BGuthrie Photos: SC -- Columbia -- SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum -- Forgotten Stories

SC -- Columbia -- SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum -- Forgotten Stories:

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Description of Pictures: Forgotten Stories: South Carolina Fights the Great War

April 2007 marked the ninetieth anniversary of the United States’ entry into the Great War. In recognition of this, the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum has partnered with six historical and educational institutions in Columbia to develop a multi-venue project (titled “Forward Together: South Carolina in World War I”) on the participation of South Carolina citizens during the First World War and its effects on the state. The partnership consists of Historic Columbia Foundation, McKissick Museum (USC), South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum, South Carolina Educational Television Network, South Carolina State Museum, South Carolinian Library (USC), with each location concentrating on a different aspect of the war. Visit the website for the exhibits at http://www.scforwardtogether.org/.

The SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum’s exhibit, “South Carolina Fights the Great War,” focuses on the military history of the war, strategies used during it, and how the war is a part of South Carolina's military tradition. The exhibit themes examine various aspects of the war such as trench warfare, the use of artillery, the new use of airplanes, Medal of Honor winners from SC, and the forgotten story of the African-American 371st Infantry Regiment. The exhibit also highlights the often-overlooked Mexican Punitive Expedition and includes exciting visuals, such as life-like mannequins, a simulated trench, and interactive kiosks. This exhibit is displayed in the museum’s new, expanded gallery space in the renovated “cistern” area of the Columbia Mills Building.

The above was from http://www.crr.sc.gov/exhibitions/current/

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. RELICW_071205_020.JPG: South Carolina on the Mexican Border: In March of 1916, Mexican revolutionary Francisco "Pancho" Villa crossed the New Mexico border and attacked the town of Columbus. His men killed twenty-four Americans. President Woodrow Wilson responded by calling up 15,000 National Guard soldiers to guard the Mexican Border. He dispatched General John Pershing and more than 4,000 troops into Mexico on a campaign known as the Mexican Punitive Expedition. It was a strange expedition, with machine guns transported on the backs of mules and Native American scouts on horseback sharing reconnaissance duties with aircraft. Villa's elusiveness and the Mexican government's lack of cooperation frustrated the American military effort. Villa was never captured, and Pershing withdrew. Cross-border raids eventually ceased, however, and the mobilization provided a logistical rehearsal for WWI. The state's mobilized troops were the 1st and 2nd South Carolina Infantry Regiments, Troop A of the South Carolina Cavalry (the Charleston Light Dragoons) and South Carolina Field Hospital Number One. These men served on the border from June through December 1916. They were called up again in April 1917 after the declaration of war with Germany. When the National Guard was federalized for warfare, the old 1st South Carolina Regiment became the 118th Infantry Regiment, one of the most distinguished American regiments of the Great War. The 2nd Regiment converted to the 105th Ammunition Train, 30th Division, while the Charleston Light Dragoons served as Headquarters Troops of the 30th Division,. The South Carolina Field Hospital joined the 30th Division as well.
2. RELICW_071205_022.JPG: Relic from the Mexican invasion campaigns
3. RELICW_071205_025.JPG: "And the band played on..."
4. RELICW_071205_032.JPG: "..And the band played on...": Military musicians played important roles in encouraging patriotism and relieving boredom and misery. They also served diplomatic roles, because music was often a feature at military ceremonies. Lieutenant Orville K. Wilson, Sr. helped organize the 2nd South Carolina Infantry Band in Orangeburg, 1907. The band served seven months during the Mexican Punitive Expedition in 1916. The band played at a dance honoring General Pershing one month before returning from the border. After the Mexican Punitive Expedition, the band spent several months at Camp Sevier, Greenville, South Carolina. When the Regiment was re-organized, the band became part of the 318th Field Artillery Regiment, 81st "Wildcat" Division. The re-named 318th Field Artillery Band served twenty-two months in Europe during WWI. Band organizer, Lieutenant O.K. Wilson, Sr. died overseas from pneumonia in January 1919. The city of Nice, France, honored the band in 1919 by presenting it with a hand-painted banner as a token of appreciation. Assistant bandmaster Barrett D. Wilson carried the banner to the United States. WWI bandsmen were supposed to be used as stretcher bearers if necessary, but were generally kept in rear areas. Bands performed for their units and patients at nearby Army hospitals. Public concerts were held in European cities as gestures of goodwill.
