Description: World War 1 - Troops leaving for Mobilization Camps - MILITARY - 1918: World War I was the first time in American history that the United States sent soldiers abroad to defend foreign soil. On April 6, 1917, when the United States declared war against Germany, the nation had a standing army of 127,500 officers and soldiers. By the end of the war, four million men had served in the United States Army, with an additional 800,000 in other military service branches. Once war was declared, the army attempted to mobilize the troops very quickly. The fatigued British and French troops, who had been fighting since August 1914, sorely needed the relief offered by the American forces. In May 1917, General John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing was designated the supreme commander of the American army in France, and the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) were created. Pershing and his staff soon realized how ill-prepared the United States was to transport large numbers of soldiers and necessary equipment to the front, where supplies, rations, equipment, and trained soldiers were all in short supply. Since even the transport ships needed to bring American troops to Europe were scarce, the army pressed into service cruise ships, seized German ships, and borrowed Allied ships to transport American soldiers from New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. The mobilization effort taxed the limits of the American military and required new organizational strategies and command structures to transport great numbers of troops and supplies quickly and efficiently. Here One G.I. At Camp McArthur in Waco, Texas, writes to a friend in Cleveland, Ohio. "Hello, old pal got your card O.K. So your [sic] not in Camp yet. Let me know when you go. So you are getting your straw hat out. Well the weather is fine here - wish you would come with us. Ans. Soon. Your old pal Herman." This Divided Back Era postcard, mailed 1918, is in good condition, but there is edge wear.
Price: 9 USD
Location: Brooklyn, New York
End Time: 2024-10-10T03:02:11.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Return policy details:
Military Era: World War I (1914-1918)
Theme: Militaria
Modified Item: No
Subject: Mobilization
Region: United States
Era: Divided Back (c. 1907-1915)
Branch of Military: Army
Camps: Mobilization
War/Conflict: WWI
American Expeditionary Forces: AEF
Type: Printed (Lithograph)
Camp MacArthur: West Texas
Postage Condition: Posted
Texas: Camp
Features: Multiview
