Introduction to World War I

The initial group of military timeline reports are focused on those who served in the military during World War I. A number of these individuals were residents of Templeton when I was a boy. It is important to revisit a brief history of that conflict as well as the environment in which it occurred.

In the years leading to World War I, various alliances were formed by the primary European powers. The primary powers were Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the Austro-Hungarian empire. The alliances often seemed to be more about what was good for the respective royal families than for the people of the countries.

Bosnia-Herzegovina had been annexed by the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1908. The capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina was Sarajevo. On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian empire, was visiting Sarajevo when he and his wife Sophie were assassinated by a Bosnian Serb hoping to gain independence for Bosnia-Herzegovina. Later that summer, the Austro-Hungarian empire declared war on Serbia. Russia promptly entered the war in defense of Serbia with which it had an alliance. Germany, which had an alliance with the Austro-Hungarian empire, declared war on Russia. Finally, France and Britain honored their alliance with Russia and declared war on Germany.

By late 1914, all the principal players were at war and many other countries joined as the conflict progressed. The United States did not enter the war until early 1917. This was also about the time Russia dropped out of the conflict due to its own internal problems culminating with the Bolshevik revolution. The main impact of the United States was not felt until 1918 when the bulk of the US troops arrived. By late fall, it was apparent Germany had been defeated and the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918.

The United States had anticipated the need to enter the war and passed the Selective Service Act of 1917 to institute a draft. All draft age men registered at the county level and received a number. As the US required troops, the states were levied for a certain number of troops which were further allocated to the counties. The county draft officials then drew enough numbers to fill their allotment. Carroll County boys selected were contacted and told to be available at the train station in Carroll on a certain date. As a result, groups of Templeton boys were often inducted with other Carroll County boys.

It is significant to remember that many of these soldiers had travelled very little in their young lives. Also, automobiles were in their infancy, there was no radio or television and the telephone system was limited. Information was obtained primarily by newspaper or word of mouth and long-distance travel was exclusively by train. The new enemy of these soldiers was, in many cases, the country their parents had been born in and emigrated from. In fact, it was reported that Carroll County had the third highest percentage of residents with German heritage of all the counties in the United States trailing only one county in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin.

With this backdrop, these Templeton boys set off on their great adventure. By the summer of 1918, over 50 boys from Templeton were in the military.