Christmas on the front, Vaucelles, France, 1916. A watercolor of the village gate. A separate photograph shows two German soldiers posing before the gate.
Image text: Weihnachten im Felde, Vaucelles 1916.Christmas at the front, Vaucelles, 1916.Reverse:Penciled note: 'Entrance gate of the village Vaucelles December 18, 1916 – France-' [NOTE: The reverse of the postcard may end with "Frankreich", but Vaucelles, France is near Caen, on the coast. Vaucelles, Belgium is southwest of Dinant on the French border. The blue would presumably be the Meuse in that case.] (translation courtesy Thomas Faust, ebay's Urfaust.
A Swiss postcard of 'The European War' in 1914. The Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary face enemies to the east, west, and south. Germany is fighting the war it tried to avoid, battling Russia to the east and France to the west. Germany had also hoped to avoid fighting England which came to the aid of neutral (and prostrate) Belgium, and straddles the Channel. Austria-Hungary also fights on two fronts, against Russia to the east and Serbia and Montenegro to the south. Italy, the third member of the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, declared neutrality, and looks on. Other neutral nations include Spain, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania. Japan enters from the east to battle Germany. The German Fleet stays close to port in the North and Baltic Seas while a German Zeppelin targets England. The Austro-Hungarian Fleet keeps watch in the Adriatic. Turkey is not represented, and entered the war at the end of October, 1914; Italy in late May, 1915.
Image text: Der Europäische KriegThe European WarReverse:Kriegskarte No. 61. Verlag K. Essig, BaselKunstanstalt (Art Institute) Frobenius A.G. Basel
The disparity in the number of nations arrayed against the Central Powers was a common motif, and was updated as the numbers on each side increased. Italy's entry into the war on May 23, 1915 changed the numbers again.Central Powers (top) Sultan Mohammed V of Turkey, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, Kaiser Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary. Allies (center and bottom rows) Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, King George V of the United Kingdom, President Raymond Poincaré of France, King Nikola of Montenegro, King Peter of Serbia, King Victor Emmanuel of Italy, King Albert I of Belgium, Emperor Taishō of Japan.In the center, a poem: Drei gegen Acht, Three against Eight.
Image text: Drei gegen Acht.Gebt Acht, Ihr “Acht”, es blitzt und krachtund schlägt manch’ schwere Lücke.Jung-Siegfrieds Schwert schlug unversehrtDen Ambosz einst in Stücke.Und Treue, Mut und EinigkeitGeb’ uns zum Siege das Geleit.- Richard OttThree against eightTake heed, your "night" flashes and crashesAnd suggests some serious gap.Young Siegfried's sword split the anvilYet stayed intact.And loyalty, courage and unityWill lead us to victory.Reverse:Postmarked Frankfurt, July 21, 1915
Map of the Trentino, part of "Italia Irredenta," unredeemed Italy: Venezia Tridentina (Trentino and Alto Adige)
Image text: Venezia Tridentina (Trentino and Alto Adige)Confine del Regno d'ItaliaConf.[ine] Geografico d'ItaliaConfine fra Trentino e Alto AdigeFerrovieTramvieIst. Geogr. De Agostini-Novara - Riproduzione InterdettaVenezia Tridentina (Trentino and South Tyrol)Border of the Kingdom of ItalyGeographic boundary of ItalyBorder between Trentino and Alto AdigeRailwaysTramwaysGeographic Institute of Agostini-Novara - Reproduction prohibitedReverse:Message dated December 14, 1917
A German soldier by the side of a water-filled crater, June 15, 1916. The handwritten note says it is 'The crater of St. Elleu', possibly St. Eloi, near Ypres.
Image text: 'The crater of St. Elleu on Jun 15 1916' (Translation courtesy Thomas Faust, eBay's Urfaust.)
A call to Italians to buy war bonds to help fund the powerful weapons needed for the last push to Trieste, a mere 25 kilometers from the Italian front lines. It pays 5%, after all, tax free, for an effective rate of 5.55%!
Image text: La Banca d'ItaliaRiceve e agevola le sottoscrizionial Prestito Consolidato 5% nettoEsente da imposte presenti & futureReddito Effettivo 5,55 per centoItaliani!I nostri avamposti sono a 25 Km da Trieste — date loro armi potenti per l'ultimo sbalzo, sottoscrivendo al Prestito Nazionale Consolidato 5%.The Bank of ItalyReceives and facilitates subscriptionsBorrowing 5% Consolidated NetExempt from present and future taxes5.55 percent effective incomeItalians!Our outposts are 25 Km from Trieste - give them powerful weapons for the last rush, by subscribing to the National 5% Loan Consolidation.
Goodbye Girlie! On to France. An American soldier gives a woman a boost so she can kiss a departing soldier. A postcard from the Chicago Daily News, G. J. Kavanaugh War Postal Card Department.
