Author: trameditor

Eddie Rickenbacker is an American who seemingly lived ten lifetimes in one. He was a successful mechanic, automotive designer, race car driver, businessman, government consultant, fighter ace, and a pioneer in a number of fields. He survived many near-death experiences and racked up a huge list of achievements, each one worthy of their own book. He accomplished so much that it is perplexing how one individual could possibly fit it all in.

Rickenbacher

Capt. E.V. “Eddie” Rickenbacker wearing the Medal of Honor. (U.S. Air Force photo / Wikipedia / Public Domain)

On October 8 1890 an immigrant couple welcomed a child into the world in Columbus, Ohio. The father of this child, Wilhelm, hoped to one day run his own successful business, but would, unfortunately, stay on a relatively low income. Lizzie, the child’s mother, cleaned laundry to increase the family’s income.

This child was Edward Rickenbacker.

Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, United States Army Air Service, c.1919 (Photo Credit: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration / Wikipedia / Public Domain)

Rickenbacker moved to the Columbus Buggy Company where he traveled the country as the company’s chief test engineer. At 19 years old he was responsible for all Firestone-Columbus operations in a number of states.

In a promotional stunt, Rickenbacker raced at an event in Iowa but didn’t finish after crashing. However, racing rapidly became a new passion so he took the practice more seriously and managed to score a place at the first-ever Indy 500. His team finished in 11th place.

Wartime

The year 1917 was the year when he officially adopted the name Rickenbacker; he was born Rickebacher but changed it during WWI to avoid the stigma attached to German-sounding names. Also during that year, Rickenbacker became the chauffeur for General John Pershing in France, who lead the American Expeditionary Force.

Eddie Rickenbacker in his SPAD S.XIII (Photo Credit: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration / Wikipedia / Public Domain)

In 1918 Rickenbacker finally got his chance to fight; he was sent to gunnery school and subsequently assigned to the 94th Aero Squadron. As with racing he immediately became proficient at controlling an aircraft, downing five within two weeks of his first combat mission. Rickenbacker was now an ace.

To prove his dedication, he took an aircraft up on his own and attacked a group of seven enemy aircraft, bringing down two of them and earning the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). After the war, this was upgraded to the United States’ highest award, the Medal of Honor.

Rickenbacker driving in the 1915 American Grand Prize at San Francisco. (San Francisco Public Library / Wikipedia / Public Domain)

His service was once again needed during WWII, this time using his wealth of experience of war. During a flight across the Pacific in an old Boeing B-17, the aircraft drifted off course and ran out of fuel. Rickenbacker and the surviving crew lived in a lifeboat for the next 24 days, being exposed to baking heat and having no source of water or food. To eat, they caught fish from the ocean.

To keep their plans a secret from the enemy during the fighting in WWII, the US famously employed Native American code talkers who communicated in their native languages. However, WWII was not the first time Native Americans were employed in this critical role. Their combat debut was actually WWI.

Keeping your communications a secret from the enemy is one of the most important tasks during a conflict. If an enemy can listen in to your communications, they can plan ahead and counter any moves you intend to make.

The development of modern computers received a huge boost during WWII when they were used to decrypt enemy-coded messages. In fact, the world’s first programmable, electronic, digital computer was created for this purpose.

WWI code talkers

Choctaws in training in World War I for coded radio and telephone transmissions. (Photo Courtesy of Oklahoma Historical Society / Wikipedia / Public Domain)

Code talkers were used as a tactical means of communicating secret information during battle. They used their knowledge of Native American languages to send coded messages that were unable to be broken by the enemy.

Choctaw

Photograph of Choctaw Joseph Oklahombi, a World War I Code Talker, early twentieth century. (Photo by Oklahoma Historical Society/Getty Images)

The government of the Choctaw Nation asserts that the Choctaw were the first Native American code talkers to serve in the US military.

This took place in the 1918 Meuse-Argonne campaign in France. During this battle, the Germans had cracked Allied codes and tapped into their communication lines. Speaking great English, they continuously listened to radio messages. Even sending messages by hand was difficult, as the Germans were capturing on average one in every four runners.

They fought for a country that didn’t care for them

American Indian code talkers communicating in their language had been critical to Allied victories in Europe, but back home their children were punished for speaking this exact same language in class.

