Museum for the history of world war i. It is a global museum. We talk about all of the belligerents that were involved in world war i. It is not just about the United States during the war, but everything from the summer of 1914 to the peace treaty of june 1919. Our collection is the most comprehensive collection of world war i materials in the world. It is not the largest, but it is comprehensive in that we do deal with all nations that were involved in the war. Were not just centric to the country that were located in. In the museum when youre going through the exhibitions you see about 10 of the Museum Collection at any one time. The rest we use for research, for references, for loans to other institutions, and just to make sure that we have an encyclopedic collection of the war. When we are teaching about the history of it we want to cover everything from point a to point z. Where im standing right now is in front of a wall that depicts the various Shoulder Sleeve Insignia worn by the American Expeditionary forces in world war i. These were used to identify the units and also to create a feeling of elan, a feeling of belonging to a particular unit. Our visitors are fascinated with the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, but they were not really worn until after the war. Any time you see insignia on a uniform from the war on the american uniform, theyre post armistice of 1918. They were developed by the units and by the American Expeditionary forces to represent the Great Variety of americans that served in the war. About 4,800,000 americans were in uniform by the end of the war in june of 1919. To illustrate the variety of insignia that were worn on the american uniforms weve now moved over to the model 1917 u. S. Service coats that were worn by the majority of the soldiers in the army during the war. One of the insignias that im standing by is the standing buffalo. This was a very important insignia and it was worn by the africanamerican soldiers of the 92nd division, and there were two africanamerican divisions in the war, 92nd and 93rd. Both of them were segregated from the rest of the army. Most of the soldiers, of course, were africanamericans and most of the officers were caucasians. Even though they fought alongside their compatriots in the war and fought along especially along with the french during the war, they were segregated and were not treated very well throughout the course of the war. As we progress through the museum into the rest of the american section, were going to look at a special exhibition dealing with American Women Service in the war and showing some of their uniforms that they wore. A lot of people dont realize that american women were in uniform during world war i, and so well go over and take a look at those. I am now in front of an exhibition case that shows many of the uniforms in our collection from american Womens Service during the war. One in particular that i would point out is the recent acquisition to the museum. This is from a woman who was in the United States signal corps telephone operator. These were women who volunteered for service with the signal corps to operate the telephone exchanges in france and in other places, and women were especially wanted for this duty because in the states most of the operators were women, and a lot of the young women who were asked to volunteer for this service, they also spoke french. So they communicated between the french and the american units. Even though they served in the United States signal corps and were basically in the army, they did not receive veteran status until 1977. It is one of the black eyes really of american activity during world war i, is that these women served and served this country honorably but were not accorded full veteran status until 1977. While were looking at uniforms, were going to go look at two uniforms that were worn by the same individual for two countries at war during world war i. One of the interesting things about world war i is that sometimes the lines were blurred about country allegiances and who really supported which countries during the war. But in two uniforms that we have in the National World war i museum and memorial really exemplify this very clearly. There was a soldier from the german controlled part of denmark named krist kristin nickolisan. When the war started because of where he lived he was forced basically into the german army. He served in the german army until his brother was killed on the eastern front. He basically got on the train in full uniform, went back to denmark and disappeared. His family hid the uniform and his rifle and all of his acoutrements. Then in 1917 right before the United States entered the war he went to live with his brother who was in connecticut at the time, and he got on basically the last ship out of denmark heading for the United States before the United States entered the war. And then he was working in connecticut. He took part in the Selective Service act of the United States and was drafted in the United States service. So his uniform as a United States soldier is also shown here next to his german uniform. He basically ended up near the same place in france that he had been as a german soldier two years before. Just the incredible feeling that he was there serving, he de certificated, went to the United States and went back with the United States soldiers to serve with the American Expeditionary forces during the war. To have both of these uniforms to survive and become part of the