PFC Lewis M. Grady, Company A, 322nd Infantry, 81st Division. Click on the image for larger view.
World War I, once called "The Great War," began as a result of the June 28, 1914, murder of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by a Serbian assassin.
Austria-Hungary immediately declared war on Serbia. A system of entangling alliances expanded the
conflict into a world war. Agreements brought Germany, Bulgaria, and Turkey to aid Austria-Hungary,
while similar alliances pulled in Britain, France, and Russia to support Serbia. Alliances
obligated these countries to fight in a war that they all thought would be short and victorious.
In August 1914, German armies invaded Belgium and France and almost won the war. Eventually
the opposing armies in Europe fought to a standstill and dug trenches along static fronts. The
fighting continued as additional countries entered the war. Tens of thousands of soldiers were
killed in the next three years, without results.
America Enters "The Great War"
At first the United States stayed out of the war. The American people believed a European war was
none of their business. President Woodrow Wilson agreed and kept America out of the conflict from
1914 to 1917. Public opinion turned angry when the Germans sank several ships, killing United States
citizens. At the same time the British and French governments neared bankruptcy, and threatened to
forfeit on their loans from American banks. Given all of these concerns, President Wilson asked for a
declaration of war against Germany in April 1917. He said it would be "the war to end all war."
Above: French soldiers and civilians stand defiantly over a statue of German king. Military Collection, World War I, Photographs, Box 5. Click on Image for larger view.
The United States entered Europe ill equipped to fight a war. The army was short of men,
weapons, and equipment. President Wilson imposed a draft to increase the size of the army. It took
almost a year before America had any troops ready to fight. In the meantime, Germany had defeated
Russia and was about to defeat the British and French armies on the Western Front. But the American
army arrived to stop the German attacks. In the summer and fall of 1918, United States troops helped
drive back the German army in several long and bloody battles.
The Old North State in World War I
Above: World War I era tank. Military Collection, World War I, Photographs, Box 8, J.C. Stewart photographs.
North Carolina sent 86,457 soldiers overseas to fight for the United States. While North
Carolinians served in the army, navy, and marines, and throughout the American Expeditionary Force
(AEF) in France, the greatest concentration of Tar Heels was in the 30th and 81st divisions. In only
five months of combat, the United States suffered over 275,000 casualties, including over 54,000
combat deaths. North Carolina lost 828 men killed and 3,655 wounded in battle. Another 1,542
North Carolinians died of disease while serving in the army, mostly from influenza. Even more died
of influenza back home, where many citizens worked hard to support the war effort.
On November 11, 1918, a cease-fire stopped the fighting in World War I. Afterwards severe peace
terms were forced on Germany. Long established governments in Germany, Austria-Hungary,
and Russia collapsed. New totalitarian regimes took over Germany and Russia, which started a new world
war in 1939.
Note: The World War I historical overview was written by R. Jackson Marshall
III, North Carolina Museum of History historian. Read more about the soldiers from the Old North
State in Marshall's book, Memories of World War I: North Carolina Doughboys on the Western
Front (Raleigh: Division of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Cultural
Resources, 1998).
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