In 1941 beloved superhero Captain America appeared in a Marvel comic book for the first time. Shown punching the Führer on his debut comic cover, Captain America started out as the humble Steve Rogers, a scrawny man who is too weak to fight in WWII. However, after he is amped up by a special serum, he becomes the perfect soldier. Rogers was then given the rank of Captain and assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.

While Captain America is a fictional character, his unit was not, and it’s still active today.

The 26th Infantry Regiment

The 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry passing through the railway viaduct north of Bütgenbach, Belgium, on the Monschauer St. (N647) towards Bütgenbach. The railway viaduct was part of the line running from Losheim/Eifel (Germany) to Trois-Ponts, Belgium, and had been blown up by the retreating German troops. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army / Wikipedia / Public Domain)

The 26th Infantry Regiment was created in the early years of the 20th century to bolster the overextended US Army conducting operations in the Philippines, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. The 26th began its service in the Philippines and soon earned its first battle streamer. It would spend most of its existence before WWI in the Southwest Pacific, the Indian frontier, and the Mexican frontier.

The Blue Spaders

The 26th Infantry Regiment’s unit insignia features a blue Indian arrowhead, which resembles a spade. As a result, the regiment earned the nickname “Blue Spaders.”

WWI

When the regiment reached France they were quickly sent to the frontlines, where they fought in vicious combat and received heavy losses. Over 900 Blue Spaders were lost in just six months.

WWII

The 26th Infantry Regiment was once again readied for war after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The Blue Spaders was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division and were extremely busy throughout the Second World War, participating in some of the conflict’s most famous battles.

They captured the first German city at Aachen, fought through the Battle of the Bulge, and crossed the Rhine.

Vietnam

During the Vietnam War, the 26th Infantry Regiment was once again assigned to the 1st Infantry Division and deployed to Vietnam. They arrived in the country in 1965 as part of America’s first division-sized unit to reach Vietnam.

Blue Spaders in the Balkans and modern-day

Soldiers from C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, conduct a Cordon and Search operation in Al Adhamiya, Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 21, 2007. (Sergeant Jeffrey Alexander / U.S. Army / Dvidshub / Public Domain)

In 1996, nearly a century after the regiment was formed, the Blue Spaders were deployed to the Balkans and served in Bosnia, the Republic of Macedonia, and Kosovo, adding more awards to their impressive record.

In the early 2000s, the 26th were sent to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and then to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.

When discussing battles throughout the history of warfare, the participants and the equipment and tactics they used are usually the focus. However, the actual physical conditions of the battlefield itself can be equally decisive for the outcome of a battle, sometimes even more so than the actions of the people involved. Rain, snow, mountains, an unexpected river or hillside can totally change how a battle is fought.

Commanders are usually aware of this, but the time and place a battle takes place are not always ideal for each respective participant. Here are five of the worst battlefields in history.

Chosin Reservoir

(Original Caption) Evacuation Of Casualties From Air – From The Snow. This group of entrapped marines struggle down a road carrying a helpless patient to the cleared strip for air evacuation by planes of the United States Far East Combat Cargo Command… The evacuation started after units of the First Marine Division linked with the Seventh Infantry Division near the Chosin reservoir. (Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Conditions throughout the Korean War were infamously difficult. Many battles were fought at high altitudes and in the freezing cold, but the battle of Chosin Reservoir in late 1950 was particularly brutal. US Marines were attacked by an enormous force of Chinese troops that outnumbered them by at times ten-1o-one. The attack was a surprise and lead to the Marines’ encirclement.

As if this wasn’t bad enough, both sides were exposed to the extremely harsh Siberian winter, with temperatures reaching as low as -36 degrees Fahrenheit. The ground was frozen solid so foxholes were virtually impossible to dig, weapons jammed and men experienced frostbite. The Marines eventually broke out of the encirclement, but “frozen Chosin” remains an example of harsh battlefield conditions.

The Rzhev Meat Grinder

Panzer III carrying infantry in March, 1942 (Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-269-0240-11A / Böhmer / CC-BY-SA 3.0)

The Soviet Union’s contributions to Germany’s defeat are often overlooked in the west, but they endured years of terribly harsh conditions on the Eastern Front, claiming more of the enemy and losing more people than anyone else in the war. The Eastern Front is arguably the greatest showdown between two opponents in military history.

