World War 1

Warning

This part of the webpage contains explicit, violent, inhuman and barbaric photographs. Please do not continue if you don't want to see this kind of information.

Introduction

My interest in History has a focus on World War 1. I try to gather as much information I can get and publish it on several sites for example Wikipedia.

WW1 in the News

At Ypres there have been 3 major battles:

• 1st Ypres (October - November 1914), creating the salient.
• 2nd Ypres (22 April - 24 May 1915), the first gas attack St. Julien (Sint Juliaan).
• 3rd Ypres (31 July - 10 November 1917), also known as Passchendaele (Passendale). Well known poem line by Siegfried Sassoon: I died in hell, (They called it Passchendaele).
• 4th Ypres, not covered here, see Ypres
• 5th Ypres, not covered here, see Ypres

As the last veterans disappear, so, too, the last eyewitnesses of the First World War seem forever lost. Yet one witness remains behind, and its account is amazing. It's a silent yet telling witness. The battlefield landscape: the last witness to a mad war.

Recent events

• Great Britain, Remembrance Day 2012, Great Britain, Hull
• Australia, Australia stops for remembrance
• France, European Leaders remember 14-18].
• In Germany no remembrance is held. See [1] Google Search, Google search for Deutches erinnerung.
• USA, Veteran Days, not only for WW1.

Past Event in 2009

• Events in Flanders (Ypres)
• Somme
• Verdun

Why World War 1?

World War I, also known as the First World War and before 1939 the Great War, the War of the Nations, War to End All Wars, a world conflict lasting from August 1914 to the final Armistice (cessation of hostilities) on 1918 November 11 has changed the world forever. WW2 is a direct result of WW1. The history before, during and after WW1 tells us thé reason why we never ever do this again!
How can mankind make so many stupid assumptions?

• Before the war: Quick win, at Christmas we are at home; few casualties; We are better! I want to serve my country!
• During the war: Bleed France to death; the mincing machine; I died in hell they called in Passchendaele; Revolting citizens;Deserting French militaries;
• After the war: Germany has to pay for the war;The consequenses of the war;

A fool like George Bush makes his own enemies (terrorists) and don't show to have any historic feeling (Vietnam, Korea). You can win a war with force, probably hold power during the unevitable second war, but definitly lose in the end.

War as Interest

Possible Shell Shocked Soldier

World War 1 has a lot of attention. Today we can hardly imagine how so many people has been slaughtered. Why was there not a lot more commotion about so many casualties?
The photo on the left shows A possibly shell-shocked soldier, with a thousand yards stare. The eyesight clearly exposes the madness of war. Human beings are not build to bear such treatment.
This site tries to clarify why we never ever want to go to war anymore. Just keep on debatting, deliberating, considering, reflecting, thinking and talking! But never ever think a fight will solve the problem. Make people mouldable to work together.
The remainders of the Great War are the cemeteries. The largest English cemetery is Tyne Cot between Zonnebeke and Passendale.

John McCrae 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.

Myth of the Great War

There are some myths about the first world war. They need to be busted. The first use of gas has been by the France. In the first month of the war (august 1914) the France fired tear-gas (xylyl bromide) to the Germans. It is true that the use of gas on a large scale has been by the Germans. The debut of the first poison gas came on 22 April 1915 (2nd battle of Ypres). It consisted on 5.700 canisters with 168 ton of clorine gas released against the French Algerians and territorial division troop. On 24 April 1915 a second attack has been made against the Canadian troops at St. Juliaan. So the shield on the right is not completely correct. Nowadays we know the exact reason of the burst out of the Great War. We don't! If we knew we maybe also know how to prevent the eruption. John Keegan is one of the greatest specialist on WW1 and he writes: The First World War is a mystery. It's origins are mysterious. The Germans survived the bombardments of the allies because they had build impervious bunkers. Also not true. While it is true that the Germans were in well built defenses, it is just as true that the heaviest of British shells could obliterate pretty much anything in their path - including most bunkers. The Germans were subjected to one of the world's heaviest bombardments. It is impossible to know just how many dug-outs became tombs. The noise alone put fear of God into the soldiers and this was combined with the knowledge that an incoming shell could bring instant death; no wonder many men were driven out of their minds. It became a question of mental toughness. If enough men remained alive and sane, then the trenches could be held and re-enforcements brought up to face the onslaught. The tactic, as the British found out, worked. The German death rate skyrocketed when the High Command ordered frivolous counter-attacks to retake what had became a scorched wasteland. These troops were mown down in exactly the same fashion as their British counterparts - except their suffering has been overshadowed.

