Stunning Colorized Photographs: The War That Was Supposed To End War
22 Historical Images From 1914–1918
President Woodrow Wilson famously said, "This is a war to end all wars," noting the carnage of World War I. However, Wilson was not the first one who used this quote. The British futurist writer and social commentator H.G. Wells invented the phrase in his article, 'The War That Will End War,' published in The Daily News on August 14, 1914. Wells predicted that it would be the last war of its kind. He was, of course, gravely and sadly mistaken.
A moment in time can change the whole of the 20th century. For example, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria left the Sarajevo Guildhall after reading a speech on June 28, 1914. Five minutes later, he and his wife, Sophia, were assassinated. The assassinations precipitated Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia, which later erupted into World War I. After World War I, the Treaty of Versailles officially ended World War I on June 28, 1919. This treaty would then be the cause or stimulus for World War II.
Another unique moment is when Gavrilo Princip, the 19-year-old who assassinated Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, is arrested. Princip and his accomplices were arrested as members of a Serbian nationalist secret society, eventually leading to World War I.
A regiment of alpine cyclists during the Battle of the Somme. In World War I, a soldier may have gone to war on his bike! Not much camo seen here either.
A photograph of German pilot Richard Scholl before his death. Scholl was reported missing in September 1918. Who needs a runway and wheels when you can land on the nose?
French soldiers were on the battlefield during an offensive on the French fortress of Verdun. In total, more than 700,000 people were killed or injured on the French and German sides during this battle, with casualties split almost evenly between them.
Men of the 369th infantry regiment from New York, United States, are seen in this unique. The U.S. did not participate in World War I until late 1917. Before then, an American soldier named Harry Butters had faked his British identity so that he could help in the war. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill wrote a memorial to Butters in the newspaper, noting, "We realize his nobility in coming to the help of another country entirely of his own free will."
A French soldier at the Battle of Verdun wearing a gas mask. Historians dub World War I "modern history's first battle of attrition." The goal was to take as many enemy lives as possible, no matter the time or the cost of lives. Brutal methods like flamethrowers and poison gas were often used to achieve that goal. Also, tanks, planes, and submarines were used in large numbers for the first time.
French soldiers launch horrific gas and flame attacks against German troops in Flanders, Belgium. Again not much camo for the French forces.
British 55th Division troops, blinded by terrifying tear gas, await treatment at a dressing station near Bethune during the Battle of Estaires on April 10, 1918.
Gas masked soldiers with an anti-aircraft gun during a battle in the First World War.
Gas-masked men of the British Machine Gun Corps with a Vickers machine gun during the first battle of the Somme. During the action of the Somme, the first instance of chemical weapons was noted.
Doctors would use masks to cover areas near the eye for those severely injured in the war. This man's eyeglasses were not meant to improve his vision but to hold the mask in place. The picture on the left shows the man's appearance without his mask post-surgery.
French troops wore an early form of gas masks in the trenches during the second Battle of Ypres during Germany's first mass use of poison gas on the Western Front. But, as you can see, the masks were no more than what we use for hospital use or covid today.
A famous image shows a unit of German soldiers during World War I with a young Adolf Hitler on the left. At least, supposedly.
A woman offers a flower to Indian soldiers fighting on behalf of the British Empire. Giving flowers to soldiers has always been a traditional sign of welcome and support.
A Canadian soldier with burns caused by mustard gas.
Workers amid rows and rows of shells in a large warehouse at the National Filling Factory in the former village of Chilwell. The facility was a British-owned explosive filling factory.
Soldiers played football in no man's land during the so-called Christmas truce, a series of unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front of World War I around Christmas 1914.
Soldiers of the Royal Irish Rifles of the British Army rest during the beginning hours of the Battle of the Somme.
A sentry in the trenches looks through an improvised periscope at the Somme. Not high technology, but I'm guessing it saved many lives.
Wounded soldiers after the recapture of Fort Vaux during the Battle of Verdun. This horrific battle lasted 303 days in 1916. There was a massive loss of life at Verdun. The German dead was 143,000 from 337,000 casualties, and the French dead was 162,440 from 377,231 casualties. This illustrates trench warfare at its worst.
During World War I, there were 20 million deaths and 21 million wounded. The deaths were almost equally divided between 10 million military and 10 million civilians. World War I was the first of what later became a long line of wars where it was acceptable to kill civilians. They were no more lining up on the battlefield face to face shooting at each other!
"This is a war to end all wars" is one of the more famous quotes widely associated with the carnage of World War I. It was made famous by President Woodrow Wilson, but he was not the first one who uses it. The British futurist writer and social commentator H.G. Wells invented the phrase in his article 'The War That Will End War' published in The Daily News on August 14, 1914, predicting that it would be the last war of its kind. He was, of course, gravely mistaken.
© Stephen G. Arrowsmith 2022
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