Passchendaele

Canadian 16th Machine Gun Company (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images)

Passchendaele was the location of fierce combat during the First World War. The battle took place on reclaimed marshland, which was soon churned up by the continuous barrage of artillery fire. Shell craters quickly filled up with water as the location degraded into a water-logged swamp, making conditions in the soaking wet Passchendaele trenches unimaginably horrible.

Dien Bien Phu

First Indochina War, 1945-55. Dien Bien Phu, the end of the French. Heavily-armed French troops advance on a village through the morning mist in the base area. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

One of the most critical battles leading up to the Vietnam War, some describe the battle of Dien Bien Phu as a slaughter. A French position at the bottom of the valley was meant to be resupplied by the air, under the assumption the Viet Minh had no appreciable anti-aircraft capabilities. Thick jungle canopy, wild vegetation, and downpours of rain in the area took their toll on the French troops.

Bougainville

(Original Caption) Bougainville- Fresh Army troops come ashore to reinforce the Marines who are wrestling this island from the Japs. Long files of infantry move up rough mud and streams to the front. The conquest of Bougainville will give us a vital base. Undated photo circa 1940s. (Photo Credit: Bettmann / Getty Images)

The Bougainville campaign took place during WWII while the Allies attempted to gain control of the Solomon Islands from the Japanese. Allied forces had to battle an extremely determined enemy lasted in an action that lasted from 1943 until the end of the war.

We have all seen photos of the devastating damage left in the wake of the First World War. Cities that were reduced to rubble, large sections of land across Europe completely destroyed, and the catastrophic effects of trench warfare. Although we have seen the images from the ground, we rarely see the full extent of the destruction. Here, we look at aerial film footage taken in 1919 that gives us an extraordinary view of the massive scale of the devastation across the western front.

Jacques Trolley de Prévaux

Jacques Trolley de Prévaux. (Boulangerbenoit/ Wikimedia Commons/ Public Domain via CC-BY-SA-4.0)

The aerial film footage was taken by French balloon pilot Jacques Trolley de Prévaux. He was born on April 2, 1888, in Paris, France. After he finished school, he decided to become a sailor. In 1906, he entered the French naval academy, where he came in third place in the competitive entrance examination.

In 1911, Trolley de Prévaux was received into the French Navy, and in 1917 he was promoted to lieutenant. That same year, Trolley de Prévaux was granted a transfer to the French Naval Aviation, and was assigned to command the Marquise-Rinxent Directed Center. Prior to this, he worked on the torpedo boat Chasseur and gunboat Diligente.

World War I damages from above

In 1919, Jacques Trolley de Prévaux flew over the battlegrounds of the First World War to document the damages. He traveled from the Belgian coastline to the French city of Verdun. He captured the ruins of Ypres, the flooded craters of Passchendaele, and the miles and miles of trenches visible from the air.

Being a member of the US Army is one of the most valiant careers a person can choose. However, the job hasn’t always paid as such. For over a century, the majority of soldiers earned far less than the average civilian. Even today, troops’ salaries in no way match the job they’re doing and the sacrifice they’re making.

Here’s a look at how well (or not) America’s defenders were paid, from the Revolutionary War to present day.

Revolutionary War

The Revolutionary War saw the US fighting for independence from the British. Over the course of the conflict, the Continental Army consisted of around 150,000 men, with 17,000 serving at any one time.

Battle of Bunker Hill, as illustrated by John Trumbull. (Photo Credit: Hulton Archive / Getty Images)

Soldiers’ pay varied depending on their rank. Upon enlisting, each was promised a one-time bounty of either land or money, along with their monthly salary. Privates received $6.00, while generals earned $8.00. Captains received $20.00 and colonels were paid $50.00 each month. These salaries struggled to keep up with inflation, and the Continental Congress was slow to revisit the Army’s pay structure.

Discussions led to a pay increase for some, with colonels being bumped to $75.00 a month and captains, $40.00. Privates didn’t receive a raise, which hurt their pocketbooks, as they had to pay for their own uniforms, weapons and gear.

War of 1812

Those wishing to serve in the Army during the War of 1812 initially needed to sign a five-year contract, with recruits later given the option to join for the duration of the conflict. Upon enlisting, soldiers were given a one-time bounty of $31.00 and 160 acres of land, a total later increased by Congress to $124.00 and 320 acres. This was notable, as the financial compensation itself was more than what the average unskilled laborer earned a year.