5. RELICW_071205_045.JPG: Fighting in the Sky: American Air Service aviators entered a well-established theater of war. In the first years of WWI, crude airplanes flew only reconnaissance missions. By 1917, planes were specialized technology performed a variety of roles. American airmen benefited from the years of Allied combat experience. Fighter pilots became national heroes. In their fast, single-seat pursuit planes, Flying Aces battled to control the skies over France and to increase their personal tallies of kills. A pilot was considered a flying ace when he shot down five enemy enemies. Less celebrated flyers carried out dangerous work. Reconnaissance, artillery observation, and ground attack missions directly affected the battlefield, and airpower became a permanent part of modern strategy. General William "Billy" Mitchell commanded the Air Service, and became known for his innovative, strategic thinking. South Carolinians participated in the air war as well as the ground fighting. Kiffin Rockwell flew a French fighter in the famed Lafayette Escadrille. He became the first American to shoot down an enemy plane in air combat -- and died in an air battle before the United States entered the war. Elliot White Springs, who later developed Springs Industries, and John Donaldson were two other prominent American fighter pilots from South Carolina. Major Harrison Saunders, of Sumter, commanded the 12th Aero Squadron.
6. RELICW_071205_052.JPG: 81st Division: The "Wildcat" Division: The 81st Division trained at Camp Jackson, now Fort Jackson, outside Columbia, South Carolina. Its troops came from Florida, Puerto Rico, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The division gained its nicknames, the "Wildcat" Division, from training near Wildcat Creek at Fort Jackson. While on tour of the Western Front in 1918, Brigadier General Charles J. Bailey noticed European soldiers with unit insignia. Returning to the United States, he had the 81st Division design a patch based on the "wildcat" theme. The idea of unit patches caught the attention of other divisions. General Pershing granted the Wildcat Division permission to wear their patches and encouraged other units to develop their own insignia, telling the 81st, "All right. Go ahead and wear it. And see that you live up to it!" When the division arrived in France in August 1918, it served on the quiet Vosges front near St. Die. The 81st saw action from November 7-11, 1918 on the front east of Sommedieue, east of Verdun. They captured 101 prisoners and advanced 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles) against the enemy. The division lost 251 killed and 973 wounded during its time on the Western Front. Although the 81st did not experience the American Expeditionary Force's (AEF) heaviest fighting during the war, they earned a reputation for organization and discipline.
7. RELICW_071205_053.JPG: 30th Division: The "Old Hickory" Division: The 30th Division formed from Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina National Guard units. This division trained at Camp Sevier in Greenville, South Carolina, and adopted the nickname "Old Hickory" Division after President Andrew Jackson, since he was born near the South Carolina and North Carolina line and rose to prominence in Tennessee. In May 1918, the 30th Division headed to the Western Front attached to the British Army. Arriving on the frontlines, their youthful enthusiasm contrasted sharply with the battle-hardened English troops. After two months in the Belgian trenches, the American troops experienced the shock of modern warfare, when they served in the Ypres-Lys offensive and the Somme offensive. The division's supreme test occurred when they helped break the Hindenburg Line on the Somme front on September 29, 1918. The Old Hickory Division spent fifty-six days in active sectors and none in quiet sectors. The unit captured 3,848 prisoners and advanced 29.5 kilometers (18.3 miles), but the time in the trenches was hard on the soldiers, the 30th Division sustaining 1,629 battle deaths and 7,325 wounded (approximately 32% combat casualties for the unit). On November 18, 1918, Colonel Orrin Wolfe, commander of the 116th Infantry, 30th Division, wrote proudly, "In this day of victory we record our deep springing sorrow for our comrades who have given their lives to the cause, what they have done will be remembered as long as America honors value."
