Questions tagged [world-war-one]
Questions on World War I, events that caused it, strategy and tactics employed by the battling sides and the consequences of this war.
314
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2
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1answer
69 views
Are there any good histories of industrial production during WW1?
I have been reading recently about US industrial production during World War 2, and keep finding passing references to legacies of the war production effort in World War 1. I would like to get a more ...
3
votes
1answer
177 views
Have any spies ever managed to keep their identity secret from their handlers?
Having just started reading up on spies throughout history, I've just realized a new risk I hadn't thought of before, namely that once you've started spying you're at risk of being blackmailed into ...
0
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3answers
280 views
In comparison to today's tanks, how powerful were various WW1 artillery pieces?
This is a two-part question:
Which, if any, WW1 artillery pieces would be able to damage or destroy a modern tank presuming it got a direct hit. That is - what can today's armour NOT protect against ...
1
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0answers
56 views
What collar badge did the 36th Battery of the Canadian Field Artillery in WW1 wear?
My Great-Grandfather fought with the 36th Battery CFA of the 9th Brigade during at least a portion of WW1. He was in three other units as well, I'm trying to collect the collar badges for each unit he ...
3
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2answers
229 views
Why did Germany request compensation after the Agadir (2nd Moroccan) crisis?
The way I learned it, France sent troops to Morocco to suppress revolts there on the request of the Sultan. Germany saw it as France trying to take over Morocco and sent a gunboat to Agadir. Their ...
23
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3answers
6k views
During World War 1, were any policies in place to handle large scale troop mutiny?
From what I understand, the rank and file didn't really want to be there after the fighting got started (this could be incorrect). During the Christmas Truce, both sides stopped fighting and ...
0
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0answers
102 views
Can someone identify this uniform and cap badge?
Could someone please tell me what this uniform and cap badge are ? My grandfather told me he was a stretcher-bearer in the Hampshire Regiment but neither look like anything I have researched, I truly ...
9
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1answer
401 views
Was there a bribery attempt by the UK to get the Ottomans to switch sides in World War I?
While perusing Wikipedia article on Gallipoli Campaign, I saw an intriguing statement:
an attempt by the British to bribe the Ottomans to join the Allied
side ... failed.
Wikipedia citing an ...
0
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1answer
104 views
Help for identifying a shell
After a few hours of search, I can't identify this shell. I know it's a 75 mm shell, from one of the WW (probably WWI, but can't guarantee it), found in France, but that's about it. Could be from any ...
5
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2answers
259 views
Does anyone know anything about this poem
My near 80 year old mother remembers having this poem recited to her by her mother as a young girl. She remembers a great deal but there are some gaps. Is anyone able to place it in context or ...
3
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0answers
164 views
Can anyone help identify this World War One uniform?
I have this photograph of my grandfather in uniform - taken in Seaford, Sussex, England, some time after 1914. Can anyone tell me anything about this uniform? He eventually joined 525 coy. 62nd ...
0
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1answer
225 views
Were there US troops on the WW1 eastern front?
I would like to know more about the first world war, especially
about the involvement of the USA on the eastern front. Were there
any US troops in eastern front present, if so how many?
Thanks in ...
2
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1answer
135 views
Can you help me identify the rank and patch on this Royal Italian Army uniform?
Can you help me identify the rank and patch on this uniform on the far right? It's from around 1910. Thank you very much.
2
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2answers
283 views
Did some chemical weapons from the military end up in private hands after WWI?
It is a common, well-documented knowledge, that chemical weapons were widely used during the Great War. It is also quite common knowledge, that soldiers like to take "souvenirs" from the battlefield - ...
8
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1answer
650 views
In the early 1900s, how would an American returning from, say, Europe prove he was American and not just lying to avoid Ellis Island?
Apparently, international travelers didn't need any papers to travel (before WW1), at least in USA and most parts of Europe. So how did a person 'prove' their nationality?
EDITED IN OP'S COMMENT
I'...
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3answers
764 views
In World War 1, why were the Australian and Canadian troops so good?
I'm reading a book about the first world war, and makes it clear that the Canadian and Australian troops made quite a name for themselves. They acquitted themselves very well in many of the actions ...
7
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1answer
437 views
Where did Wilson state that the US would have to force access to markets with violence?