Battle of New Orleans. (Photo Credit: Universal History Archive / Universal Images Group / Getty Images)

At the start, privates were paid a monthly salary of $5.00, while noncommissioned officers earned between $7.00 and $9.00. The pay for officers varied widely, between $20.00 to $200.00. When it became clear more recruits were needed, Congress raised the pay of privates and NCOs by $4.00.

During the first year of the war, Congress was slow to pay troops their salaries, culminating in an absolute refusal to march and mutinies in October 1812. As the conflict progressed, the problem only became more unmanageable, and by the fall of 1814, soldiers’ pay was between six and 12 months in arrears.

Mexican-American War

Designated the Regular Army during the Mexican-American War, the US forces consisted of specialized infantry, artillery, cavalry and the engineering corps. It was made up of only 7,365 at the outbreak of the conflict, with its core consisting of eight infantry regiments.

Battle of Buena Vista, also known as the Battle of Angostura. (Photo Credit: Photo12 / Universal Images Group / Getty Images)

In desperate times, the government could call on volunteers to enlist in state-raised regiments, as allowed under the Militia Act of 1792, and these regiments were compelled to serve wherever the War Department chose. However, state militias could not be made to serve beyond their home state’s boundaries.

American Civil War

Troops’ salaries between the Confederate and Union armies during the American Civil War differed:

• Privates –  $11.00 (Confederacy) vs. $13.00 (Union)
• Corporals – Both received $13.00
• Sergeants – Both received $17.00
• First Sergeants – Both received $20.00
• Quartermaster Sergeants and Sergeant Majors – Both earned $21.00
• Second Lieutenant – $80.00 (Confederacy) vs. $105.50 (Union)
• First Lieutenant – $90.00 (Confederacy) vs. $105.50 (Union)
• Captain – $130.00 (Confederacy) vs. $115.50 (Union)
• Major – $150.00 (Confederacy) vs. $169.00 (Union)
• Lieutenant Colonel – $170.00 (Confederacy) vs. $181.00 (Union)
• Colonel – $195.00 (Confederacy) vs. $212.00 (Union)
• Brigadier General – $301.00 (Confederacy) vs. $315.00 (Union)
• Major General – $301.00 (Confederacy) vs. $457.00 (Union)
• Lieutenant General – $301.00 (Confederacy) vs. $748.00 (Union)
• General – $301.00 (Confederacy)

Officer pay for both sides included allowances, which the salaries of Confederate generals didn’t reflect. As well, all Confederate generals received the same base pay, as regulations recognized just one grade above the rank of colonel. However, generals holding different commands were afforded additional allowances, and those commanding in the field received an additional $100.00.

The Union Army’s 96th Pennsylvanian Regiment. (Photo Credit: MPI / Getty Images)

US Colored Troops were paid a meager salary of $10.00 a month for the majority of the war, of which $3.00 was deducted for clothing allowances. While soldiers on both sides were meant to be paid every two months, this rarely happened, due to the great distances the military paymaster had to travel.

Spanish-American War

The Spanish-American War saw the end of Spanish colonial rule in America and allowed the US to acquire territories in Latin America and the western Pacific. During the conflict, Army privates were paid a monthly salary of $13.00, the same as during the Civil War. However, unlike in previous years, its value was higher, due to deflation.

American soldiers walking along the coast of Manila. (Photo Credit: Hulton Archive / Getty Images)

According to a newspaper article published in the Rome-News Tribune on February 17, 1980, one private’s pay was eventually increased to a “whopping” $30.00 a month, a massive increase for those used to being paid just a third of that amount.

World War I

World War I was a brutal conflict, featuring trench warfare, bloody battles and the introduction of poison gas. Troops serving in Europe received varied salaries based on the number of years they’d been enlisted. For example, a private in their first year of service earned $30.00 a month, while corporals received a salary of $36.00.

A full list of pay for each section of the Army, as well as the salary increases for each year of service, can be found here.

American soldiers in Alsace. (Photo Credit: Hulton Archive / Getty Images)

On top of their monthly salaries, troops were also provided life insurance through the War Risk Insurance Program. This was due to commercial insurance companies either charging higher premiums for soldiers or excluding protection against the hazards of war.

World War II

Prior to World War II, serving in the military wasn’t everyone’s first choice in career. In 1939, the Army featured a roster of 189,839 servicemen. That changed following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and by 1945 there were 8,267,958 enlisted.