Image text: On to FranceGood bye Girlie.Logo: The Chicago Daily News War PostalsReverse:Post CardThe Chicago Daily NewsG. J. KavanaughWar Postal Card Department.Logo: © U & U
""Our invasion of Belgium is contrary to international law but the wrong — I speak openly — that we are committing we will make good as soon as our military goal is reached."" ((1), more)
"[German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg] said that the step taken by His Majesty's Government was terrible to a degree; just for a word — 'neutrality,' a word which in war time had so often been disregarded — just for a scrap of paper Great Britain was going to make war on a kindred nation who desired nothing better than to be friends with her." ((2), more)
""Are you determined at any cost to maintain the sacred heritage of our ancestors?"" ((3), more)
"The 'foreign' volunteers were disliked by ordinary Italian soldiers, for they might be Austrian spies and they actually wanted this foul war. Patrizio Borsetti, a volunteer from the south Tyrol, wrote home in August 1915: 'the soldiers look at us as if we were the reason why they have to fight. How many curses on account of "Trento and Trieste" . . .'" ((4), more)
"On August 4, at 8 in the evening, the 15th Company went up to the front line. It was almost with pleasure that we returned to the outposts; this delivered us from work in the mines, and from the company of the cadaver-eating rats." ((5), more)
"By early August, Cadorna had more than half a million men ranged along the front, maintaining but not exceeding the 10:4 advantage in manpower that he had enjoyed since 1915. What was new was a crushing superiority in firepower. The factories were working flat out to supply the front with guns and munitions, while Austrian heavy industry had ground almost to a halt. The Italians had 3,750 guns on the Isonzo, including a handful of British and French batteries, and 1,900 mortars, against the Austrians' 430 heavy guns and 1,250 field guns. For the first time, the Italians could match the power of offensives on the Western Front." ((6), more)
"— The 4th. The American workers' delegates have been welcomed by the Parliamentary Socialist group. They are all opposed to the resumption of international negotiations. One of their Press agents declares: 'A short conflict would be followed by a short peace.' That phrase 'short conflict' is delightful!The truth is that, in the eyes of this journalist, the war began at the moment when America descended into the bloody arena." ((7), more)
(1) Addressing the Reichstag on August 4, 1914, German Chancellor Bethman Hollweg told the Reichstag that German troops had invaded Luxemburg and might already be in Belgium (they had been since early morning). The Chancellor claimed this was done because Germany knew that France would violate its pledge of Belgian neutrality.The Reichstag unanimously voted five billion marks for the war.Tuchman, p. 152; see Jannen, p. 353
The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman, copyright © Barbara W. Tuchman 1962, publisher: Dell Publishing Co., Inc., publication date: 1963
(2) Sir E. Goschen, British Ambassador to Berlin reporting to Sir Edward Grey, British Foreign Secretary, on his August 4, 1914 meeting with German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg. Claiming French troops were about to attack through Belgium, Germany asked for free passage through Belgium to strike at France. Its request rejected, Germany invaded Belgium which appealed to Britain for diplomatic intervention on behalf of Belgium. Britain gave Germany until midnight (Berlin time) on August 4 for a 'satisfactory reply', that is, that German troops would leave Belgium, or His Majesty's Government would take 'all steps in their power to uphold the neutrality of Belgium,' including going to war. Goschen found Bethmann Hollweg 'agitated' at his failure to keep Britain neutral.Goschen wrote his report in London on August 8, after his return from Berlin. The phrase, 'a scrap of paper' became emblematic of German disregard for international law.
Collected Diplomatic Documents Relating to the Outbreak of the European War, page 111, publisher: His Majesty's Stationery Office by Harrison and Sons, publication date: 1915
(3) Belgian King Albert in his address to the Belgian Chamber of Deputies?/Parliament? August 4, 1914. On August 2 Germany had delivered an ultimatum to Belgium that it had received reliable information that France forces intended to attack Germany through Belgium, and that Germany must attack France through Belgium before that could happen. Germany would consider and resistance by Belgium as an act of war.On August 3, the Belgian government responded that it would resist an attack by either France or Germany.
A Journal from our Legation in Belgium by Hugh Gibson, page 15, copyright © Copyright, 1917, by Doubleday, Page & Company, publisher: Doubleday, Page & Company, publication date: 1917
(4) Parts of Italia irredenta, unredeemed Italy, including the French territory of Piedmont but more importantly the Austro-Hungarian city of Trieste and region of Trentino, both with significant populations of ethnic Italians, were offered to Italy as a prize for entering the war by the Entente allies, by Germany, and, ultimately and too late, by Austria-Hungary. Italy had already seen that the 1914 dreams of quick victory were false, but entered the war in May, 1915 with the same hope. By August, 1915, Italy and Austria-Hungary had fought two Battles of the Isonzo River on their border, the First costing Italy 15,000 casualties; the Second 42,000.
The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front, 1915-1919 by Mark Thompson, page 114, copyright © 2008 Mark Thompson, publisher: Basic Books, publication date: 2009
(5) Excerpt from the notebooks of French Infantry Corporal Louis Barthas, August 4, 1916. After suffering heavy losses at Verdun in May, Barthas's reserve regiment was made the 296th, an active regiment, serving in Champagne. In the previous days, Barthas's unit had supported miners, bringing supplies for the mines — including timber to support the tunnels — and hauling away dirt and stones, oftentimes underground and immediately behind the miners. After being especially plagued by rats, the men discovered their nests were in a nearby cemetery for German soldiers. They scavenged among the French at night.
Poilu: The World War I Notebooks of Corporal Louis Barthas, Barrelmaker, 1914-1918 by Louis Barthas, page 241, copyright © 2014 by Yale University, publisher: Yale University Press, publication date: 2014
(6) Italian commander in chief Luigi Cadorna launched four offensives on the Isonzo River in 1915 and five in 1916. His Tenth Battle of the Isonzo raged from May 12 through June 8, 1917. At the beginning of August he prepared for the next Battle of the Isonzo, the Eleventh.
The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front, 1915-1919 by Mark Thompson, page 279, copyright © 2008 Mark Thompson, publisher: Basic Books, publication date: 2009
(7) Entry from the diary of Michel Corday, a senior civil servant in the French government writing in Paris on August 4, 1918. The French had just begun their fifth year of the war. The Americans, despite having declared war in April 1917, had only entered the battle in any numbers in May, 1918.
The Paris Front: an Unpublished Diary: 1914-1918 by Michel Corday, page 364, copyright © 1934, by E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., publisher: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., publication date: 1934
