WWI in Kansas
WWI in Kansas
World War I, also known as the “First World War” or the “Great War” was a global war centred in Europe that began on July 28, 1914 and lasted until November 11, 1918. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history. Over 9 million combatants and 7 million civilians died as a result of the war says wikipedia.org. In World War I thhere were alliances such as the Allies and the Central Powers. The Allies included Britain, France, Russia, Italy and the United States. These countries fought against the Central Powers which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria.
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was done by a Serbian terrorist named Gavrilo Princip. If the Serbian assassin wouldn’t have killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, then theoretically, none of this would have ever happened. In retaliation to the assassination, Austria declared war against Serbia on July 28, 1914.The majority of the fighting took place in Europe along two fronts: the western front and the eastern front. The western front was a long line of trenches that ran from the coast of Belgium to Switzerland. The fighting ended on November 11, 1918 when a general armistice was agreed to by both sides. The war officially ended between Germany and the Allies with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
What role did Kansas play? Camp Funston at Fort Riley served as a major training center for World War I troops. Many soldiers from the Midwest and West were sent to Funston to train in modern war tactics. The 89th or "Middle West" Division was composed of troops from Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado. Citizens also helped by buying war bonds like you see Captain America trying to sell in his first movie! Women rose up to men's working standards because they were going off to fight so you would see women being employed in factories, began running farms, and even delivering the mail. They normally hadn’t been able to work into these positions before the war.
A career army officer with a distinguished record of service, Major General Leonard Wood, took command of the training center at Camp Funston in 1917. Salina native, George Robb was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism displayed during the Meuse-Argonne action of September 1918. One other Kansan, Erwin R. Bleckley of Wichita, was posthumously awarded this high honor. James Harbord of Manhattan rose to the rank of major general during the First World War.
If you’re interested there is a great WWI museum in Kansas City. Here is the link check it out. https://www.theworldwar.org/
Work Cited
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"World War I." Kansapedia. Kansas Historical Society, Nov. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.
<https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/world-war-i/14572>
"WW1 Overview." Ducksters. Ducksters.com, Mar. 2016. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.
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