US assault troops storming Omaha Beach. (Photo Credit: Keystone / Getty Images)

WWII also saw the introduction of Badge Pay for combat infantry members, due to the hazardous conditions they fought in. The initiative awarded $10.00 a month to holders of the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, earned through combat service, while those with the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, earned through proficiency training, were given $5.00.

Korean War

The Korean War began with 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army crossing the 38th parallel, which split it from the Republic of Korea. Three years of intense fighting followed.

US soldiers digging into a hill. (Photo Credit: MPI / Hulton Archive / Getty Images)

As with previous wars, the monthly salary troops received depended on their rank and the length of time served. For example, in 1952, an E-1 with less than four months of service was paid $78.00, while an E-7 earned a monthly salary of $206.39. There were other variables that affected this total, including Aviation Pay, Submarine Duty Pay, and Sea and Foreign Duty Pay.

Vietnam War

E-1 wages remained the same between 1952 and ’58, meaning troops among the Army’s lower ranks made the same salary in both the Korean and Vietnam wars. However, when inflation was factored in, those serving in Vietnam were actually earning less.

Men of the US 173rd Airborne Brigade. (Photo Credit: Hulton Archive / Getty Images)

In 1963, Combat Pay was renamed Hostile Fire Pay (HFP) and remained relatively the same. The only difference was that the Department of Defense was granted near-complete discretion over how it was administered, leading to multiple changes. This included the rescinding of the six-day criterion and the introduction of “zonal eligibility.”

Gulf War

In August 1990, Suddam Hussein ordered his forces to invade Kuwait. Other Middle Eastern countries called for the US and the United Nations to intervene, and the UN’s Security Council set a deadline for him to withdraw forces by the middle of January 1991. When he failed to do this, the US launched Operation Desert Storm.

US soldiers saying an oath to the US Army. (Photo Credit: Eric BOUVET / Gamma-Rapho / Getty Images)

According to Business Insider, those serving in Iraq with over four months of experience were making $753.90 a month, while those with less than that earned around $697.20. They were also eligible for Hostile Fire Pay/Imminent Danger Pay.

Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

The US began the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2001 and 2003, respectively. With the War in Iraq, deployed troops were making just a few hundred dollars more than those who’d served in the Gulf War. Veterans earned a monthly salary of $1,150.80 and those with less than four months under their belt took home just $1,064.70.

Operation Mountain Thrust. (Photo Credit: John Moore / Getty Images)

America officially withdrew its troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, which drew criticism from military officials, politicians and society as a whole, due to the Taliban taking control of Kabul, the country’s capital.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located in Arlington National Cemetery, in Virginia, United States and is one of the most symbolic and hollowed sites in the country. The tomb represents and is dedicated to the U.S. service members lost but never identified in the nation’s wars.

The tomb was originally constructed just after WWI to bury a single unknown American soldier killed during the Great War. The idea was “to bring home the body of an unknown American warrior who in himself represents no section, creed, or race in the late war and who typifies, moreover, the soul of America and the supreme sacrifice of her heroic dead.”

Although it’s an iconic place in America, there are many traditions and stories relating to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, some of which you may not know.

The Unknown Soldier received the Medal of Honor and Victoria Cross

The Unknown Soldier was buried in a state funeral on November 11, 1921. The ceremony was attended by President Warren G. Harding and other foreign dignitaries. Harding placed the United States’ highest award – the Medal of Honor – on top of the casket. A Victoria Cross was also placed on the casket, along with other nations’ highest awards.

View of President Warren Harding placing a wreath of flowers on the casket of the Unknown Soldier in the rotunda of the Capitol, Washington, DC, November, 1921. US Army photo. (Photo Credit: Interim Archives/Getty Images)

Four soldiers were removed from graves in France

To select the soldier to be buried within the tomb, four unknown soldiers killed during WWI were exhumed from their graves in France. Before being sent to the US, the remains of the four men were placed in caskets and arranged in random order in the city hall of Châlons-sur-Marne. Sgt. Edward F. Younger of Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 50th Infantry was selected to choose one of the caskets.

WWII and Korean War unknows were interred in the tomb

After WWII, many Americans supported the idea of placing an Unknown Soldier from WWII into the tomb but plans to do this were halted by the start of the Korean War in June 1950. Finally, in August 1956, three years after the Korean War ended, President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the internment of an Unknown from WWII and Korea.

