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The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand is what most people believe to be the beginning of the war. Ferdinand was the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1914. The assassination took place in Sarajevo, Bosnia, while the Archduke was there to inspect military forces. Just before he was shot, a grenade was thrown at the car, which missed. -
Germany invaded Luxembourg and Belgium as part of the Schlieffen Plan, which was a plan to help Germany wage a two-front war successfully. This attack invaded Luxembourg's neutrality in the war. After the attack, the Grand Duchess faced major criticism from the Allied powers for tolerating occupation. She was later replaced by her sister, Charlotte.
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The Lusitania was a British passenger ship that normally made routes from New York to Liverpool in England. The Lusitania was sunk by a British U-boat, which raised major backlash from the American public. This is because there were many American passengers on the ship that day. Many people think that this is one of the main reasons or causes to the US joining the war. -
At the start of the war, the US wanted to stay neutral. Even though they wanted to be neutral, there were multiple events that made it increasingly difficult to remain neutral. The sinking of the Lusitania was one of the last straws for the US. After the Zimmermann Telegram, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war. -
At 22 years old, Theodore Kohls enlisted in the US Army. He enlisted at Jefferson Barracks and attended boot camp there. He was then sent to France with the 26th Regiment. His journey to France took 14 days.
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In the last week of October, Theodore was sent to the trenches for the first time. His company stayed in reserve for 10 days. It snowed the first night they were there, and the trenches were all muddy. They stayed in the trenches for 5 days without seeing a German before they were relieved by the second battalion of their regiment. -
Theodore's regiment was relieved from the trenches after 3 months of patrols and bombardment. They hiked with full packs until they reached the Montdidier front. His regiment experienced constant shelling and gunfire. This was kept up until May 27th, when the Germans charged their trench. -
On the 27th of May, 1918, the Germans performed a 4-hour-long barrage on Private Kohl's position. This basically leveled the forest around them. One week later, he was on wiring duty, and the Germans gassed them. Theodore stayed in the trenches for 6 more days before the French relieved them of their position. Then he went to a doctor and stayed there for three weeks due to the effects of the gas.
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Theodore and his squad boarded a crowded cattle train with many wounded soldiers. After this, they waited for the trucks that the Colonel had sent. They saw artillery and truck trains going toward the front. After a drive up a steep hill, they went to get food from the mess hall. Then they started their hike to their place on the front; it was pitch black. That was the last thing Theodore wrote about in his journal before he passed.
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The Treaty of Versailles was the agreement that ended World War 1. The document was signed in France at the Palace of Versailles. In the agreement, Germany lost some of their land and all of their colonies. Germany was also limited to a smaller military power to prevent future conflict. This treaty also ended up creating the League of Nations, which is an organization to end future wars.