US President Woodrow Wilson stated openly before the First World War:
"Diplomacy and, if need be, violence must open the way to the (foreign) markets."
His central argument was ...
5
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1answer
305 views
Can anyone identify this woman’s uniform?
Found this photo in a box of family pictures from England. Most photos were prior to WW1
-2
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1answer
67 views
What was regicide conspiracy and what was the role of Djordje Gencic in it? [closed]
I'm reading the book The Sleepwalkers by Christopher Clarke, and it says that the interior minister during the rule of Alexander in Serbia (late 1890s), was involved in regicide conspiracy. However I ...
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0answers
94 views
Was Fakhri Pasha really nicknamed “Tiger of the Desert” by the British?
It is mentioned in multiple places (eg. in "With Lawrence in Arabia" by L.J. Thomas, in this article, and even in the Wikipedia page about him) that Fakhri Pasha (Fahreddin Paşa), the commander of the ...
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1answer
393 views
Why did German U-boats not sink American ships carrying soldiers during WW1?
During WW1, the Germans used U-boats to blockade the British. When they started using unrestricted submarine warfare the US joined the war. Why didn't the Germans sink American ships bringing US ...
73
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5answers
9k views
Is there any evidence to support the claim that the United States was “suckered into WW1” by Zionists, made by Benjamin Freedman in his 1961 speech?
In the comments to another question another user of History:SE made a remarkable, if unbelievable, claim:
Actually, Germany was shocked when the US declared war and entered on the side of Great ...
2
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1answer
262 views
Why Vladimir Ilyich Lenin is so popular in Russian?
Recently I have seen a documentary film from "Star Media" (this is Russian film) called "The first world war". Up to this moment, I thought that the February Revolution had happened, because there was ...
14
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4answers
3k views
Why did WWI include Japan?
WWI mainly developed in Europe. It only included the USA because Germans attacked a US ship. What did Japan have to do with Europe?
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3answers
6k views
A German immigrant ancestor has a “Registration Affidavit of Alien Enemy” on file. What does that mean exactly?
While researching genealogy, I discovered that one of my ancestors had a "Registration Affidavit of Alien Enemy" document on file. It is dated 1 January 1918 and includes his fingerprints, immigration ...
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1answer
200 views
Found a bullet shell with 'Winchester 30-06 SPRG' on it, how old is it? [closed]
The shell is a dark brown.. I don't know much about guns but anyone know anything?
4
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1answer
231 views
Austrian brass shell case (Berndorf 1910 R)
I would like to know which cannon could have fired such a shell and what does the R stand for? Was it fired in WWI?
The dimensions are as follows: length 58 cm, width at the base 9.5 cm, and width ...
1
vote
1answer
161 views
Identifying rising sun pin WW1 or WWII
Can anyone tell me if this is WW1 or WWII and what is the significance of it please. It has what looks like 99t on the back. What is that for.
3
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1answer
108 views
Help identifying this WW1 badge
Can anyone help identifying this badge:
The back reads: Pte G E Thornton from R'dents T'morel and district on his return from France. 1919
3
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2answers
725 views
Was Woodrow Wilson really a Liberal?
In a related question Ben Crowell asked, Was World War I a war of liberals against authoritarians? in that discussion, Woodrow Wilson was called a liberal. I have always believed, this has become a ...
33
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6answers
7k views
Was World War I a war of liberals against authoritarians?
An essay by Robert Kagan in the Washington Post, March 14, 2019, argues for rethinking the big theme of 20th-century history as a struggle between liberalism and authoritarianism, and for an ...
3
votes
1answer
96 views
What is meant by “state people” in this context? (Governments of new Balkan states post-WWI)
I'm reading The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt, but since my background is science I find the history a little hard to follow. What is the meaning of state people in the following quote?
...
4
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3answers
564 views
Why didn't Spain and Portugal become industrial powerhouses in the 20th century?
Although Spain experienced a gruesome civil war, neither Spain nor Portugal participated in either the first or the second world wars. Despite their losses of millions of people, widespread ...
8
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2answers
783 views
Were railway guns ever critical in any battle during WWI and WWII?
Note: this is a question about railway - mounted artillery, NOT about armored trains (which were more akin to tanks-on-rails and had much smaller guns)
The idea behind railway gun is quite sound: a ...