References

A separate section has information on Books, DVD, CD-ROM's and other multimedia. More..

See also

• Timeline Western Front
• Verdun, the mincing machine.

Links

Internal

• Somme 1916, the highest casualties in one day battle ever in Britain's history.
• Verdun, the place where the Germans wanna 'bleed France to death'! They nearly succeeded, but Verdun has become the France monument for resistance.
• Ypres, 3 battles, the last: I died in hell, they called it Passendale.
• Links made by Harm Frielink on the Great War [Oct 2009], Using the keyword: ww1 will return approx 67 links.
• Spaanse Griep WO-1, The Spanish Flu during and after WW1 (Dutch).

Sites

• ww1 Cemeteries, A photographic guide to over 4000 Military Cemeteries and Memorials of the Great War
• Royal British Legion, The Royal British Legion is at the heart of a national network that supports our Armed Forces community.
• Vox.com, 40 maps that explain World War I.

English

• 1914-1918.net, The Long, Long Trail is all about the British Army in the First World War.
• First World War.com, Michael Duffy: Purpose of this website is to provide an overview of the First World War.
• WorldWar1.com, also known as Tranches on the Web, classic website on ww1
• Portal WW I, Wikipedia Portal for WW I.
  • World War 1 at Wikipedia, Central Article.
• Washington University European History seen through American glasses.
• Westhoek, The great war in Flanders Fields - A war and peace experience
• Causeas of WW1, Test your knowledge
• Battles, Campaigns & Events of WW1
• Spartacus Schoolnet

Dutch

• worldwar1.nl, Allerlei links over de 1e wereldoorlog verzameld door R. Brouwer.
• Link overzicht op Belgische Website over oorlogen
• Pierre's Western Front, Foto's van nu over WW1
• Lange Max, Het verhaal van een kanon in WW1
• Koen Koch, Reizen langs de slagvelden, website van de inmiddels overleden Koen Koch, groot kenner van WW1.
• Klup.nl, Oorlog->WW1
• Kees de Brouwer, WW1
• Westhoek, WW1 in de Westhoek. Zeer kompleet.
• Poelkapelle, Poelcapelle Area 1914-1918.
• Studiecentrum WW1, (SSEW) is opgericht om een lacune op te vullen in de kennis die in Nederland bestaat wat betreft de Eerste Wereldoorlog.
• Forum WW1, Forum Eerste Wereldoorlog, Hét WO1-forum voor Nederland en Vlaanderen.
• Veertien achttien welog
• Inventaris WO I, Belgische site, een realisatie van Onroerend Erfgoed, een agentschap van de Vlaamse Overheid is een inventaris van onroerend erfgoed in Vlaanderen.
• Whizz-Bang, Whizz-bang organiseert excursies naar de slagvelden van de Eerste Wereldoorlog.

Maps

• Google Maps Mesen , Battle of Messines, de achtergebleven kraters in Vlaanderen.

Museum

• World War 1 - Amersham Museum
• Army Museums Ogilby Trust
• Historial, Peronne, France
• Museum Huis Doorn, Museum of the Home of Wilhelm after the great war
• In Flanders Fields, Museum Ypres, Belgium
• Imperial War Museum, London, Duxford, North, Belfast, Churchill Museum, IWM Collections
• The Liberty Memorial Museum of WW1
• Marne 14-18
• Commonwealth and the First World War
• Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917
• Romagne 14-18, Museum near Verdun.
• Bovington Tank Museum
• National WWI Museum and Memorial
• Canadian War Museum
• Canada and the First World War
• Western Front Museum, NL
• Willis S. Cole Military Museum

Misc

• Heli Promotions Belgium Helicopter flight Flanders Fields.
• Max Deauville, Medic in the Great War, Docteur Maurice Duwez writer of books. Some of his books about the great war are:
  • Jusqu’à l’Yser
  • La boue des Flandres : Et autres récits de la Grande Guerre (Broché) Amazon France

Movies

• PBS Great War, World War I 1914-1918 The great war and the shaping of the century.

Remembrance

• Remembrance day (Australia, Canada, Colombia, UK and Ireland), also known as Poppy Day (South Africa and Malta), and Armistice Day (UK, New Zealand and many other Commonwealth countries; and the original name of the holiday internationally) is a day to commemorate the sacrifice of veterans and civilians in World War I and other wars. It is observed on Novemeber 11 to recall the end of World War I.
• Last post in Ypres every day at the Menin Gate since 1927, 27 July.

Wiki

• Dutch First World War Forum eerste wereldoorlog, wiki