the 326th Field Hospital near Royaumeix, France, on August 8, 1918. The hospital was not largeenough to accommodate the large number of
patients.(CC BY Otis Historical Archives)

33. British soldiers and Highlanders with German prisoners walk past war ruins and a dead horse, after the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge, part of the Third Battle of Ypres in
September of 1917. The sign near the railroad tracks reads (possibly): "No Trains. Lorries for Walking Wounded at Chateau [Potijze?]".(Bibliotheque nationale de France)

34. CleaningupGermantrenchesatSt.PierreDivion.IntheforegroundagroupofBritishsoldiersaresortingthroughequipmentabandonedinthetrenchesbytheGermanswhen
StPierreDivionwascaptured.Onesoldierhasthreeriflesslungonhisshoulder,anotherhastwo.Othersarelookingatmachinegunammunition.Theprobablephotographer,
JohnWarwickBrooke,hasachievedconsiderabledepthoffieldasmanyothersoldierscanbeseeninthebackgroundfaralongthetrenches.(NationalLibraryofScotland)

35. Bringing Canadian wounded to the Field Dressing Station, Vimy Ridge in April of 1917. German prisoners assist in pushing the rail car.(CC BY 2.0 Wellcome Library, London)

36. On the British front, Christmas Dinner, 1916, in a shell hole beside a grave.(Bibliotheque nationale de France)

37. British MkIV "Bear" tank, abandoned after battle near Inverness Copse, on August 22 , 1917.(Brett Butterworth)

38. AminetunnelisdugundertheGermanlinesontheVosgesfront,onOctober19,1916.Thesappersworkedatadepthofabout17meters,untiltheyreachedaspotbelow
enemypositions,whenlargeexplosiveswouldbeplacedandlaterdetonated,destroyinganythingabove.(DerWeltkriegimBild/UpperAustrianFederalStateLibrary)

39. MenwoundedintheYpresbattleofSeptember20th,1917.WalkingalongtheMeninroad,tobetakentotheclearingstation.Germanprisonersareseenassistingatstretcher
bearing.(CaptainG.Wilkins/StateLibraryofVictoria)

40. Soldier's comrades watch him as he sleeps, near Thievpal, France. Soldiers are standing in a very deep, narrow trench, the wallsof which are entirely lined with sandbags. At the
far end of the trench a line of soldiers are squashed up looking over each others' shoulders at the sleeping man.(National Library of Scotland)

41. Germans put the finishing touches on a deadly barbed wire entanglement in No Man's Land, the area in-between opposing trenches. The Allies routinely targeted the barbed wire
with artillery shells prior to any advance by foot soldiers, but this was not always effective, leaving some sections intact,resulting in a high death toll of entangled men killed by
machine-gunners.

42. French soldiers make a gas and flame attack on German trenches in Flanders, Belgium, on January 1, 1917. Both sides used different gases as weapons during the war, both
asphyxiants and irritants, often to devastating effect.(National Archives)

43. Evolution of the combat gas mask from its ineffective beginnings to the familiar full face style (on right) which also came in versions for dogs and horses.

44. German Defensive Positions. A German machine-gun crew fires from a solid defensive position, taking advantage of the high groundand 25 yards of barbed wire along a river
bank. In choosing to go on the defensive all along the Western Front, the Germans selected ideal terrain, leaving the Allies at a constant disadvantage.

45. German Defensive Positions. A German trench dugout 15-feet below ground, supported by heavy log construction and sand bags. German trenches were generally much more
elaborate than British or French trenches. Allied commanders thought a lack of comfort would preserve the offensive spirit needed to win.

46. Non-Europeans in France. Troops from India after their arrival in France to join the British in the trenches of the Western Front. Over a million Indian soldiers served with the
British during the war in France, Belgium, the Middle East and elsewhere.

47. Kaiser Visits the Front. German infantry at the Front parade for Kaiser Wilhelm (seen on left). The Kaiser also liked informal encounters, often mingling with his troops amid their
affectionate shouts of "Hoch! Hoch!" meaning high or exalted, although this practice diminished as Germany's fortunes declined.