Museum Collection i think is a pretty interesting thing to have happened. As i mentioned earlier, the africanamericans who served in the war were in two combat divisions, the 92nd and the 93rd. Were going to go take a look at some of their equipment. Probably one of the most famous africanamericans units during the war was the 369th infantry regiment. They were known as the harlem heel fighters and the fighting rattlesnakes. In the exhibition you can see their soldier sleeve insignia of the fighting rattlesnakes. It came from the 15th New York National guard, and when the u. S. Troops were federalized it became part of the 93rd division. When they got to france, the french were in dire need of support, and pershing lent out two of the regiments of the 93rd division and they were fighting along the martin river and they established a reputation there as incredible fighters. One man, henry johnson, was the first africanamericans to receive any medal on the american side during the war, and he received one, and they were one of the most highly decorated units in the war. Another aspect of their history was their band leader, james reese europe, and he created a band out of musicians of the 369th, and they were really credited with bringing jazz to the people of france. He also had an incredible feeling for how music would affect the soldiers in entertaining them as well as the civilians. Of course, the commander of the American Expeditionary forces was general john j. Pershing, who during his earlier career, especially in the west, did command africanamericans troops. Were going to step over and look at his headquarters flag which flew over his headquarters in france. General john j. Pershing was from a little town in missouri not far from the National World war i museum and memorial, and this was his headquarters flag. In 1918, a society of wellsly College Awarded him an honor, making him a member of a society. This was important to him because his wife frankie was a member of that society, and she and his three daughters died in a fire at the presidio in San Francisco three years before that and he had not gotten over mourning the loss of his wife frankie and his daughters. One of the Agora Society made him an honorary member he was so touched that he sent them this flag so that they would have that as a remembrance of frankie. And then a few years ago one of the trustees of Wellesley College got it donated from the college to the museum here, and it has held a place of pride ever since. One of the tools that general john j. Pershing had at his disposal was one of the first tanks developed during the war. They were used on a limited basis in 196, but by 1917 they came into their own. The french twoman tank behind me, called the ft17 for its production year, it was one of the main battle tanks used by the americans during the latter year of the war, especially in 1918 at the battle of zargon. It is interesting when you think about the people that came out of the war that became part of our society after world war i, of course pershing, but the tank commander of the American Tank force who developed it, his name was george s. Patton and became famous for the next war that followed. There was also a fellow training american foot in pennsylvania in the operation of tanks, and his name was dwight eisenhower. Captain eisenhower was also involved in the use of tanks during world war i. The 37 millimeter gun thats on this tank was used in attacking boxes and fortification and machine gun nests. They had a machine gun and they had the actual. 37 millimeter gun thats in our tank here in the museum. This tank is one of three known french ft17 tanks known to exist that were battle damaged. This tank was hit by a german. 77 millimeter shell, and luckily for us to have it still here, it was a shrapnel shell that hit against the tank and not a high explosive shell which would have destroyed the tanks. We dont know what happened to the crew, but we know three of the men that work on this tank trying to repair it, and one of them was from kansas city. They signed their names actually on the inside of the drivers patches on the tank. And the ft17 tank also played an Important Role in one of the most famous heroes of world war i that were going to look at. Next to his name was john lewis barkley, one of 120 americans awarded the medal of honor for their actions in world war i. John louis barkley was in the Third Division of the American Expeditionary forces. On october 8, 1918 he was acting as a forward observer and he realized that there was a whole german regiment that was going to go around him if he did not reveal himself, and that he basically came up with a plan to protect his regiment. He climbed inside an abandoned french ft17 tank, took a german machine gun that was laying about and he knew how to repair it, being a scout, and he let the germans go by him, and in the ensuing battle there were he killed at least 200, maybe 240 germans, and saved his regiment from being attacked from the rear. When he left the tank, he only had a couple of burns on his uniform from bullets, and when they went back after the battle to look at the tank and to assess what he had done, they found over 4,000 expended cartridges in the tank. For his actions of that day, thinking of no one but his own men, he was awarded the medal of honor. And after the war he became quite a celebrity. He was in new york with the publication of a book that he wrote about his time in world war i called no hard feelings at the time and