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Assignment in Winchester - Frank Buckles
Frank's job was to drive in Winchester and help take on official assignments with some of the officers. “Most places, the military walked. And it was quite an honor to be riding in a motorcycle” (Woodruff 2). This showed that even at his young age, Woodruff was still being promoted to doing great things in the future. -
Big Bertha
Big Bertha was a 48-ton howitzer used by the Germans in WWI. It was named after the wife of its designer Gustav Krupp. It could fire a 2,050-lb (930-kg) shell a distance of 9.3 miles (15 km). However, it took a crew of 200 men six hours or more to assemble it. Germany had 13 of these huge guns or “wonder weapons.” -
Tanks Had Genders
At the beginning of the war, tanks were grouped according to their 'gender'. The male tanks had cannons attached while the females carried machine guns. The prototype tank was named Little Willie. And this was at the beginning of the war in 1914. -
Archduke Assassination
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo on June 19th, 1914. His death is the event that sparked World War I. He was killed by a member of the Young Bosnia a terrorist group fighting Austria-Hungary over ruling of Bosnia and was armed by the Black hand. Germany was allied with Austria-Hungary and declared war on Russia, because Russia was allied with Serbia. -
WW1 Begins
Germany invades Belgium, beginning World War I. Germany declared war on France August 3rd, 1914, but Belgium wouldn't let them through. So they chose to enter by force and invaded Belgium on August 4th, 1914. -
The Christmas Truce
Frank Buckles was apart of the Christmas truce. However, he said that the things we learned about it were not completely true. The Christmas truce happened more than once, but he didn’t state how many times during the four years of war. Buckles thought that the Christmas truce was an amazing experience that was very peaceful. -
Germans Fire
On April 22nd, 1915 the Germans fired shells filled with chlorine gas at Allied lines. This is the first time that large amounts of gas are used in battle, and the result is the near-collapse of the French lines. However, the Germans were unable to take advantage of the breach. -
Lusitania Sinks
A German submarine sinks the passenger liner Lusitania. The ship carries 1,198 people, 128 of them Americans. The Lusitania was sunk on May 7th,1915. The killed 128 Americans on board were the push over for America to join the war. -
Explosions In France Were Heard In London
A team of British miners worked in secret to dig tunnels. They dug the tunnels under the trenches during the war. Their goal was to plant and detonate mines there. The detonations destroyed much of the German front line and were so great, the prime minister then heard the sound in London, 140 miles away. -
“Liberty Sausage”,”Liberty Cabbage” and “liberty Dogs”
In America, suspicion of the Germans was so high that even German shepherd dogs were killed. The names of frankfurters, hamburgers, sauerkraut and dachshunds were all changed to American names. German stopped being taught in schools and German-language books were banned. Before the war, it had been the second most widely spoken language in the US. -
Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman Telegram was a really important event during WWI that occurred February 25 1917.The British intelligence gives Wilson the so-called Zimmerman Telegram, a message from German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman proposing that Mexico side with Germany in case of war between Germany and the United States. In return, Germany promises to return to Mexico the "lost provinces" of Texas and much of the rest of the American Southwest. Mexico declines the offer. -
Frank Buckles Enlistment
Frank had a strong interest in the military so he did something very risky. He lied about his age to get into the war. He said that he wanted to join to service his country so that is why he did it. Since he was 16 when he enlisted, he became known as the last survivor from WW1. When enrolling in the military he had to be very careful. -
U.S. Enters The War
The U.S. Enters the war on April 6th, 1917, because of a couple key events. One of the events that pushed America over the top is the Zimmerman Telegram and the sinking of the British ship that had Americans on it. The Zimmerman Telegram was a telegram to Mexico that was intercepted by the British, from Germany asking Mexico to ally with them and attack U.S. in exchange for the territory they lost. -
Prisoner Escort - Frank Buckles
During the occupation, Buckles was ordered to guard German prisoners. Buckles said that everything was fine when it came to the prisoners except for one incident. He had got into an argument with one and told him to stop. If he didn’t stop they would both end up getting into trouble so they had to make up. Some other things had happened but Buckles stated, “The unpleasant things I don’t remember those, I forget those purposely”. -
Armistice Day
Armistice day happened on November 11th, 1918, celebrating the end of the war. Armistice day was later changed to veterans day in 1957. They changed it because they wanted to recognize people from all war and all veterans. The Armistice was signed at 5:00 A.M. but the Armistice itself didn’t start till 11:00 A.M.
