John H. Russell, Jr., 16th USMC Commandant-- Part 2: Service All Over

Next, Russell had duty at Guam and several navy yards back in the United States.  Then Hawaii and the Panama Canal Zone.  From 1908 to 1910, he was at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

Then, from 1910 to 1913, he was at the American  Legation in Peking, China.  During this time there were disturbances in China as the country moved from an empire to a republic.  Upon returning to the U.., her was assigned to the Office of Naval Intelligence until 1917 with the exception of eight months commanding a Marine group at Vera Cruz, Mexico, in 1914.

From 1917 to 1918 he had several commands in Latin America.  During this time he made repeated requests to transfer to France for service in the war.  He finally got his wish, but delays in relieving him caused him to be able to do so until the Armistice was signed.

--Cooter

Fairdale, Illinois, Celebrates End of WW I With Burning of Kaiser in Effigy

From the December 5, 2018, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"Fairdale celebrated peace in the appropriate manner Monday by a community service at the school house.

"Music by the band, speaking, singing and the burning of the kaiser in effigy, were features of the affair."

War's Over, Man.  --Cooter

Sgt. Henry Gunther, Last American Casualty in WW I

From Find-A-Grave

Birth:  5 June 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Death:  11 November 1918 (aged 23)  Chaumont-devant-Damvillers, Department of de la Meuse, Lorraine, France.  He was originally buried at a U.S. military cemetery in France.  Body exhumed and returned to the United States in 1923.

Burial:  Mount Holy Redeemer Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.   Section W, Lot 301.

Last Casualties of World War I-- Part 2: France, British, Commonwealth, American and German

**  Augustin Trebuchon was the last Frenchman to die when he was shot on his way to tell  fellow soldiers that hot soup would be available  after the ceasefire.

**  The last British soldier to die was George Edwin Ellison of the 5th Royal Lancers who was killed at 9:30 a.m. while on a scouting mission.

**  The final Canadian and Commonwealth soldier to die was Private George Lawrence Price who was killed in his trench just two minutes before 11 a.m..

**  The last American was Henry Gunther, who is generally recognized as the very last soldier killed in the war.  He was killed 60 seconds before the Armistice went into effect.  He was killed by German troops, who knew about the Armistice, but Gunther was charging them.

**  The last reported German death was Leutnant Tomas who was killed after the Armistice.  he approached advancing American soldiers saying he and his men would be evacuating houses they occupied, but the Americans did not know about the Armistice.

--Cooter

Last Casualties of World War I-- Part 1: So Sad, 2,738 Deaths On last Day

From ANSWERS:  "Who Was the Last Casualty of World War I?"

Even after word reached units that the war was to stop at 11 a.m., firing continued right up to that time.  Some Allied artillery units continued firing so as to use up ammunition so they wouldn't have to cart it off.  Allies also wanted to ensure that should the fighting start again, they would be in the best possible situation.

As mentioned in the last post, there was also the "honor" of firing the last shot.

As a result, there were 10,944 casualties on that last day, including 2,738 deaths.

All For Nothing.  --Cooter

WW I's Last American Death

NOVEMBER 11, 1918

Last American KIA in WW I.

Army Private Henry Gunther, of A Company, 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Division, was Killed In Action while charging a German machine gun nest at one minute after 11 a.m..

He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

WW I, the End-- Part 6: Armistice Signed, Fighting Continues in Africa

Armistice Day is now commemorated as Veterans Day.

NOVEMBER 11, 1918

At 5:10 a.m., in a railway car in Compiegne, France,  the Germans sign the Armistice which is in effect at 11 a.m. -- the eleventh hour of the eleventh month.

Fighting continues on the Western Front until precisely 11 a.m., with 2,000 casualties on both sides.

Artillery barrages  also erupt as 11 a.m. approaches as soldiers yearn to claim they fired the very last shot of the war.

NOVEMBER 12, 1918

A final action occurs as Germans in Africa under the command of the elusive General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck encounter British troops in Northern Rhodesia, where news of the Armistice had not yet reached.

It's Over.  --Cooter

WW I Ending-- Part 5: Austria-Hungary Signs Armistice, Kaiser's Government Collpases

NOVEMBER 3, 1918

Austria-Hungary, Germany's only remaining ally, signs armistice with Italy, leaving Germany alone.

NOVEMBER 8, 1918

At Compiegne, France, six representatives of the German government are presented with armistice terms by the Allied Supreme Commander, Marshal Ferdinand Foch.  The terms include the Germans leaving all occupied lands, the Allied occupation of Germany west of the Rhine River, surrender of weaponry, including all submarines and battleships and indefinite  continuation of the naval blockade.

NOVEMBER 9, 1918

The Kaiser's Imperial government collapses in ruin as the German Republic is proclaimed with Friedrich Ebert heading the new provisional government.  Kaiser Wilhelm seeks refuge in Holland.

It's About Over.  --Cooter

WW I Ending-- Part 2: German Government Notified of Military Collapse and Wilson Asked

SEPTEMBER 29, 1918--

Bulgaria signs an armistice with the Allies, becoming the first  of the Central Power to quit the war.

OCTOBER 2, 1918--

Ludendorf  informs the German legislature in Berlin that the war is lost and that armistice negotiations should begin immediately.  The German politicians are shocked by the news, having been largely kept in the dark by the military and Kaiser until now.

OCTOBER 4, 1918

President Woodrow Wilson receives a request from the German government to start armistice negotiations.  The Germans figured he'd be more lenient than the British or French.  Wilson replies with a list of demands as prelude of discussion including  German withdrawal from all occupied territories and an immediate halt to U-boat attacks.

--DaCoot

World War I: The End Fast Approaching-- Part 1: Germans In Dire Straits by September 1918

From The History Place.com/world history/firstworld war/index.

The History Place:  World War 1

1918:  A Fateful Ending

SEPTEMBER 28, 1918

Confronted by the unstoppable strength of the Allies and faced with the possibility of military defeat, German General Ludendorf suffers a nervous collapse.  He informs his superior, Paul von Hindenburg, that the war must be ended.

The next day they meet with the Kaiser and urge him to end the war.

The German Army is becoming weaker by the day with huge troop losses, declining discipline and battle-readiness due to exhaustion, illness,  food shortages, desertions and drunkenness.

The Kaiser agrees with them.  An armistice must be reached.

--Cooter

WW I: October 24 to Nov. 4: The Battle of Vittorio Veneto in Italy

ITALY:  BATTLE OF VITTORIO VENETO

October 24 to November 4, 1918

The U.S. 332nd Infantry Regiment's (83rd Infantry Division) 2nd Battalion defeats Austrians at Gravo di Papdopoli on November 3,

Armistice in Italy is declared on November 4 --  one week before the more famous one in France.

--Cooter

World War I Coming To A Fast End 100 Years Ago

After nearly four years of the most horrific casualties ever in any previous war, maybe altogether, "The War To End All Wars,"  World War I was fast approaching an end now.  The arrival of American troops turned the tide.

There were just 20 days more before the Armistice went into effect on November 11, 1918.

Then, we had the Spanish Flu Pandemic.

--Cooter

WW I, August 1918: Offensives Leading To the End of the War

AUGUST 18, 1918 to NOVEMBER 11, 1918

OISE-AISNE OFFENSIVE

28th, 32nd, 77th, 88th (artillery) and 93rd  (370th Infantry) Infantry Divisions participate.

U.S. casualties:  1,919 Killed in Action, 8,248 Wounded in Action.


AUGUST 19, 1918 to NOVEMBER 11, 1918

BELGIUM: YPRES-LYS OFFENSIVE

27th, 28th (artillery) 30th, 37th and 91st Infantry Divisions drive to the Scheldt River.

U.S. casualties:  894 Killed in Action, 3,002 Wounded in Action

These two operations brought about the Armistice ending the war.

--Cooter

German U-boat American 1918 Campaign-- Part 2: A Follow Up Attack

Encouraged by the success of the U-151, the Germans sent the U-156, U-117 and a large Type 139, U-cruisers u-140 were dispatched on similar missions, but the U.S. Navy was now ready for them, and the hunting was not as good.  The U-156 was lost with all hands on the return voyage when it is thought she must have struck a mine off Bergen, Norway, on 15 September 1918.

