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When WWI started, Rex V Bixby spent those two years in the National Guard. -
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist. The assassination was a catalyst for World War I, as Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia, which led to the declaration of war and triggered a series of alliances that drew major European powers into conflict. -
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914, a month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This event is widely considered the start of World War I because the declaration triggered a series of alliances that rapidly drew other major European powers into the conflict -
August 4, 1914, was a pivotal date in World War I, primarily known for the United Kingdom declaring war on Germany after Germany invaded neutral Belgium. On the same day, the United States proclaimed its neutrality in the conflict. German troops also crossed into Belgium, beginning the Siege of Liège as part of the Schlieffen Plan to advance into France. -
On May 7, 1915, a German U-boat torpedoed and sank the British ocean liner Lusitania off the coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 of the 1,959 people on board, including 128 Americans. The incident shocked the world and severely damaged German-American relations, shifting American public opinion against Germany, though it did not immediately lead to U.S. entry into World War I -
The Battle of Verdun was a massive, prolonged engagement of World War I fought between German and French forces from February to December 1916. Originally a German plan to bleed France white, it became a brutal battle of attrition that ended with the French repulsing the German offensive after immense casualties on both sides, totaling over 700,000. The French retook lost territory by the end of the year. -
Rex Bixby spent two years in the Army National Guard before he enlisted in the regular Army in 1917. -
On April 6, 1917, the United States officially declared war on Germany, marking its entry into World War I. This followed President Woodrow Wilson's request for a declaration of war on April 2, with the Senate passing the resolution on April 4 and the House following on April 6. The declaration was a response to Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare and the interception of the Zimmermann telegram. -
He then transferred to the School of Military Aeronautics in Texas in 1918 for pilot training. Though he never left the U.S. for service in the Great War -
Bixby assembled a scrapbook of photos from his time in Texas, most of which are accompanied by humorous comments cut out from newspapers. It might seem that Bixby enjoyed his time in the service, but he was injured in a crash and one of his fellow pilots was killed during a training mission, according to the newspaper accounts pasted into his book. -
His scrapbook is also filled with early aviation shots and rare aerial photos of his group flying in formation. -
In March 1918, the most significant event in World War I was the start of Germany's final major offensive on the Western Front, known as the Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht. The offensive, which began on March 21st, was a last-ditch attempt to win the war before the full weight of American forces could be deployed. The Germans used infiltration tactics and had transferred many divisions from the Eastern Front following Russia's exit from the war. -
Veteran Rex v BIxby was involved in a plane crash in March Field, California, when a student froze at the controls -
November 11, 1918, is the date the armistice was signed, officially ending World War I. Fighting ceased at 11 a.m., leading to widespread celebrations and marking a pivotal moment with the surrender of Germany and the end of one of the deadliest conflicts in history. This day is now commemorated in various countries as Armistice Day or Veterans Day. -
World War I ended with an armistice on November 11, 1918, when fighting ceased between Germany and the Allied powers. The official end came with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, which imposed heavy reparations, territory losses, and blame on Germany. The armistice was signed after the Allied Hundred Days Offensive pushed back German forces and as Germany's allies collapsed, led to a German delegation signing the terms in a railway car in Compiègne, France.