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HEMINGWAY IN ITALY, DOS PASSOS IN FRANCE

Writers, Even Teenagers, Take to the War; ‘A Farewell to Arms.’ Special to the Great War Project. (10 July) The young Ernest Hemingway will experience the war first hand. The eighteen-year-old American takes a job as a Red Cross ambulance driver on the Italian Front where in the first days of July a century ago,…

SUMMER 1918: KEY BATTLES IN ITALY AND FRANCE

Pershing to House: The Allies are Done For. But Air Power Now Favoring the Allies ‘I Should Salute You’ Special to the Great War Project. (2 July) Crucial developments in late June a century ago on the Italian Front, and still on the French front where the Americans are battling for Belleau Wood. The Austrians…

A PROVOCATIVE ANTI-WAR SPEECH

Socialist Debs Arrested; Ten-Year Sentence for Speaking Out. A Soldier Turns Philosopher. Special to The Great War Project (25 June) Fatigue of the war is evident on both sides. And much confusion – both military and political – during these days a century ago in the Great War. According to one American soldier’s diary cited…

ON WESTERN FRONT, NOW A FLOOD OF AMERICANS;

BALANCE OF FORCES ‘CHANGED FOR GOOD’ Blame the ‘Pacifists and Shirkers.’ Special to The Great War Project. (18 June) On the Western Front a century ago, the tide is beginning to turn – away from Germany and in favor of the Allies – France, Britain, and now most importantly the United States. So writes one…

BELLEAU WOOD: CRUCIAL TEST FOR THE AMERICANS

Despite Massive Allied Losses, German March to Paris Halted. Influenza Now a Factor Special to The Great War Project (12 June) If there are any questions about the American war-fighting skills and commitment, they are dispelled in these days on the Western Front a century ago. In the first week of June, the Germans attack…

A MILLION AMERICANS NOW IN FRANCE

Fighting Again in Russia; Calls for Statehood in Central Europe. New Challenges in the Middle East. Special to The Great War Project. (4 June) The mutual discord between the Allied leaders and the American commanding general, John J. Pershing, often reaches a level of frank dislike, but it is not confined to the American commander…

AMERICANS NOT READY UNTIL 1919

Pershing Tells Shocked Allies; Lesson for Germans: Americans Not a Rabble of Amateurs. French Government Fleeing Paris. Special to the Great War Project. (29 May) On the Western Front, at the village of Cantigny, the Americans take back lost ground. Despite significant losses and exhaustion, “the Americans held Cantigny,” reports historian Martin Gilbert. It gives…

POUNDED TO HELL AND GONE

Cantigny: A Test For The Americans. AEF Reputation at Stake; A High Price to Pay Special to The Great War Project. (Late May) By the end of May a century ago, there are hundreds of thousands of American troops in France on the Western Front. But they are deployed in relatively safe trenches, largely away…

ANOTHER GERMAN ATTACK ON THE WESTERN FRONT

Overwhelming Offensive Breaks the Allied Lines. Desperate Need for Reinforcements; Send Black Americans to the Battlefield. Special to The Great War Project. (15 May) The German High Command has not given up hope of breaking the Allied line on the Western Front. So reports historian Martin Gilbert that in May a century ago, they try…

COMPROMISE OF THE ALLIES

Some Americans Will Fight in the Allied ranks; Others To Form A Separate American Army in France. Minorities See Opportunities. Special to The Great War Project (7 May) The quarrel of the Allies ends in May a century ago, with a compromise that pleases no one. The bitter debate centers on how to deploy the…