The scene at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is seen here, as the casket of General of the Armies, John J. Pershing lays before the tomb for ceremonies as a salute to the “Unknown Soldier.” On steps, in the left foreground are honorary pallbearers, and in the left background are members of the family and government officials. In the group are Mrs. Warren Pershing; in the back of her are Generals Eisenhower and Bradley; also, in the front line are Secretary of State George C. Marshall, former Vice President Dawes, and Secretary of Army, Kenneth C. Royall. In the back of the casket is the black draped horse, symbolic of fallen General officers and cavalry men; lastly shown are Color Guard and Army band. (Photo Credit: Bettmann / Contributor)

Selecting a soldier from WWII was complicated

Choosing an Unknown from WWII was difficult, considering American troops fought in a number of different theaters. Choosing a soldier from one theater would not represent all those lost in the war, and as a result, 13 Unknowns were selected from North Africa and Europe. Major General Edward J. O’Neill selected one of the caskets to represent those lost in the European and North African theaters.

For the Pacific, five Unknowns were exhumed and taken to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Air Force Colonel Glenn T. Eagleston selected one out of the five to represent those lost in the Pacific.

The Old Guard

The Old Guard is perhaps the most well-known part of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Since April 6, 1948, members of The Old Guard have stood by the tomb 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The members are from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment and are also used in other military-related events.

A cavalry Soldier stands guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., on March 25, 1926, the first day a permanent military guard was posted. The Old Guard has stood watch since 1948. (Photo Credit: Library of Congress)

Trained and disciplined to an extremely high level, every movement and action by Sentinels from The Old Guard has meaning. According to the Arlington National Cemetery Website:

Perhaps no other war in history has attracted as much scrutiny as the First World War. With attention comes myths, misinformation, and controversies that have the potential to persist for long periods. These myths could be potentially damaging to the soldiers and civilians who experienced the War, as well as those who have been involved in other military conflicts throughout history. Here are some of the most well-known myths surrounding the First World War that experts and historians have debunked.

1. The machine gun wasn’t responsible for the most deaths

British troops negotiate their way around a rainwater-filled shell crater near the Western Front during World War I. (Photo Credit: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/ CORBIS/ Corbis/ Getty Images)

Some people believe that the machine gun was responsible for the majority of the deaths in the First World War. The reason for this misconception is most likely because the machine gun is the weapon commonly associated with the War in popular memory, especially when we imagine troops “going over the top,” armed with machine guna, running into no-man’s land.

Although this is a powerful image, artillery weapons were actually responsible for causing the biggest number of deaths during the War.  Small arms were responsible for the second largest number of casualties in the First World War. On the Western Front between 1915 and 1918, artillery was responsible for seven out of ten British casualties. These statistics were similar for the French army when it came to cause of death.

2. Soldiers didn’t live in the trenches for years

German Contingent relaxing in a trench during a lull in battle. (Photo Credit: Bettmann/ Getty Images)

The First World War saw a new kind of fighting – trench warfare. The living conditions in the trenches were awful- men were crammed together, and the trenches often were filled with water, mud, and rats. However, most soldiers only spent an average of four days at a time in a front-line trench. Soldiers would often lose their morale if they spent too much time in the trenches.

The British Army specifically rotated their men constantly in and out of the trenches. Between battles, a unit would spend only around 10 days in a month in the trench system. It was not unusual for soldiers to be out of the trench line for a month at a time.

 3. The impromptu truce on Christmas 1914 wasn’t recognized everywhere

British and German meeting in No Man’s Land during unofficial true Christmas 1914. Northumberland Hussars, 7th Division, Bridoux-Banks Sector. (Photo Credit: Robert Hunt/Windmill Books/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

One of the more heartwarming stories to come out of the First World War is that the Western front observed a cease-fire on Christmas Day, 1914, to engage in a friendly game of soccer. The real story behind the truce is a little different than the mythologized version of this event.

4. It is called the First World War for a reason

A detachment of troops in front of the Sphinx in Egypt, circa 1916. (Photo Credit: Bettmann/ Getty Images)

Some people assume that the First World War is called so because nations worldwide fought in this conflict. After all, countries including Canada, Australia, India, and the United States all sent soldiers across the world to fight in Europe.

