Steely Dan Posted November 11, 2008 Posted November 11, 2008 Source: History Channel daily email. November 11: General Interest 1918 : World War I ends At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the Great War ends. At 5 a.m. that morning, Germany, bereft of manpower and supplies and faced with imminent invasion, signed an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car outside Compiegne, France. The First World War left nine million soldiers dead and 21 million wounded, with Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, France, and Great Britain each losing nearly a million or more lives. In addition, at least five million civilians died from disease, starvation, or exposure. On June 28, 1914, in an event that is widely regarded as sparking the outbreak of World War I, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire, was shot to death with his wife by Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Ferdinand had been inspecting his uncle's imperial armed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite the threat of Serbian nationalists who wanted these Austro-Hungarian possessions to join newly independent Serbia. Austria-Hungary blamed the Serbian government for the attack and hoped to use the incident as justification for settling the problem of Slavic nationalism once and for all. However, as Russia supported Serbia, an Austro-Hungarian declaration of war was delayed until its leaders received assurances from German leader Kaiser Wilhelm II that Germany would support their cause in the event of a Russian intervention. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the tenuous peace between Europe's great powers collapsed. On July 29, Austro-Hungarian forces began to shell the Serbian capital, Belgrade, and Russia, Serbia's ally, ordered a troop mobilization against Austria-Hungary. France, allied with Russia, began to mobilize on August 1. France and Germany declared war against each other on August 3. After crossing through neutral Luxembourg, the German army invaded Belgium on the night of August 3-4, prompting Great Britain, Belgium's ally, to declare war against Germany. For the most part, the people of Europe greeted the outbreak of war with jubilation. Most patriotically assumed that their country would be victorious within months. Of the initial belligerents, Germany was most prepared for the outbreak of hostilities, and its military leaders had formatted a sophisticated military strategy known as the "Schlieffen Plan," which envisioned the conquest of France through a great arcing offensive through Belgium and into northern France. Russia, slow to mobilize, was to be kept occupied by Austro-Hungarian forces while Germany attacked France. The Schlieffen Plan was nearly successful, but in early September the French rallied and halted the German advance at the bloody Battle of the Marne near Paris. By the end of 1914, well over a million soldiers of various nationalities had been killed on the battlefields of Europe, and neither for the Allies nor the Central Powers was a final victory in sight. On the western front--the battle line that stretched across northern France and Belgium--the combatants settled down in the trenches for a terrible war of attrition. In 1915, the Allies attempted to break the stalemate with an amphibious invasion of Turkey, which had joined the Central Powers in October 1914, but after heavy bloodshed the Allies were forced to retreat in early 1916. The year 1916 saw great offensives by Germany and Britain along the western front, but neither side accomplished a decisive victory. In the east, Germany was more successful, and the disorganized Russian army suffered terrible losses, spurring the outbreak of the Russian Revolution in 1917. By the end of 1917, the Bolsheviks had seized power in Russia and immediately set about negotiating peace with Germany. In 1918, the infusion of American troops and resources into the western front finally tipped the scale in the Allies' favor. Germany signed an armistice agreement with the Allies on November 11, 1918. World War I was known as the "war to end all wars" because of the great slaughter and destruction it caused. Unfortunately, the peace treaty that officially ended the conflict--the Treaty of Versailles of 1919--forced punitive terms on Germany that destabilized Europe and laid the groundwork for World War II. On this day let's all remember the valor and willingness of all the soldiers willing to put their lives on the line so we can live free of despotic tyranny. Thanks to all of you involved in every war for freedom everywhere.
R. Rich Posted November 11, 2008 Posted November 11, 2008 A very happy Veterans Day to all those who are serving or who have served in the armed forces. SrA R. Rich Information Mgr Marienfelde Operations 690th Electronic Security Wing Electronic Security Command Tempelhof Central Airport-Berlin, Germany (88-90) United States Air Force
Steely Dan Posted November 11, 2008 Author Posted November 11, 2008 A very happy Veterans Day to all those who are serving or who have served in the armed forces. SrA R. Rich Information Mgr Marienfelde Operations 690th Electronic Security Wing Electronic Security Command Tempelhof Central Airport-Berlin, Germany (88-90) United States Air Force
KD in CA Posted November 11, 2008 Posted November 11, 2008 A sincere thank you to everyone who has served.
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted November 11, 2008 Posted November 11, 2008 Yep, thank you so much for your service. I'll be joining your ranks and enlisting the day that I get my college degree.
erynthered Posted November 11, 2008 Posted November 11, 2008 Thank you Veterans. Rodney Dangerfield and Sam Kinison thank you too. ( NSFW)
Lori Posted November 11, 2008 Posted November 11, 2008 Thanks for making it home safely, Grandpa: Cpl. William R. Chase 28th Rgt., 1st Inf. Div. A.E.F. France, 1918-19 (And to all who have served.)
Steely Dan Posted November 11, 2008 Author Posted November 11, 2008 Yep, thank you so much for your service. I'll be joining your ranks and enlisting the day that I get my college degree. So you're never gonna join.
The Dean Posted November 11, 2008 Posted November 11, 2008 Thanks for serving. If it wasn't for you soldiers, than people like me would have to serve...and NOBODY wants that, trust me.
MarkAF43 Posted November 12, 2008 Posted November 12, 2008 Thanks for serving. If it wasn't for you soldiers, than people like me would have to serve...and NOBODY wants that, trust me. you know, I have talked to friends of mine who have never served or have no inclination to do so, but they have never given me a hard time about my choice to serve. They still support me in everything i do in regards to the military and it's a good feeling..... one of my friends told me if he can load up on booze like he does for the Bills games he will go through basic training, but until them he says the military is too tough for him
The Dean Posted November 12, 2008 Posted November 12, 2008 you know, I have talked to friends of mine who have never served or have no inclination to do so, but they have never given me a hard time about my choice to serve. They still support me in everything i do in regards to the military and it's a good feeling..... one of my friends told me if he can load up on booze like he does for the Bills games he will go through basic training, but until them he says the military is too tough for him I quite sure I would be I would have been locked up before the end of the first day.
MarkAF43 Posted November 12, 2008 Posted November 12, 2008 I quite sure I would be I would have been locked up before the end of the first day. But it sure would have made one hell of a story!
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