The first use of poison gas on the Western Front was on April 22, 1915, by the Germans at Ypres, against Canadian and French colonial troops. This installment focuses on Early Years on the front, part II will focus more on the final year of trench warfare. RM G16AY7 Photograph shows German soldier wearing a face mask to protect against gas attacks during World War I. This entry is part 2 of a 10-part series on World War I. I've gathered photographs of the Great War from dozens of collections, some digitized for the first time, to try to tell the story of the conflict, those caught up in it, and how much it affected the world. The stalemate on the Western Front lasted for four years, forcing the advancement of new technologies, bleeding the resources of the belligerent nations, and destroying the surrounding countryside. We also think of the frustrations of all involved: the seemingly simple goal, the incomprehensible difficulty of just moving forward, and the staggering numbers of men killed. ![]() Scenes of frightened young men standing in knee-deep mud, awaiting the call to go "over the top", facing machine guns, barbed wire, mortars, bayonets, hand-to-hand battles, and more. (Brennan C Gauthier Collection/Getty Images) Below, find an audio-less video produced by the Department of Defense and saved in the National Archives, showing the Americans on the home front producing those early gas masks in 1918. When we think of World War I, images of the bloody, muddy Western Front are generally what come to mind. This photo was taken when he returned home in January of 1919.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |