Ancient remains of the village, Fey-en-Haye,
in the St. Mihiel battlefield
Press release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – World War I was
the first “modern” war as industry enabled weapons and explosives to be
manufactured in vast quantities that brought death and destruction on a scale
never previously experienced by mankind.
American Sergeant
Charles S. Stevenson wrote, “Machine guns, rifles, shells, aeroplanes, and
tanks — everything you read about — I saw ‘em all. We followed the first line
(the attacking party) for twelve hours and ours was a sort of 'after the
battle' review. I saw all kinds of German trenches, barbed wire entanglements,
busted houses, burning trees, deep shell holes, torn-up railroad tracks,
peaceful gardens, dynamited bridges.”
American 30.06 caliber unfired rifle clips in the Meuse Argonne “Pocket”
where the so-called “Lost Battalion” fought its gallant action.
The experience of
American soldiers in the Great War is documented in a free outdoor special
centennial exhibition, Fields of Battle, Lands of Peace:
The Doughboys, 1917-1918, which debuts Friday, March
31 in the Museum’s Memorial Courtyard. The exhibition features the incredible
contemporary photographs of Michael St Maur Sheil, depicting the battlefields
of the Western Front where the Doughboys fought. The exhibition, co-curated by
the Museum, opens in conjunction with the centennial of American entry into the
Great War and is the first large-scale exhibition of Sheil’s work in the U.S.
His prior exhibitions have been seen by more than five million people across
the world.
In addition, a
second edition of the exhibition debuts at Guildhall Yard, the site of London’s
historic Roman Amphitheatre, on April 6. The exhibition then shifts to the U.S.
Embassy in London at Grosvenor Square (April 28-May 12) before traveling
throughout the United Kingdom during the course of the year, including stops in
Liverpool, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff.
Relic German stick grenade in the U.S. action areas
in the Champagne region
“Through this exhibition, we trace the journey of the American forces in 1917 and 1918, and commemorate their efforts,” said National World War I Museum and Memorial Senior Curator Doran Cart. “It is both beautiful and poignant work and serves as another example of our commitment to understanding World War I and its enduring impact.”
When the United
States entered the cataclysm of the war to become known as World War I, the
global conflict had consumed many nations since 1914 and continued for years. The
Armistice of Nov. 11, 1918 halted the fighting on the Western Front.
The Western Front
the American forces saw when they arrived and until they returned home included
scenes of environmental degradation, obliterated villages, vast cemeteries, and
continuing massive destruction. Much of the landscape of the Western Front
looked like an uninhabited planet very foreign to them.
“The U.S.
involvement in the First World War was a hugely significant factor,” said
Sheil, whose work has been featured in National Geographic and Time
magazine. “Today, it is often overlooked, but it was a New World coming to the
aid of an Old World, from which many of the young American soldiers – as first
generation immigrants – had sought to escape. Their humanitarian effort in
supplying and shipping over seven million tons of food to save the peoples of
Belgium and northern France from starvation marked the advent of America as a
united nation.”
Fields of Battle,
Lands of Peace: The Doughboys, 1917-1918, is open through Aug. 20,
2017 at the Museum. The exhibition is presented by the Aon Foundation with
additional support provided by Edward Jones, PNC Financial Services Group and
Park University. The U.K. version is presented by the Aon Foundation in
partnership with the U.S. Embassy.
In conjunction
with the March 31 opening, the Museum is hosting a free reception and panel
discussion featuring Sheil, Cart and Museum President and CEO Dr. Matthew
Naylor on Friday, March 31. The reception, which begins at 5 p.m., features a
free drink and complimentary light hors d’oeuvres with entertainment from jazz
musician Bram Wijnands and his trio. The panel discussion follows at 6 p.m.
Individuals interested in attending may RSVP at theworldwar.org
Info:
National World War I Museum and Memorial
2 Memorial Drive | Kansas City, MO | 64108
Office: 816.888.8122
Cell: 352.278.0522
theworldwar.org 