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1914

Start of world war I, one of the deadliest conflicts in history, it resulted in an estimated 30 million military casualties, plus another 8 million civilian deaths from war-related causes and genocide. The movement of large numbers of people was a major factor in the deadly Spanish flu pandemic.

The causes of World War I included the rise of Germany and decline of the Ottoman Empire, which disturbed the long-standing balance of power in Europe, imperial rivalries, and shifting alliances and an arms race between the great powers.

Growing tensions between the great powers and in the Balkans reached a breaking point on 28 June 1914, when Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb, assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia, and declared war on 28 July. After Russia mobilized in Serbia's defense, Germany declared war on Russia and France, who had an alliance.

The United Kingdom entered after Germany invaded Belgium, and the Ottomans joined the Central Powers in November. Germany's strategy in 1914 was to quickly defeat France then transfer its forces to the east, but its advance was halted in September, and by the end of the year the Western Front consisted of a near-continuous line of trenches from the English Channel to Switzerland. The Eastern Front was more dynamic, but neither side gained a decisive advantage, despite costly offensives. Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and others entered the war from 1915 onward.

Major battles, including those at Verdun, the Somme, and Passchendaele, failed to break the stalemate on the Western Front.

In April 1917, the United States joined the Allies after Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare against Atlantic shipping. The US Army had fewer than 300,000 men, including National Guard units, compared to British and French armies of 4.1 and 8.3 million respectively. The Selective Service Act of 1917 drafted 2.8 million men, though training and equipping such numbers was a huge logistical challenge. By June 1918, over 667,000 members of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) were transported to France, a figure which reached 2 million by the end of November.

Later that year, the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia in the October Revolution; Soviet Russia signed an armistice with the Central Powers in December, followed by a separate peace in March 1918. That month, Germany launched a spring offensive in the west, which despite initial successes left the German Army exhausted and demoralized. The Allied Hundred Days Offensive, beginning in August 1918, caused a collapse of the German front line. Following the Vardar Offensive, Bulgaria signed an armistice in late September. By early November, the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary had each signed armistices with the Allies, leaving Germany isolated. Facing a revolution at home, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated on 9 November, and the war ended with the Armistice of 11 November 1918.

The Paris Peace Conference of 1919–1920 imposed settlements on the defeated powers. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany lost significant territories, was disarmed, and was required to pay large war reparations to the Allies. The dissolution of the Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman Empires redrew national boundaries and resulted in the creation of new independent states including Poland, Finland, the Baltic states, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia.

Emergency military hospital during the Spanish flu pandemic in Camp Funston, Kansas, 1918

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My Dad (Harry Wolever) fought in the war, received the “Purple Heart”, a prestigious U.S. military decoration awarded to service members wounded or killed in combat, established by George Washington in 1782.

For more information you can view the slideshow I made called “Dear folks” (includes his letters narrated by Bob Wolever and Cathy Church).

· Go to “DOWNLOADS”: http://vernonite.com/downloads.html

· Then select “Slideshows”, read the instructions, scroll down and select “Dear folks”

· Select “Download Dearfolks.zip”, after file is downloaded open the file, double click “dearfolks”

· Then double click “Player”, click “Player.exe”, then “Extract all”, and “Extract” again

· Finally double click “Dearfolks” and “start.exe”

Wolever family move from Minnesota to Colorado, story about may dad’s cousin Scott Wolever. The following was taken from the 1992-1993 issue of Stampede:

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Some related pictures:

Scott Wolever

Scott Wolever in Colorado wheat field

Me, about 1971 at Scott Wolever ranch