4
votes
1answer
626 views
Were bricks instead of bombs occasionally thrown out of war planes in WWI?
I remember reading in a school textbook or perhaps hearing my history teacher tell the story of how bricks instead of bombs were occasionally thrown out of war planes in WWI, perhaps because of ...
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2answers
220 views
Is “losing around 100 000 men” and “100 000 casualties” the same thing?
I wanted to know if "losing around 100 000 men" and "100 000 casualties" is the same thing. Or does "losing around 100 000 men" correspond to the death of 100 000 soldiers?
More generally are "losses"...
7
votes
2answers
484 views
How realistic were von Papen's plans to invade Canada using “German cowboys” during the Great War?
While reading biography of Franz von Papen, I've found this hilarious information: Apparently, in attempt to stop Canadian support for Britain, he planned to dress up German and Irish Americans as ...
16
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2answers
2k views
Besides Mexico, who was considered as a potential ally of the Central Powers?
The Zimmermann telegram to the embassy in Mexico outright suggests that German Empire is trying to court Mexico as an ally in the Great War:
We intend to begin on the first of February unrestricted ...
4
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0answers
191 views
How motivated were the Australian, Canadian and NZ soldiers in the British army during the two world wars? [closed]
How motivated were the Australian, Canadian and NZ soldiers in the British army during the two world wars? Did they feel that their homeland was under threat or did they have problem understanding why ...
3
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1answer
211 views
How came the poppy be associated with WW1?
I am not from a Commonwealth country and stumbled on some Twitch recordings over the fact that on 11/12th of November, some people (Canadians) would display poppies to remember the end of the first ...
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1answer
108 views
What was the inheritance tax rate in the UK during WWI and WWII?
I've read somewhere that rich people were heavily taxed during World War I and World War II. What was the inheritance tax rate like in the UK at the time?
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1answer
273 views
What was the income tax rate in the UK during WWI and WWII?
I found that the highest income tax rate was 99.25% during the Second World War, but I can't find anything related to the income tax during the First World War.
Would you have some numbers to give ...
4
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1answer
270 views
Why did the price of eggs in Britain increase much more than for other basic foods during WWI?
At the beginning of WWI, Britain was only about 40% self-sufficient in food, a major problem given the tonnage of ships sunk by German submarines. Unsurprisingly, food prices rose.
In First World War ...
2
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2answers
287 views
What's the history of this mortar shell?
I was wondering if anyone could give me some history on this shell, which was left to my son by his great grandmother.
Could anyone give me information about these markings on this mortar shell. ...
20
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1answer
1k views
The WWI Christmas truce of 1914 resulted in no consequences, in spite of clear warnings against such beforehand - why were there no courts-martial?
British and German Soldiers photographed together during 1914 Christmas Truce. Source: The Daily Mirror, Friday January 8, 1915.
Question
What factors led to no courts-martial charges being pursued ...
15
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1answer
742 views
Did anyone face consequences (charges / court-martial) for the 1914 Christmas truce in WWI?
A copy of the Daily Mail from Dec. 31, 1914 reports on the Christmas truce. Source: The Star
As a follow-up to this question about impromptu football / soccer games between troops from opposite ...
38
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2answers
8k views
In the “Christmas truce” of 1914 were there any football (soccer) matches between British and German troops?
British and German troops meeting in no man's land during the unofficial truce. Source: Wikipedia
As the holiday season is upon us again this year, I am reminded of the 1914 Christmas truce (German: ...
2
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1answer
264 views
What were the differences between mortars and other artilleries in world war I?
Artillery just means missiles today.
In WWI did artillery and mortars worked the same way only difference being the angle its being fired at, and how big the projectile is.
0
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1answer
134 views
Where can I find primary sources on mortars/artillery in world war one?
I need primary sources for artillery from ww1. I have looked everywhere such as the database of the World War I Document Archive, Proquest and archive.org but with no luck. So I am asking here as a ...
6
votes
1answer
276 views
Please identify this WW1 Italian Uniform
Can you tell me anything about the uniform in the picture? I believe the picture was taken around the time of the first WW in Sicily. The insignia on the hat, the hat itself, the boots and sword makes ...