he was approached by a Famous Artist whose name was Howard Candler kristy. He wanted to paint a portrait of barkley at that time in the early 1930s. This was the portrait painted by christie of barkley in his National Guard uniform at the time. Also in the exhibition we have all of barkleys medals including the medal of honor that he was awarded for his actions. The other connection with barkley was that he was also a trustee of our museum in the 1960s, and his daughter was also a trustee and she was the person who donated all of the barkley materials to the museum. One of the other incredible pieces of our collection is a model 1917 Harley Davidson motorcycle that was used by the army. Were going to go take a look at it now. When the United States entered the war in april of 1917, they needed ways to communicate among the different troops, and so they went and purchased a lot of motorcycles. Motorcycles were used for messengers, they were used for troops that were guarding intersections of roads, and they were also used with side cars to transport officers. What we have in this National World war i museum and memorial is a model 1917 army Harley Davidson. It is painted with the army colors, and it is all original exempt for a few of the running parts. This harley had quite a history even after the war. During the war it was used both by the americans and the british, and after the war it was sold as surplus in england to fill in the british inventory at that time. It was purchased by a fellow who basically rode it as his transportation until the early 1950s. From there it went to another fellow who kept it, and then it came to the United States to a collector, and then we acquired it from that collector in 2006 and it became part of the exhibition here in the museum, and we really see Harley Davidson with basically the same appearance as it was in 1917 is a pretty incredible thing. The next thing were going to see on exhibition is another vehicle that was used by the United States during the war, and it was a model 1918 ford ambulance. Before the United States entered the war on april 6th, 1917, americans had been volunteering both to serve in humanitarian efforts and to help the war efforts, especially of the allied nations. American volunteers really went into action before america became a belligerent by driving ambulances for the french and the british. And by doing so helped save many of those soldiers lives. They often went over with donations of ambulances from american societies that wanted to support their volunteer efforts. The ambulance here in the museum is a model 1918 ford model t, and the volunteers who drove the early ambulances and really until the United States got involved they were in primarily the American Field Service. The American Field Service was organized in late 1914, and the ambulances started driving out to pick up wounded soldiers. The American Field Service is still in existence today, although it is it goes by the letters of ass, and it primarily is involved with students, Exchange Students coming to the United States from other countries. The next piece were going to look at is a french. 75 millimeter cannon. Of course, during the war the terminology for cannon and artillery pieces was gun. This was a gun that was used during the action. Although it was a french cannon or gun, it was also used by americans during the war, including a local captain from the kansas city area who became famous after the war. His name was harry truman. When the United States entered the war in 1917, the army was not prepared to fight in an international war. One of the things they were lacking besides a number of men was also artillery. World war i was a war of artillery. 60 of the battlefield deaths were caused by artillery, by the projectiles that were fired over the battlefield. So when the americans went over to france, they primarily used french artillery pieces. One of the major ones was the french. 75 millimeter gun. It was advanced for its time. It had an incredible recoil system. So when the gun was fired, the barrel actually moved and the gun stayed in place so it didnt have to constantly be readjusted. When the americans, of course, started using these, they used four guns in a battery. A battery was commanded by a captain. One of the batteries in the 129th Field Artillery in france was from independence, missouri. His name was captain harry s. Truman. Harry truman, of course, went on to become the president of the United States, and he often said what he learned during world war i helped him throughout the rest of his career. But one of the interesting things about the. 75 besides just being an incredible field piece was that in france, of course, it was pronounced for. 75. The dough boys, the american soldiers in world war i they usually pronounced it in their style. So to them the gun was called the sausage pan. The french. 75 millimeter gun we have here at the museum was acquired as a gift from the people of france in the 1980s the french ambassador visited the museum and wondered why the museum did not have a. 75 which, of course, was their symbol of their actions during the war. It was told they wield been looking for a long time for one, was not able to acquire one. He went back to france, found and original. 75 millimeter gun, had it restored and shipped to kansas city a gift from the people of france. I have been the curator here at the National World war i museum and memorial since 1990, and in that time i have developed an incredible passion