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The Battle of Gallipoli was a prolonged, failed invasion by Allied forces in 1915-1916 aimed at capturing the Ottoman capital, Constantinople. This battle resulted in the Allies failing miserably to gain the upper hand in the war, ultimately setting them back. They faced immediate resistance from Ottoman defenders, leading to a high number of casualties on the first day alone. This resulted in over 250,000 casualties, ultimately forcing them to refocus on the Western Front. -
At 6 am, August 6th, 1915, German forces attacked the Russians defending Osowiec Fortress with poison gas. The gas was made of chlorine and bromine, causing the Russians to cough up blood and lung tissue. As the Germans advanced, they expected no resistance. They instead saw running Russian soldiers coughing up blood and lung tissue, looking like "walking corpses." This caused the advancing German infantry to retreat in a panic. They reportedly trampled their own men in their flee attempt. -
Leo Bailey had been on the fence about joining the war, thinking that men should not rush into it. In April of 1917, Leo Bailey had decided to enlist when school ended. He had no worries of what might happen to him, believing he was "The chosen one by the Gods." May 20th, 1917, he enlisted in the war without a word to his mother. When he told people he'd see them later, they all said there might be no return. He had all his faith in the world and believed a bullet couldn't even graze him. -
In November 1917, Leo was wounded by a bullet while diving into his dugout during an artillery attack. This, of course, changed his view on war. He now knew that no matter how bad he wanted to be, no one could be invincible. On 11/22/1917, he wrote a letter to his sister stating, "My twenty-third birthday occurs next week. Despite your two additional years, you may yet outlive me." Now, coming to terms with the truth of war. -
A raid in French trenches took place, killing 70 American men. 500 were attacked. This was the first time any of them had seen a German, some believing that they were Frenchmen coming to help them. The Americans were outnumbered 2-1. The confusion and the gas attacks caused many lives to be lost that otherwise wouldn't've been. -
Many American soldiers, especially young soldiers, felt like revenge was the best thing they could accomplish against the German soldiers. During the struggle of the raid the Germans executed against the Americans, Leo witnessed a young German soldier throw a grenade at two young American soldiers. These two men knew they weren't able to get out of the way fast enough, so one of the men shot the German soldier just before the explosive killed him and his friend. -
While Leo and his platoon were in the French trenches, there had been multiple disputes and falling outs from all the stress and grief that comes from warfare. The raid occurring just a week prior involved kidnapping two men of the Red Cross. This was a shock to many men of the platoon, since intentionally targeting and imprisoning Red Cross personnel is a war crime. This angered and saddened many men, causing rejoicing amongst the platoon. -
During World War I, a revolt led by the Bolsheviks occurred in Imperial Russia. They overthrew the Russian government and took power. They desperately wanted to destroy the old regime. Near the end of the war, the Bolsheviks became worried that the Romanovs would be rescued by anti-Bolshevik forces. On the night of July 17th, the Bolsheviks assassinated the family in Yekaterinburg, in the basement of the Ipatiev House. The bodies of Alexei and Maria Romanov were initially missing until 2007. -
The Battles of the Meuse-Argonne were a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I. The battles involved the French and American military forces heavily pushing against the German military for 47 days straight. The battle is considered to be the deadliest in American history. 26,277 American deaths and a total of over 120,000 casualties. The offensive continued until the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, concluding the war. -
The Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, formally ended World War I and imposed harsh terms on Germany. Germany lost 10% of its European territory and all of its overseas colonies. They were required to pay $33 billion in reparations. The German military was severely limited in size and was no longer allowed an air force. The resentment and economic hardship provided fertile ground for extremist parties. The treaty is widely seen as a major contributing factor to the outbreak of WW2