5. Women did fight in the First World War

Photograph of the staff of Maria Leontievna Bochkareva (1889-1920) a Russian woman who fought in World War I and formed the Women’s Battalion of Death. Dated 20th Century. (Photo Credit: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

It is absolutely true that the First World War was integral in furthering female suffrage worldwide. A common misconception surrounding the female contribution to the war effort is that women did not actually partake in any fighting during the First World War, and that is simply not the truth!

6. The British really weren’t enthusiastic about the First World War

Scenes outside Buckingham Palace after Britain’s declaration of war with Germany, 4 August 1914. (Photo Credit: Daily Herald Archive/ Getty Images)

History class teaches us that the world had an utterly naive response to the First World War – that they were excited. Pictures including the one above support this myth, as these photos seem to indicate that the public responded with enthusiasm about the war.

7. American ‘neutrality’ throughout the War

A group of American soldiers wave from the deck of a ship transporting them to the fighting in France, during World War I, 1917. (Photo Credit: Interim Archives/ Getty Images)

America officially adopted a policy of neutrality for the first three years of the First World War, only joining the conflict in 1917. However, American industrial strength supported the Allied war effort for the first three years of the First World War. Despite the official policy of neutrality, many Americans sympathized with Britain, France, and their allies. Many American-led groups also assisted overseas, including the Commission for the Relief of Belgium, which was headed by future American president Herbert Hoover.

On the morning of July 30, 1916, Manhattan was lit up by a huge flash, before being slammed by an enormous blast wave. Three men and a baby were killed; thousands of windows in lower Manhattan and Jersey City were blown out; and the Statue of Liberty was peppered with debris.

The source of the explosion? A storage depot on Black Tom Island, which held two million tons of equipment and supplies headed for Europe. The cause? German sabotage. At the time, the United States had little in the way of intelligence services, as the FBI‘s predecessor – the BOI – only had around 260 employees. As such, they struggled to get to the bottom of the explosion.

The Allies were being supplied by the United States

By this point, the Great War had been raging for two years, yet America was still a neutral country. Despite being neutral, it continued to be a key supplier for the armies fighting in Europe, with millions of tons of equipment, machines and supplies being shipped across the Atlantic Ocean.

Warehouses damaged by the Black Tom explosion, 1916. (Photo Credit: US Army Signal Corps / Wikipedia / Public Domain)

Throughout the war, Germany attacked cargo vessels in the Atlantic to prevent supplies reaching Britain. These attacks proved devastating, and there was little the Allies could do to defend themselves against the threat. Germany was careful to not attack vessels from countries who were not yet involved in the conflict, as they didn’t want to provoke them into siding with the Allies.

The explosion on Black Tom Island was part of this plan to inhibit the Allies’ supply chain.

Black Tom explosion

On July 30, 1916, the supply depot on Black Tom Island contained around 1,000 tons of weapons and ordnance in train cars and on barges, ready to be shipped to Russia. One barge contained 50 tons of TNT, and was only moored at Black Tom Island to avoid a $25.00 charge.

That night, guards spotted small fires on the pier and alerted the Jersey City Fire Department. At 2:08 AM, an enormous explosion rocked the area as the TNT-laden barge blew up. The explosion measured between 5.0 and 5.5 on the Richter scale, smashed windows 25 miles away, and was heard as far away as Philadelphia.

Fire raging at the National Storage House, one of plants blown up by the Black Tom explosion, 1916. (Photo Credit: Bettmann / Getty Images)

Debris from the explosion hit the Statue of Liberty and the clock tower of The Jersey Journal building, more than a mile away. The fragments stopped the clock at 2:12 AM. The blast caused widespread destruction on Black Tom Island, with over one hundred railcars and 13 warehouses destroyed. Four died – it’s surprising, though, that a blast of such magnitude didn’t kill more.

Overall, the explosion caused around $20 million (almost $500 million today) worth of damage to properties in the area.

The US response

Due to the limited capability and experience of the nation’s intelligence service, the US had trouble finding the culprits. As well, a lack of laws forbidding espionage or sabotage during peace time only made things more difficult. While the Secret Service investigated the matter, it was actually the New York Police Department’s bomb squad that made the most progress.

Crowd gathering in the aftermath of the Black Tom explosion, 1916. (Photo Credit: Bettmann / Getty Images)

The explosion was a major factor in the American public’s increasingly negative opinion of Germany. It, submarine warfare in the Atlantic and Germany’s proposal that Mexico join the war all led to the country’s entrance into the conflict.