48. KaiserVisitstheFront.TheKaiser'seldestsonandheir,CrownPrinceFrederickWilhelm,atthewheel.Inpre-warEurope,theinternationalpresshadfollowedtheyoung
Prince'severymove,includingvariousromances,worldtravels,personalitytraitsetc.DuringthewarhispopularityamongGermanswasovershadowedbyHindenburg.The
militarymindedPrincehadcommandofanarmyontheWesternFront,butprovedtobeincompetent.Oncehemadeuphismind,hewasunwillingtoheedcontraryadvicefrom
experiencedgenerals.ThushewastedthelivesofsomeofGermany'sbestregiments,especiallyaroundVerdun.Regardless,hewasrepeatedlypraisedanddecoratedbyhis
father.Onegeneral,however,spokeup.WhencalledonthecarpetbytheKaisertoanswerforabungledmaneuveranditsexcessivetrooploses,thegeneralreportedlytoldthe
Kaiser,"It'snotmyfault.Yourbratofasoninsisteduponit."Thegeneralpromptlysaluted,thenimmediatelyexitedtheroomandshothimselfdead.

49. TrenchDepression.GermansatBerryauBac,northofReims--participantsintrenchwarfarewithnoendinsight.ManysoldiersalongtheWesternFrontexperienced"shellshock"agenericterm
coinedbytheBritishforpsychoneuroticdisordersincludingdepression,hysteria,severeanxiety,physicalormentalparalysis,andothermanifestationsofemotionalbreakdowncausedbyyearsof
tensionandstress.Suchsoldierswereremovedfromactivedutywhileattemptsweremadetorehabilitatethemthroughrest,psychotherapy,hypnosisandinsomecaseselectro-shocktherapy

50. A large scale British attack utilizing flame throwers or 'Liquid Fire' as it was known at the time. Flame throwers were introduced by the Germans in early 1915, then copied by the
French and British. Throughout the war both sides duplicated each other's ever-more-lethal battlefield technology.

51. Western Front, France. Black and white photograph of injured soldiers.

52. Western Front, France. Black and white photograph of two British soldiers in a landscape. A posed photograph of one soldier in an ammunition box filled with water asking the
other to scrub his back.

53. Western Front, France. Black and white photograph of British and german soldiers in a trench. The captured German soldiers are being searched by British troops, although
they have retained their ration tins and even a pipe, they have clearly been disarmed.

54. WorldWarI:TheSoldiersandCivilians
WhenlookingthroughthousandsofimagesofWorldWarI,someofthe
morestrikingphotosarenotoftechnologicalwondersorbattle-scarred
landscapes,butofthehumanbeingscaughtupinthechaos.The
soldiersweremen,youngandold,andtheopportunitytolookintotheir
facesandseetheemotion,theirhumanity,insteadofauniformor
nationality,isagift-arealwindowintotheworldacenturyago.While
soldiersborethebruntofthewar,civilianswereinvolvedonamassive
scaleaswell.Fromthemillionsofrefugeesforcedfromtheirhomes,to
thevolunteerambulancedrivers,cooks,andnurses,tothecivilian
supportgroupsusedbyallmajorarmies,ordinarypeoplefound
themselvesatwar.

55. French soldiers stand in a relaxed group wearing medals. The medals appear to be the Military Medal, established on 25th March, 1916, for acts of bravery. They have probably
been awarded for their part in the Battle of the Somme. The French helmets, with their very distinct crests, can be seen clearly.(National Library of Scotland)

56. Three unidentified New Zealand servicemen riding camels during World War I, the Sphinx and a pyramid in the background.(JamesMcAllister/National Library of New Zealand)

57. A French officer has tea with English military personnel during World War I.(Library of Congress)

58. July28,1914TheAustro-HungarianEmpiredeclareswaronSerbia.July29,1914Britaincallsforinternationalmediationtoresolvetheworseningcrisis.RussiaurgesGerman
restraint,buttheRussiansbeginpartialtroopmobilizationasaprecaution.TheGermansthenwarnRussiaonitsmobilizationandbegintomobilizethemselves.August1,1914-
GermanydeclareswaronRussia.Photo:GermansCheerDeclaration.HatsareraisedinBerlinupontheannouncementofGermany'sdeclarationofwar.

