In Flanders Fields
In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead, short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
by John McCrae 1872-1918, he died of pneumonia near the end of the war.
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The First Division was what it's numerical designation implies: it was the first of many things in the modern American army.
Prior to 1917 and America's entry into the First World War, the US Army was a small organization, comprised of less than 30,000 active duty soldiers, most of whom served in the cavalry. The late 19th Century had seen a rapid demobilization after the Civil War that left a small Army mostly concerned with Indians in the American West.
In 1916, the Army's main occupation was chasing Pancho Villa around northern Mexico, a fruitless task that wore out the troops involved, but gave them some kind of experience that would help them when they arrived in France. In April 1917, the US entered the Great War, and found itself woefully unprepared for the challenges it faced. John J. Pershing, commander of the Mexican Punitive Expedition, was designated the commander of the First US Expeditionary Division, and was given the freedom of hand to choose the units that would comprise this first group of American doughboys.
For this, Pershing selected men he knew, men who had served with him in Mexico: the 16th, 18th, 26th, and 28th Infantry Regiments, and the 5th and 6th Field Artillery. By June 1917, these units had been brought up to war strength, and assembled at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, where they were officially entered into Regular Army service. Beginning on June 12, they shipped out of Hoboken, New Jersey for France. By June 28, the first contingent had arrived in St. Nazaire, France. A few short days later, American troops of the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry celebrated their first 4th of July in France, parading through Paris to buoy the spirits of the Parisians. It was here that a member of Pershing's staff echoed the words: "Lafayette, we are here!"
Following the brief Parisian interlude, the division was assembled at Gondrecourt, France, in August 1917. There it undertook several months of intensive training in trench combat, led by French instructors. By October, Pershing and the divisional officers felt confident enough to offer their services to the French, who agreed to place the division in a quiet sector of the trench lines to get its first taste of war. On the night of October 20, two of the division's regiments slipped silently into the trenches along the Sommervillier sector. On October 23, Battery C of the 6th Field Artillery sent the first American shell hurtling to German lines. A few short days later, on November 3, 1917, three Americans were killed in a trench raid by German's eager to test their new American adversaries. These were the first Americans KIA in the war.
One of the first three Americans killed in action on November 3, 1917. (of 116,708)
Following, a few random tank photos. Lastly, the song "I am a wayfaring stranger". It was sung acappella by Jos Slovick in the Movie "1917". The song has it's roots in gospel and folk music but it's most appropriate for any soldier in history.
A Tank Charging A German Barbed Wire Entanglement
A Tank Trapped In A Mud And Water Logged Ditch On The Western Front Feb 1918
Tanks On The Western Front
The Triumphant Return Of A Tank From The Cambrai Battle
Jos Slovick - I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger (from 1917) - Official Video
In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead, short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
by John McCrae 1872-1918, he died of pneumonia near the end of the war.
--------
The First Division was what it's numerical designation implies: it was the first of many things in the modern American army.
Prior to 1917 and America's entry into the First World War, the US Army was a small organization, comprised of less than 30,000 active duty soldiers, most of whom served in the cavalry. The late 19th Century had seen a rapid demobilization after the Civil War that left a small Army mostly concerned with Indians in the American West.
In 1916, the Army's main occupation was chasing Pancho Villa around northern Mexico, a fruitless task that wore out the troops involved, but gave them some kind of experience that would help them when they arrived in France. In April 1917, the US entered the Great War, and found itself woefully unprepared for the challenges it faced. John J. Pershing, commander of the Mexican Punitive Expedition, was designated the commander of the First US Expeditionary Division, and was given the freedom of hand to choose the units that would comprise this first group of American doughboys.
For this, Pershing selected men he knew, men who had served with him in Mexico: the 16th, 18th, 26th, and 28th Infantry Regiments, and the 5th and 6th Field Artillery. By June 1917, these units had been brought up to war strength, and assembled at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, where they were officially entered into Regular Army service. Beginning on June 12, they shipped out of Hoboken, New Jersey for France. By June 28, the first contingent had arrived in St. Nazaire, France. A few short days later, American troops of the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry celebrated their first 4th of July in France, parading through Paris to buoy the spirits of the Parisians. It was here that a member of Pershing's staff echoed the words: "Lafayette, we are here!"
Following the brief Parisian interlude, the division was assembled at Gondrecourt, France, in August 1917. There it undertook several months of intensive training in trench combat, led by French instructors. By October, Pershing and the divisional officers felt confident enough to offer their services to the French, who agreed to place the division in a quiet sector of the trench lines to get its first taste of war. On the night of October 20, two of the division's regiments slipped silently into the trenches along the Sommervillier sector. On October 23, Battery C of the 6th Field Artillery sent the first American shell hurtling to German lines. A few short days later, on November 3, 1917, three Americans were killed in a trench raid by German's eager to test their new American adversaries. These were the first Americans KIA in the war.
One of the first three Americans killed in action on November 3, 1917. (of 116,708)
Following, a few random tank photos. Lastly, the song "I am a wayfaring stranger". It was sung acappella by Jos Slovick in the Movie "1917". The song has it's roots in gospel and folk music but it's most appropriate for any soldier in history.
A Tank Charging A German Barbed Wire Entanglement
A Tank Trapped In A Mud And Water Logged Ditch On The Western Front Feb 1918
Tanks On The Western Front
The Triumphant Return Of A Tank From The Cambrai Battle
Jos Slovick - I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger (from 1917) - Official Video
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