8. RELICW_071205_061.JPG: Artillery: "The Monstrous Anger of the Guns": The Great War was an artillery war like no other. Breakthroughs in ballistic science, improved weapons technology, and the sheer volume of bombardment increased the effectiveness of artillery. Infantry attacks were preceded by massive artillery actions, and creeping barrages hammered enemy defenses in front of advancing soldiers. Soldiers quickly learned to distinguish the varieties of shellfire by sound. "Some shells whistled," explained a British soldier, "others shrieked, others wobbled through space... so all the day you listened, calculated, hoped or despaired..." American artillerists were sent to France without weapons, and fought will more modern French and British guns. Since lack of artillery expertise was among the American Expeditionary Force's (AEF) greatest weaknesses, American troops were usually supported by the artillery of Allied nations, with American artillery subordinated to British or French command. By the final offensive, however, American artillerists manned 2,216 guns of all sizes, firing 350,000 rounds daily. The additional manpower provided by American soldiers was crucial to the Allied artillery in the war's final offensive.
9. RELICW_071205_068.JPG: The American Red Cross: "The Rose of No Man's Land": Even before America's entry into the Great War, service organizations had begun sending aid to Europe and developing infrastructure for the possible American was effort. President Woodrow Wilson, honorary chairman of the Red Cross, encouraged Americans to volunteer for the Red Cross and other and other organizations such as the YMCA, Salvation Army, and Hebrew Benevolence Society. These organizations assisted soldiers and civilians in America and Europe. The Red Cross and the American military worked together to fund and develop fully-staffed mobile paramilitary hospitals. They organized fifty-four overseas hospitals and four hospitals in the United States. Some female nurses enlisted in the Red Cross while others enlisted with the Army Nurse Corps or Navy Nurse Corps, making the exact number of nurses serving overseas difficult to determine. Red Cross medical assignments were supposed to keep women out of frontline combat. However, as the lines of trench warfare shifted, Red Cross workers often found themselves in danger. Eve Parmalee, a nurse in Base Hospital Number Five, reported: "After a deafening report, I found myself in the ditch. The choking, sulfurous smell and the noise made me feel as if I were being stirred up in a great bowl of reeking gunpowder... I escaped with two tiny face wounds and a black eye, though shrapnel had torn my skirt and apron and cut away my wrist watch so that only the strap remained." Approximately 400 American Red Cross workers, 330 women and 70 men, lost their lives in the line of service.
10. RELICW_071205_073.JPG: 371st Regiment: The "Bloody Hand" Division: On August 31, 1917, the 371st Regiment formed, consisting of African-American draftees mostly from South Carolina and their white officers. Initially, the regiment organized at Camp Jackson and trained as part of the 81st Division. The regiment joined other black regiments in the 93rd Division. Once arriving on the Western Frontline April 1918, the 93rd Division was placed under the command of the French Army because of their desperate need for new troops, and also out of fear that racial tension might erupt between black and white American soldiers. The French renumbered the 371st Regiment the 157th Regiment. Colonel Hayward of the 369th (93rd Division) derisively explained the relationship between the black troops and the French: "Our great American general simply put the black orphan in a basket set it on the doorstep of the French, pulled the bell and walked away. I said this to a French colonel... and he said 'weelcome leetle black babie.'" The 371st served northwest of Verdun and then participated in the September 1918 Champagne Offensive at Cote 188, Bussy Ferme, Ardeuil, Montfauxelles, and Trieres Farm. The regiment captured prisoners, weapons, supplies, railroad cars, and shot down three German airplanes. On February 3, 1919, the regiment sailed from Brest on the USS Leviathan, reaching the United States eight days later. The regiment disbanded on February 28, 1919. The 371st sustained 108 killed in action, 8967 wounded, and 31 mortally wounded (approximately 42% combat casualties for the regiment).