59. Western front, a group of captured Allied soldiers representing 8 nationalities: Anamite (Vietnamese), Tunisian, Senegalese, Sudanese, Russian, American, Portugese, and
English.(National Archive/Official German Photograph of WWI)

60. German prisoners assist in bringing in Australian wounded.(National Media Museum/Australian War Records Section)

61. U.S. Signal Corps telephone operators in Advance Sector, 3 km from the trenches in France. The women were part of the Signal Corps Female Telephone Operators Unit and
were also known as Hello Girls. Women have helmets and gas masks in bags on back of chairs. (National World War I Museum, KansasCity, Missouri, USA)

62. British soldier poses in mouth of a captured 38 caliber gun during World War I.(AP Photo)

63. Recruits line up at a New York army camp shortly after President Woodrow Wilson declared war on Germany, in April of 1917.(APPhoto)

64. RussianCzarNicholasIIattheFrontalongwiththesix-foot-sixtallRussianArmyCommander-in-ChiefGrandDukeNicholas(standingincar)andCountDobrinsky.Although
theCzarhadnomilitaryaptitude,herelievedtheGrandDukeinSeptember1915andtookpersonalcommandoftheworld'slargestarmy,with16millionmenmobilized--an
armysprawledacrossthegiganticEasternFront.TheCzar'spreoccupationwithmilitarymattersandhisextendedabsencefromthehomefrontledtoaworseningofRussia's
internalpoliticalsituation,weakeninghispowerandhelpingtopavethewayforrevolution.

65. OccupiedFrance.AnencounterbetweenFrenchciviliansandaGermanguardinoccupiedFrance.TenpercentofeasternFranceremainedinthepossessionoftheGerman
Armyforthewar'sduration.Duringtheoccupation,manythousandsofcivilians,includingteenagegirlsandboys,weretakenawayforforcedlabor.Everythingofvalue,including
thecontentsofshopsandfactories,householdgoodsandpersonalpossessions,andevenchurchbells,wasconfiscatedandremovedtoGermany.Localfoodstuffsandlivestock
wereseizedandfedtotheoccupyingarmy,causingcivilianmalnutrition.

66. SouvenirKingHisnamewasJohn(Barney)HinesandhewasanAustraliansoldier.PictureprobablymadeaftertheBattleofPolygonWood,nearYpres,Flanders,1917.Many
soldierstooksouvenirsfromthebattlefieldsor,sometimes,stolethemdirectlyfromcapturedordeadenemies.PrivateBarneyHineswasknownastheSouvenirKingduetohis
escapadesofrobbingtheGermandead.ApparentlytheKaiserheardofhimandbrandedhima"barbarian...typicalofAustralianTroopsontheWesternFront".(Frank
Hurley/NationalMediaMuseum)

67. GermansofftotheEast.GermantroopsenroutetoEastPrussiatofendofftheinvasionofGermanyfromtheeastbytheRussianArmy--aninvasionlaunchedalthoughthe
Russianswerenotsufficientlymobilized.TheRussianshadrespondedtourgentappealsfromFranceforactionintheeasttodivertGermanresourcesfromtheWesternFront.
ThisboughttimefortheFrenchandBritish,allowingthemtobetterorganizetheirowntroops,andhurttheGermansbycuttingdownonthenumberoftroopsinvadingFrance.

68. A member of the British First Aid Nursing Yeomanry oiling her car near the Western Front.(National Library of Scotland)

69. Suffering of Armenians. An Armenian woman kneels beside a dead child lying in a field in Syria. The Armenians had been forcibly uprooted from their homes and marched south
toward the Syrian Desert by the Turks.

70. Dressedinaratherexoticuniformofarmyboots,armycapsandfurcoats,thisimageshowsfivefemalemembersoftheFirstAidNursingYeomanrystandinginfrontofsome
RedCrossambulances.Asthefirstfemalerecruitsofthisorganizationcamefromtheranksoftheupperclasses,perhapsthefurcoatsshouldnotbetoosurprising.Thewomen
wouldhaveworkedasdrivers,nursesandcooks.EstablishedbyLordKitchenerin1907,theFirstAidNursingYeomanry(FANY)wasinitiallyanauxiliaryunitofwomennurses
onhorseback,wholinkedthemilitaryfieldhospitalswiththefrontlinetroops.Servingindangerousforwardareas,bytheendoftheconflictFirstAidNursingYeomanrymembers
hadbeenawarded17MilitaryMedals,1Legiond\'Honneurand27CroixdeGuerre.Amemorialtothosewomenwholosttheirliveswhileworkingfortheorganization,canbe
foundatStPaul\'sChurch,Knightsbridge,London.(NationalLibraryofScotland)