Another trio of long range submarines, the U-155, U-152 and U-cruiser U-139 were making their way across the Atlantic Ocean in November 1918 when the war ended and they turned back.

Cooter

There Was Another Armistice Ending Fighting in WW I: Armistice of Villa Giusti

While researching the 332nd U.S. Infantry Regiment, I came across an armistice between Italy and Austria-Hungary that ended fighting in the Italian Front a week before the better known 11th hour of the 11th month one ended fighting between Germany and the Allies.  See my July 25 entry in this blog.

From Wikipedia.

The Armistice of Villa Giusti ended fighting between the forces of Italy and Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front during World War I.  It was signed 3 November 1918, to take effect 24-hours later at 3 p.m. 4 November.

By the end of October 1918, the Austria-Hungarian Army was extremely fatigued and tired of the fighting, forcing its leaders to seek a cease-fire.  The Vittorio-Venito Offensive at the end of October sealed its fate as Austrian-Hungarian soldiers withdrew chaotically.

Even though the armistice was to start 3 November, Austrian-Hungarian commanders ordered their men to stop fighting 3 November.

--Cooter

100th Aero Squadron of World War I

From Wikipedia.

Part of the U.S. Army in World War I.  Ordered to the Western Front and boarded the SS Tuscania 23 January 1918.  Torpedoed 5 February and ship sunk but most of the 100th rescued.

Reformed in England as assigned as Day Bombardment Squadron for long-range bombing attacks on roads, railroads and massed troop formations.

However, just before its first scheduled combat mission the war ended with the 1918 Armistice.  Returned to the States in June 1919 and demobilized.  The group was never reactivated.

--DaCoot

Veterans Day Through the Ages-- Part 5: Creation of the Three-Day Weekend

However, it was many years before those who had served and lived through World War I began to think of it other than Armistice Day.

Veterans were pleased with the celebration of Veterans Day as it continued to honor and recognize the importance of that date to World War I veterans and still included those who served in later wars.

Then the federal government interfered in 1968 with the creation of three-day  holidays for federal employees with the passage of the Uniform Holiday Bill.  The holidays affected were Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Labor Day and Veterans Day.

Officials believed these three-day weekends would encourage tourism throughout the country.  However, this meant that these holidays would not always occur on the exact day as previously celebrated.

Veterans Day, Through the Ages-- Part 4: Name Changed to Veterans Day

The states, by actions of their legislatures had begun to make Armistice Day a state holiday already, but it took U.S. Congress until May 1938 to proclaim it as an official federal holiday.

It should be noted that there are no national holidays as the states retain the right to designate their own holidays.  The federal government can only designate holidays for federal employees and the District of Columbia.  Essentially, most states follow along with the federal designations.  That is why some states don't observe some national holidays.

As other wars came along, many if the veteran service organizations began lobbying to change Armistice Day to veterans Day to honor those who had fought in all wars, not just World War I.

They successfully achieved their goal in 1954 when Congress voted to change the name to veterans Day.

Veterans Day: Through the Decades, Across the Wars-- Part 3: Honor Guard at the Tomb

Today, the Tomb of the Unknowns has an honor guard 24 hours a day, regardless of weather.  On veterans Day, the president or some other high-ranking government official places a wreath at the tomb to honor those who have served their country.

In 1926, Congress passed a resolution that states, "the recurring anniversary of November 11, 1918, should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations."

They further suggested the president make a proclamation calling for the observance of Armistice Day.

Veterans Day: Through the Decades, Across the Wars-- Part 2: Tomb of the Unknowns

On the first Armistice Day, November 11, 1919,  business was halted at 11 a.m., just as the war halted at 11 a.m..

In 1921, another significant event occurred on November 11.  On this date the remains of an unidentified American soldier, who had lost his life in World War I, was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.  On that same day, the remains of other soldiers who had lost their lives and couldn't be identified were laid to rest in their countries.

A French soldier was entombed at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and an English soldier's remains were buried at Westminster Abbey in London.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been maintained as a national monument (and a very fitting one), but it is now known as the Tomb of the Unknowns when remains of unidentified from other branches of service and wars were also entombed.