11. RELICW_071205_078.JPG: Bloody Hand Patches and Blue Helmet Patch: The 93rd Division had two insignias. The first was the Bloody Hand patch. The US Army thought this patch was too gruesome and developed the French Helmet patch, which honored the division's connection to the French Army.
12. RELICW_071205_086.JPG: Did You Know? Gen. Pershing's nickname was "Black Jack" Pershing because he served as an officer of an African-American regiment (10 US Cavalry) during the Spanish-American War.
13. RELICW_071205_088.JPG: Who were the Doughboys? "Doughboy" was the nickname for United States soldiers serving in the AEF. The term "Doughboy" largely replaced "Yank" and "Sammie" (after Uncle Sam) during WWI. The term first appeared during the Mexican War (1846-1847). Military scholars debate the nickname's origin. One theory attributes the nickname to the method infantrymen used to cook flour rations. Another idea credits the shape of the infantryman's uniform buttons. Others believe the pipe clay soldiers used to polish their buttons encouraged the nickname. However, many agree that "doughboy" probably emerged from infantry's marches through the Mexican landscape. The dust that coated the soldiers was said to resemble local adobe clay. Although the doughboy nickname had specified nineteenth-century infantrymen, it grew as a popular name for all AEF soldiers. When the United States entered the Great War in April 1917, the nation faced an enormous task to arm, clothe, and equip the AEF. The Central Equipage Division handled the huge manufacturing effort to supply troops. This division recruited industries and standardized production of materials. Out-of-date arms, equipment, and uniforms were modified and pressed into service. Contractors produced new supplies. The AEF often modeled arms, equipment, and uniforms after British and French examples.
14. RELICW_071205_092.JPG: US M1917 Helmet: The US did not have a standard issue helmet until 1917. In 1917 the US chose to model the British helmet design. The British developed the Brodie-style helmet in a bowl shape to protect soldiers from falling shrapnel and fragments. The American Sheet and Tin Plate Co (now US Steel) rolled the steel for the US helmets and then different companies stamped them into the famous bowl shape. Shoe manufacturers produced helmet liners.
15. RELICW_071205_095.JPG: Did You Know? During the first year of WWI (1914-1915), none of the fighting armies were equipped with steel helmets.
16. RELICW_071205_102.JPG: The Enemy: The German Army in 1918: Between March and July 1918, before significant numbers of Americans arrived at the front, the German Army nearly won the war. By October, that same German Army was on the verge of collapse. In 1914, the German Army was the most powerful in the world and its troops were motivated by a strong sense of nationalism. The allies inflicted millions of casualties on the Germans between 1915 and 1917, but failed to break the German front. The United States' declaration of war in April 1917 brought the threat of eventual defeat to the Germans. However, the collapse of Russia into revolution allowed Germany to shift most of its veteran forces in the east to the Western Front. In March 1918, the United States still had no significant number of troops on the Western Front, but Germany was ready to strike. Between March and July, the Germans launched a series of massive offensives along the Western Front, breaking the British and French line in several places. In each case, the allies were able to patch together a line that held. In July and August 1918, the French and British began the great counteroffensive that would win the war in November, and American troops were finally involved in large numbers. The Germans had used up their resources in their own offenses, and they were too weak to maintain an effective defense along the entire front. The German Army that South Carolinians encountered in the summer and fall of 1918 was a much-depleted and degraded version of the powerful force deployed in March, but it was still a tenacious and deadly enemy.