71. LabourCorpsmembers,thecaptionidentifiesthesesevenmenas\'nativepolice\'.TheyareprobablyblackSouthAfricanswhohadcontractedtoworkintheSouthAfricanNative
LabourContingent(SANLC).IngeneralthenativepoliceandNCOswererecruitedfromtribalchiefsorhigh-statusnativefamilies.Some20,000SouthAfricansworkedinthe
SANLCduringthewar.Theywerenotmeanttobeincombatzones,buttherewereinevitabledeathswhenthedocksortransportlinesonwhichtheyworkedwerebombed.The
greatesttragedywasthesinkingofthetroopshipSSMendionFebruary21,1917,when617membersoftheSANLCweredrownedintheEnglishChannel.(NationalLibraryof
Scotland)

72. Some Canadian wounded being taken to the dressing station on a light railway from the firing line.(Nationaal Archief)

73. GermantroopsinFinlandduringtheFinnishCivilWar,partofaseriesofconflictsspurredonbyWorldWarI.Redtroops,bothmenandwomen,readyfordeportationfromHango,
inAprilof1918.Twomaingroups,"Reds"and"Whites"werebattlingforcontrolofFinland,withtheWhitesgainingtheupperhandinAprilof1918,helpedbythousandsof
Germansoldiers.(NationalArchive/OfficialGermanPhotographofWWI)

74. The Kaiser\'s Birthday. German officers during the Kaiser\'s birthday celebrations in Rauscedo, Italy, on January 27, 1918.(CC BY SA Carola Eugster)

75. British ambulance drivers stand atop a pile of rubble.(Library of Congress)

76. German prisoners, during World War I. Portraits of a German prisoners taken by an official British photographer, to be shown to folks back home.(National Library of Scotland)

77. Villagers interested in the arrival of British troops.(National Library of Scotland)

78. Between Laon and Soissons, German railway troops wash their clothes beside 50 cm shells, on July 19, 1918.(National Archive/Official German Photograph of WWI)

79. Watched by a group of locals, German prisoners of war walk down a street in the French town of Solesmes, on November 1, 1918,near the end of World War I.(Henry Armytage
Sanders/National Library of New Zealand)

80. August1,1914GermanydeclareswaronRussia.FranceandBelgiumbeginfullmobilization.August3,1914GermanyinvadesneutralBelgium.Britainthensendsan
ultimatum,rejectedbytheGermans,towithdrawfromBelgium.Photo:BelgianMobilization.EnthusiasticBelgiansofftothefronttofacetheworld'smostpotentfightingforce--
theGermanArmy.

81. French patrol in occupied Essen, Germany.(Library of Congress)

82. The Famous 369th Arrive in New York City ca. 1919. Members of the 369th [African American] Infantry, formerly 15th New York Regulars.(U.S. National Archives)

83. German machine-gun nest and dead gunner at Villers Devy Dun Sassey, France, on November 4, 1918 --one week before the end of the war.(NARA/Lt. M. S. Lentz/U.S. Army)

84. French Mobilization. The official order was given at 4 pm on Saturday, August 1st, beginning the initial call-up of a million men for the French Army. Photo: Near the Front,
enthusiastic French troops exit their trains prior to marching off to thwart the German invaders.

85. Friendlyandhelpful.GermanarmydentistoperatingonaBelgiancountrywoman.PicturemadeinoccupiedBelgium,spring1915.Ain'tIalovablefellow?Hilfstätigkeitder
'Barbaren'inFlanders(Helpful'Barbarians'nFlanders)istheoriginalcapitonthatgoeswiththisGermanpropagandapicture.
AfterthekillingofBelgianciviliansinthefirstmonthsofthewar,theworldbrandedGermansoldiersassavages.That'swhythedentistpictureandotherslikeithadtoconvince
theGermanpublicthattheiruniformedfathersandsonswhowereoccupyingneighbouringcountrieswerenotbarbarians.AsfarasweknowtheGermanpicturewasnever
publishedoutsideGermany.Foreigneditorsdidn'tbuyit.

86. AmbulanceBritishsoldierspushinganambulancecarthroughthemud.PicturemadeontheWesternFront,somewhereinFlanders.Themudwasaterribleenemy.Whenit
begantorainitbecamealmostimpossibletomoveheavygunsorcars.Ambulancewasnotthenameforthecar,butforthewholemedicalunit.InBritisharmiesanAmbulance
wascomposedof10officersand224men:stretcherbearers,wagonorderlies,drivers,cooks,etc.Suchaunitusuallyhadfivetotenambulancemotorwagons.

87. Britishtroopsinafrontlinetrench-waitingforwhateverwillhappennext.ThedistancebetweenopposingtrenchesvariedgreatlyalongtheFrontfromaslittleas60feettoas
muchasamile.Bothsidesroutinelyconductedtrenchraids,usuallydoneinthemiddleofthenightbysmallunits.TheobjectivewastosilentlyscurryacrossNoMan'sLand,cut
throughthebarbedwire,dashintotheenemytrench,engageinlethalhand-to-handfightingwithfists,clubsandknives,thenquicklyexitthetrenchwithanyprisonersbefore
enemyreinforcementsorartillerycouldrepositiontofendofftheattack.Thesportingatmospheresurroundingsuchraids,particularlyamongtheBritish,helpedtoovercome
battlefieldboredomduringlullsandprovidedusefulintelligencefrominterrogatedprisoners.

88. November6-7,1917-InRussia,
BolsheviksledbyVladimirLeninandLeon
TrotskyoverthrowtheProvisional
Governmentinwhatcomestobeknownas
theOctoberRevolution.Leninannounces
thatSovietRussiawillimmediatelyendits
involvementinthewarandrenouncesall
existingtreatieswiththeAllies.
December15,1917SovietRussiasignsan
armisticewithGermany.WithRussia's
departurefromtheEasternFront,forty-four
Germandivisionsbecomeavailabletobe
redeployedtotheWesternFrontintimefor
Ludendorff'sSpringOffensive.
Photo:NicholasRomanov,whooncesat
uponthethroneasabsoluterulerofRussia,
nowseatedonatreestumpfollowinghis
abdication,subsequentarrestand
imprisonmentintheUralsbyBolshevikRed
Guards,threeofwhomareseeninthe
background.

89. Ratsfromthetrenches.ThetrenchsoldierofWorldWarIhadtocopewithmillionsofrats.Theomnipresentratswereattractedbythehumanwasteofwar–notsimplysewage
wastebutalsothebodiesofmenlongforgottenwhohadbeenburiedinthetrenchesandoftenreappearedafterheavyrainorshelling.Someratgrewtothesizeofcats.Itwas
notuncommonforratstostartgnawingonthebodiesofwoundedmenwhocouldn’tdefendthemselves.Manytroopswereawakenedbyratscrawlingacrosstheirfaces.Trench
conditionswereidealforrats.EmptyfoodcanswerepiledintheirthousandsthroughoutNoMan’sLand,heavedoverthetoponadailybasis.
Someoftheseratsgrewextremelylarge.Theyweresobigtheywouldeatawoundedmanifhecouldn’tdefendhimself.”Theseratsbecameveryboldandwouldattempttotake
foodfromthepocketsofsleepingmen.Twoorthreeratswouldalwaysbefoundonadeadbody.Theyusuallywentfortheeyesfirstandthentheyburrowedtheirwayrightinto
thecorpse.

90. Ratsfromtrenches.Soldiersfoughtbackasbesttheycouldwithbayonetsandrifles.Ratswereshot,stabbedandclubbedtodeath.Buteffortstoeliminatethemprovedfutile.A
singleratcouplecouldproduceupto900offspringsayear.Catsandterrierswerekeptbysoldiersinthefrontlinetrenchestohelpfreethemofdisease-carryingrats.Theterriers
wereactuallyveryeffectiveinkillingrats.
Thereisdifferencebetweenacatandaterrierwhenitcomestorodentcontrol.Whenitcomestocats,eventhebestmousersonlygoafteroneatatime,andtheyoftenpause
toeat.Generallyitcantakethemdays/weekstodealwithaninfestationbecauseofthis.Ifthereisrats,youmayneedmultiplecats,becausetheratsmayganguponthecat.
Withagoodterrier,theywilltakecareofyourratissuesinamatterofhours.Theydon’tstoptoeat.Theykill,thenmoveonimmediatelytothenextcreature.Theydon’tplaywith
theirpreylikecatsdo.Theykillimmediately.Oneterrierwillalsobemuchharderforratstooverwhelmaswell.Theyarebiggerandstrongerthanacat,andtheirjawsaremuch
bigger.That’swhattheywerebred,tokillrats.

