Atlantic Magazine has been offering a weekly feature worth a look: an interesting, extended 10-part photographic study of World War I, a century after that conflict. Some of these images are absolutely spellbinding.

http://www.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/wwi/

Fantastic images, thanks for that link.


Nine European Sovereigns at Windsor for the funeral of King Edward VII in May of 1910, four years before the war began. Standing, from left to right: King Haakon VII of Norway, Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria, King Manuel II of Portugal, Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire, King George I of Greece and King Albert I of Belgium. Seated, from left to right: King Alfonso XIII of Spain, King-Emperor George V of the United Kingdom and King Frederick VIII of Denmark. Within the next decade, Kaiser Wilhelm II and Tsar Ferdinand's empires would engage in bloody warfare with the nations led by King Albert I and King George V. The war was also a family affair, as Kaiser Wilhelm II was a first cousin to King George V, and an uncle to King Albert I. Of the remaining monarchs pictured, over the next decade one would be assassinated (Greece), three would keep their nations neutral (Norway, Spain, and Denmark), and two would be forced out of power by revolutions. (W. & D. Downey) #

WWI - the end of empires and the start of socialism in Europe.



Adjusted photo size
walks

This was the Christmas in the Trenches which became somewhat infamous among the British troops, after a few were court-martialed for participating in holiday greetings with the Germans.



I cannot speak highly enough of this song about that, by John McCutcheon.....

Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon (1984)

Adjusted photo size
walks

To see world War I, all you need to see are the Civil War photographers pictures of the trenches around St. Petersburg, VA.
The Americans had figured out how modern, industrial war was going to go. The Europeans didn't pay any attention.

Quote from: mdgiles on June 24, 2014, 07:16:14 AM
To see world War I, all you need to see are the Civil War photographers pictures of the trenches around St. Petersburg, VA.
The Americans had figured out how modern, industrial war was going to go. The Europeans didn't pay any attention.

Exactly, Giles. Young American officers like Patton knew that mobility would become the key to success.

I feel like this war often gets overlooked. The first world war set the course of western civ for the whole century. Without WW1 there would be no WW2. Same could be said of any historical event of course , but world war one was the beginning of something entirely different for the west and changed the course of world history in a dramatic way.

If anyone wants a good first hand account of the war from a soldiers perspective check out Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger. An intense book.  Nothing political about it. No pro or anti war message. Just a guy telling you what it was like to fight.

Quote from: mdgiles on June 24, 2014, 07:16:14 AM
To see world War I, all you need to see are the Civil War photographers pictures of the trenches around St. Petersburg, VA.
The Americans had figured out how modern, industrial war was going to go. The Europeans didn't pay any attention.

The Europeans had been shown trench warfare twenty years earlier at Ohaeawai.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ohaeawai

Quote from: Akubra on July 08, 2014, 12:14:59 AM
The Europeans had been shown trench warfare twenty years earlier at Ohaeawai.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ohaeawai

Didn't slow 'em down much. 

Quote from: Akubra on July 08, 2014, 12:14:59 AM
The Europeans had been shown trench warfare twenty years earlier at Ohaeawai.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ohaeawai

Thing was the battle against the Maori was a colonial battle that took place on the far side of the world. The battle between the North and South was observed by many European observers. And took place within one of the larger states, and one that had relations both commercial and ethnic with many of the European states that fought in WW1.

Quote from: mdgiles on June 24, 2014, 07:16:14 AM
To see world War I, all you need to see are the Civil War photographers pictures of the trenches around St. Petersburg, VA.
The Americans had figured out how modern, industrial war was going to go. The Europeans didn't pay any attention.

The generals of Europe considered the American Civil War as a war that was across the Atlantic and had no baring on a real war.  However, if you look back on it in history, one can consider the Civil War the first total war in modern history.

Quote from: ConservativeMe on July 28, 2014, 06:41:56 PM
The generals of Europe considered the American Civil War as a war that was across the Atlantic and had no baring on a real war.  However, if you look back on it in history, one can consider the Civil War the first total war in modern history.

Just checked your site. Love this pic!

Thank you Solar, I did get a laugh out of that one as well.  My liberal friends, not so much.