17. RELICW_071205_105.JPG: Rifles of the AEF
18. RELICW_071205_109.JPG: Rifles of the AEF: Like their predecessors in the Civil War, American soldiers in WWI carried rifles developed by the Springfield and Enfield companies. However, their improved actions offered a far superior rate of fire. The standard rifle of the United States Army at the time of American entry into the war was the Model 1903 Springfield, a .30 caliber weapon weighing 8 pounds 11 ounces. Its bolt-action design was inspired by the Mauser rifles carried by enemy soldiers in the Spanish-American War, and its "Cartridge Ball, .30, Model 1906" became better known as the "Thirty Aught Six." A box magazine held five bullets, and was easily reloaded by the use of a "stripper clip." The Model 1903 remained in American service in various capacities into the 1960s; its reliable bolt-action and impressive accuracy made it an ideal sniper's weapon. Government plants were unable to produce Springfield 1903 rifles in the quantities necessary to quickly equip the AEF, so other rifles saw general service among American soldiers. The 30th Division carried the British Mk III Short Magazine Lee-Enfield, affectionately nicknamed the "Smelly. The SMLE's ten-round magazine allowed an impressive rate of fire, and its .303 ammunition simplified supply problems as Americans cooperated with British and Australian troops. Another Enfield design variation, the .30 cal. M1917, was manufactured in the United States by the Remington and Winchester companies and known as the "American Enfield." The Enfield replaced the Springfield as the main Doughboy rifle. However, the Army decided to keep the 1903 Springfield as its standard service weapon after the war, putting its Enfields into storage or selling them as surplus. Some American Enfields would eventually be shipped to Great Britain as "Lend-Lease" weapons for WWII.
19. RELICW_071205_118.JPG: US Marines: The Devil Dogs of Belleau Wood: The United States Marine Corps had less than 5,000 personnel serving in scattered detachments across the globe at the end of the Spanish-American War. During WWI the Corps expanded to more than 75,000 men and its military role evolved into a major combat service employed in full-scale land operations independent of the Navy. Marines were sent to France with the AEF and were formed into the 4th Marine Corps Brigade, consisting of two regiments. This force, commanded by Army Brigadier General James Harbord, served with the AEF's 2nd Division at the battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918. The 4th Brigade helped capture the heavily-defended Belleau Wood after thirty-one days of constant fighting in which 1,062 Marines (and 748 soldiers) were killed. General Pershing asserted, "Our men proved their superiority, and gained a strong tactical position with far greater loss to the enemy than to ourselves." In honor of the American victory, the French renamed the forest the "Bois de la Brigade de Marine." An official German report called the Marines "vigorous, self-confident, remarkable marksmen." According to legend, the Germans dubbed them "leufelschunde" -- "devil dogs," a nickname soon adopted by the Marines themselves. Marines served in other engagements on the Western Front, as well as in other roles ranging from aviation to shipboard detachments. By the end of the war, Marines had firmly established a reputation for fierce fighting.
20. RELICW_071205_121.JPG: M1917 Trench Knife: Designed for close combat, the trench knife featured a knuckle guard and triangular cross-section blade.
21. RELICW_071205_166.JPG: The United States Navy: "They will not even come..." "They will not even come because our submarines will sink them. Thus American from a military point of view means nothing, and again nothing and for a third time nothing," Admiral Capelle, Secretary of State for the Navy, assured the German parliament on January 31, 1917. When Germany enacted unrestricted submarine warfare, American neutrality ended. The German government believed that their ships and submarines would effectively stop any transportation of American troops and supplies to the Allies. To combat German submarines, the American and British Navies instituted an effective system of convoys to protect the transport of troops and supplies. No American transports were sunk. However, the constant threat of submarines combined with poor conditions on ships affected the soldiers' morale. Sergeant Robert Gonzales lamented, "'Out of site, out of mind' doesn't apply to the submarine." With more American men in combat, the Navy Department enlisted women to perform jobs such as clerks, translators, draftsmen, fingerprint experts, recruiting agents, and nurses with overseas hospitals. Female yeomen, called yeomanettes, had the distinction of being the first women enlisted into the United States military. During the war, the Navy grew from 70,000 men to 538,000 men and women.