91. Rats from trenches. Rats were sometimes helpful too. Many soldiers reported how rats sensed an oncoming attack from the enemy. They noticed that rats always ran away when
this was about to happen. Therefore, rats would sometimes warn and prepare the soldiers of enemy advances.

92. World War I : Animals at War
Animals were used in World War I on a scale never before
seen --and never again repeated. Horses by the millions
were put in service as cavalry mounts and beasts of
burden, but they were not the only animals active in the
war. Mules, dogs, camels, and pigeons all played vital
roles, as well as many others --all at great risk, and with
heavy cost.

93. SergeantStubbywasthemostdecoratedwardogofWorldWarIandtheonlydogtobepromotedtosergeantthroughcombat.TheBostonBullTerrierstartedoutasthemascot
ofthe102ndInfantry,26thYankeeDivision,andendedupbecomingafull-fledgedcombatdog.Broughtuptothefrontlines,hewasinjuredinagasattackearlyon,whichgave
himasensitivitytogasthatlaterallowedhimtowarnhissoldiersofincominggasattacksbyrunningandbarking.Hehelpedfindwoundedsoldiers,evencapturedaGermanspy
whowastryingtomapalliedtrenches.StubbywasthefirstdogevergivenrankintheUnitedStatesArmedForces,andwashighlydecoratedforhisparticipationinseventeen
engagements,andbeingwoundedtwice.(WikimediaCommons)

94. Asinglesoldieronhishorse,duringacavalrypatrolinWorldWarI.Atthestartofthewareverymajorarmyhadasubstantialcavalry,andtheyperformedwellatfirst.However,
thedevelopmentofbarbedwire,machinegunsandtrenchwarfaresoonmadeattacksfromhorsebackfarmorecostlyandineffectiveontheWesternFront.Cavalryunitsdid
proveusefulthroughoutthewarinothertheatresthough,includingtheEasternFront,andtheMiddleEast.(NationalLibraryofScotland)

95. Gas attack on the West Front, near St. Quentin 1918 --a German messenger dog loosed by his handler. Dogs were used throughout the war as sentries, scouts, rescuers,
messengers, and more. (Brett Butterworth)

96. Bandages retrieved from the kit of a British Dog, ca. 1915.(Library of Congress)

97. A pigeon with a small camera attached. The trained birds were used experimentally by German citizen Julius Neubronner, beforeand during the war years, capturing aerial
images when a timer mechanism clicked the shutter.(Deutsches Bundesarchiv)

98. Red Crescent Hospital at Hafir Aujah, 1916.(Library of Congress)

99. A corporal, probably on the staff of the 2nd Australian general hospital, holds a koala, a pet or mascot in Cairo, in 1915.(Australian War Memorial)

100. A messenger dog with a spool attached to a harness for laying out new electric line in September of 1917.(National Archive/Official German Photograph of WWI)

101. "These homing pigeons are doing much to save the lives of our boys in France. They act as efficient messengers and dispatch bearers not only from division to division and from
the trenches to the rear but also are used by our aviators to report back the results of their observation."(WWI Signal CorpsPhotograph Collection)

102. A soldier and his horse in gas masks, ca. 1918.(Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library)

103. A dog-handler reads a message brought by a messenger dog, who had just swum across a canal in France, during World War I.(National Library of Scotland)

104. War animals carrying war animals --at a carrier pigeon communication school at Namur, Belgium, a dispatch dog fitted with a pigeon basket for transporting carrier pigeons to the
front line.(National Archives/Official German Photograph)

105. The feline mascot of the light cruiser HMAS Encounter, peering from the muzzle of a 6-inch gun.(Australian War Memorial)

106. World War I : The True Face of the Great War

111. end
cast First World War centenary WW I in Photos(2)
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