22. RELICW_071205_207.JPG: The Trenches: In the first weeks of the war on the Western Front, the opposing armies often fought battles entirely in the open. Two factors combined to put a swift and bloody end to this 19th century mode of warfare. First, the firepower of armies using magazine rifles, machine guns, and modern artillery was too far deadly to permit extended exposure to the enemy. Second, the armies on the Western Front in 1914 were enormous. Forces numbering in millions were able to form a continuous front from the English Channel to the Swiss border. In the fall of 1914, the armies dug in all along the Western Front. Trenches were never simple, linear ditches -- in plan they were usually very complex networks of fire trenches and communications trenches, all deliberately irregular in outline. The irregularities were designed to match both the terrain and the enemy front, and for added protection. Trenches never ran more than a few yards without turning -- they were heavily angled or "zig-zagged" to limit the effects of enemy fire. Given sufficient time and resources, trenches might be improved with sand bags, timbers, sheet iron, and even concrete. Regardless of such reinforcement, there was a constant battle with the weather (and sometimes with enemy fire) to keep the trench usable. In wet weather, trenches were muddy if not completely flooded, and enormous amounts of labor were devoted to drainage projects. Even without enemy action, the weather, rats, lice, garbage, excrement, and often human remains combined to make life miserable in the trenches.
23. RELICW_071205_208.JPG: Trench warfare
24. RELICW_071205_214.JPG: Downtime on the Front: The stress of frontline bombardments and boredom of downtime between engagements in the trenches wore soldiers' nerves. Most soldiers soon became desensitized or emotionally numb after prolonged exposure in the trenches or after fighting in their first offensive. Soldiers became desperate for distraction. The Red Cross, YMCA, and Salvation Army helped by providing books and writing materials. Soldiers engaged in gambling and card play as well as sports. One soldier in the 30th Division recalled that, "For amusement the men played baseball, but frequently the games were interrupted by fragments of shells which fell all around the diamond." When relieved of trench duty, troops drilled constantly to keep fresh on army maneuvers and weaponry. However, troops were usually billeted in villages and farm complexes when not in the line. By the time the AEF arrived in France and Belgium, many of the civilians had evacuated their villages in fear of their lives. The Allied forces transformed towns into military areas, using the buildings as living stations, hospitals, and organization headquarters, and army supply depots. Despite the militarization, the towns provided a refreshing break from the mud and barbed wire of the trenches.
25. RELICW_071205_229.JPG: Gas Alarm: Soldiers would spin the alarm's wooden handle to make a loud clacking noise, alerting fellow soldiers of a gas attack.
26. RELICW_071205_234.JPG: Fighting in the Trenches: Trench warfare developed in France and Belgium when German and Allied forces failed to outflank one another. In fall 1914, trenches served as defensive works and the space between enemies became known as No Man's Land. No Man's Land separated enemies by both short and long distances. Trench warfare prevailed from September 1914 to October 1918. Trench warfare created a static line of defense along which each side sought to break the enemy lines. Breakthroughs captured troops and disrupted supply lines. Early in the war, large infantry offensives into No Man's Land were common, yet rarely successful. Trenches were usually quite during the day and required constant reinforcement due to weather and shelling. Night attacked eventually emerged. Automatic rifles and crew-operated machine guns inflicted heavy damages on both sides. Captain Frank J. Jervey, a Clemson graduate, wrote his sweetheart, "I was wounded 6 times in the last battle... I should be able to write myself were it not that my right arm is broken with a machine gun bullet. I will bring you that for a souvenir." Trench warfare grew less stagnant late in the war. Communication improvements, artillery and infantry firepower, and new tactics employing tanks and air support combined to break down trench warfare on the Western Front. Soldiers used shell holes for cover and moved form one hole to another during advances upon the enemy. Trench fighting gave way to open field combat by 1918.
27. RELICW_071205_235.JPG: Chemical Warfare: Chemical warfare inflicted new torments on soldiers. Many gas attack survivors suffered throughout their lives. Soldiers in gas zones were ordered to keep their gas masks nearby at all times and often gas-proofed dugouts. Weekly and sometimes daily inspections of protective gear were common. Men had to dispose of contaminated good and clothing after a gas attack. Both sides used various poison gases. The most dreaded gases were chlorine Cl2, phosgene COC12, diphosgene ClC02CCl3, and mustard gas (C1CH2CH2)2S. Chlorine could kill or cause lung damage. Phosgene and diphosgene were deadlier gases which also attacked the respiratory system. Many gas masks could not filter diphosgene. Mustard gas blistered exposed skin and could linger for long periods. Although poison gas was one of WWI soldiers' greatest fears, it only caused 4% of combat deaths.
28. RELICW_071205_242.JPG: Chemical warfare
29. RELICW_071205_250.JPG: Breakthrough! WWI in France was a series of Allied and German strategic operations designed to break through enemy trench lines to final victory. In the autumn of 1918, South Carolina's soldiers took a lead role in the breakthrough which finally ended the war. Allied war plans assumed that fighting would continue into 1919, yet the German Army was far weaker than intelligence indicated. A final massive attack was enough to shatter, it. South Carolina doughboys helped achieve that goal during the assault on the Hindenburg Line. The Allied "Hundred Days Offensive" in the autumn of 1918 sought to crush an important section of the German defenses. A hundred-mile-long trench system across northeastern France, the Hindenburg Line was fortified with concrete bunkers, barbed wire, minefields, and interlocking machine gun positions. Tunnels allowed German reinforcements to safely move to threatened areas. German Generals Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff had great confidence in this supposedly impregnable fortification. However, improved technology and fresh troops overwhelmed the German Army at last. In an attack that lasted from September 18 to October 5, 1918, British, Australian, and American forces broke through and cleared the entire Hindenburg Line. Germany acknowledged defeat. The war ended with the signing of the armistice a month later. In this final assault, South Carolinians of the 118th Infantry regiment earned an astonishing six Congressional Medals of Honor in the "Hundred Days Offensive." James Dozier, Gary Foster, Thomas Hall, Richard Hilton, John Billepegue and James Heriot were awarded the nation's highest decoration for bravery "above and beyond the call of duty." Heriot and Hall received their medals posthumously.
30. RELICW_071205_255.JPG: The Allied Offensive July-November 1918
31. RELICW_071205_257.JPG: Congressional Medal of Honor for James Heriot
32. RELICW_071205_264.JPG: Congressional Medal of Honor for James Heriot
33. RELICW_071205_271.JPG: "The Ghosts We Leave": The Legacy of the Great War: On Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, troops along the Western Front quietly pull down their weapons at 11:00am and looked across the desolate "No Man's Land." Americans and European flocked to the streets to celebrate the end of hostilities. After the celebrations ended, the war's results appeared devastating. A staggering 20 million civilians and soldiers were dead. Areas of Belgium and France were uninhabitable. Several governments collapsed under the pressures of the Great War, transforming the globe politically. Allied countries were demanding severe reparations from Germany. President Woodrow Wilson faced the unenviable task of stabilizing Europe while consoling the families of the 116,516 American war dead. Americans lauded the returning soldiers as heroes and held parades in their honor. Approximately 64,739 men and women from South Carolina had served during the Great War. Of these, around 2,085 troops died in the service of their country. Americans largely viewed the sacrifice as a necessary defense of American freedom and international democracy in the face of threats by the Central Powers. During the years following the war, the United States became a recognized world power. American communities dedicated monuments to their doughboys, and veterans formed reunion groups in order to tell the world about the experience of what they firmly hoped had been the "War to End All Wars." In less than twenty years the political upheaval and diplomatic shortcomings in the wake of the Great War would spiral into the Second World War.
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.) I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
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Photo Contact: [Email Bruce Guthrie].