Greatest Recruiting Posters of the Great War

The need for millions of soldiers for "The Great War" (later renamed World War One) lead to the creation of one of the most iconic recruiting posters in American history the "Uncle Sam, I Want You" poster by famed illustrator Jame Montgomery Flagg.

 Most Americans instantly recognize this famous poster that has become an icon of two World Wars that first appeared on the cover of Leslie's Weekly magazine on 16 July 1916 as a preparedness poster (the words being "What are you doing to prepare"). The recruiting poster was first issued in 1917 with more the 4 million posters produced. 

What few Americans realize is that this poster concept was copied from the British one shown here, where Field Marshal Lord Kitchener wants you to join the British Army. Herber 1st Earl of Kitchner, was a 19th and early 20th century Imperial war hero. He was also the War Secretary of Great Britain from the start of the Great War until he died as a passenger on the HMS Hampshire when she was sunk on 5 June 1916. His instantly recognizable face directly pointing to the viewer was a powerful recruiting tool that helped induce hundreds of thousands, possibly a million+, volunteers to join as "Kitchners Soldiers." While the Kitchner poster continued to be used until the end of the Great War, the American version would continue to appear in public for decades to come.

"The lamps are going out all over Europe"

 Although war had already been declared between Russia, Germany, Serbia and Austria-Hungary in late July-early August 1914, it was still seen as a limited war. Upon learning of the German declaration of war upon France one of the most prophetic statements of that time was made: "The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime," Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey, August 3, 1914. Later the next day the British Empire would join the folly that became "the Great War," that would last four years, redraw the map of Europe, destroy four empires (Austo-Hungarian, German, Ottoman & Russian), kill more than ten million soldiers, wound more than 23 million others, kill 11-15 million civilians and lay the groundwork for the greatest war in human history a generation later. The lights of the old Victorian/Edwardian World would never be lit again.

British "Tommies" pass through a ruined farm in the early days of "the Great War."

(These are metal miniatures from Renegade that I painted in 2010 the ruined house is a terrain piece I completed around the same period.)

Lebel Fusil Modele 1886

 

In the Great War the standard arm for the French in the early years was the 8mm Lebel rifle. When it was introduced in the late 19th Century, the Lebel was the most advanced military shoulder arm in general use. It was the first small bore, high velocity, smokeless powder, repeater to be accepted by a major power. But for combat use it had a major flaw, it was tube loaded. This was a slow process as the loader had to be careful loading the center fire cartridges to avoid an unfortunate explosive incident. A further complaint was made about the sight being both too short and too small for combat use. By 1914, the Lebel was out classed by most of the standard rifles of the major powers. The French Poilus took this in stride as they rose to the need to defend France from the invaders. Poor equipment would be a hinderance but would be overcome by the soldier's bravery and tenacity.

French Foreign Legionnaires armed with Lebel Fusil Model 1886 advance against the Germans in August 1914. These are metal 28mm pieces I painted for the "Great War" Centennial.

Vietnam 1962-the Advisors Phase

 

Vietnam 1962-the Advisors Phase

Armed with the reliable .45 cal. M3 Submachine Gun, popularly known as the "Grease Gun," this model of an American Advisor has taken an active part in an Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) patrol. In the last years of the Eisenhower Administration some 700 US military advisors were active in South Vietnam. In 1962, the new Kenedy Administration sent an additional 500 to assist the ARVN. in an effort to prevent a Communist takeover of South Vietnam.
 

With continuing requests for more advisors and support personal from the South Vietnamese Government and US military, the numbers of American forces committed grew steadily, reaching 11,000+ by the end of 1962. To that date 53 US military personnel had be killed in Vietnan. More troops were seen as needed by the American Government to prop up the South Vietnamese government and prevent the success of the dreaded " Domino Theory" that foretold the fall of surrounding countries to Communist take overs once South Vietnam fell.

Within a year the number of American service personnel in Vietnam had reached 16,000 and the next phase of US escalating the war into full combat involvement was on the near horizon.

This is a kit bashed 28mm plastic piece I painted in January '23.

HAPPY NEW YEARS-1918 Style

 

  Another New Years' Celebration full of lights in the sky. But on January 1, 1918, the fire in the sky wasn't from fireworks.

Rather it was from two sets of massive warring forces the Allies vs the Central Powers. Here an Imperial German 77mm field gun.

And its opposite number the famous French Soixante-Quinze (75) mm. None of those fighting in the Great War knew that 1918 would be the last year of the terrible conflict. Yet it was and New Year's Day 1919, saw a World that while not at total peace, as least saw the guns of the Great War silent.

These are metal pieces from Old Glory that I painted for my Great War Armies back in 2010.

May 2023 be a good one for you and yours, and hopefully the current guns of war will fall silent as they did in the Great War 125 Years ago.

Portraits Through the Centuries

Early 17th Century

Early 18th Century

Early 19th Century

                                                                    Early 20th Century

                                                                    Early 21st Century

                                                                                 2020

American Armor - 1940's Style

M3A1 Stuart light scout tank 37mm ATG, two .30 cal. machineguns. 

The second largest American production tank, with over 22,400 Stuart M3/M5 family of tanks produced, the Stuart was a common sight on the major battlefields of World War Two, as well as a variety of conflicts up until the Nicaraguan Revolution of the late 1970's. Built in such large numbers, Stuarts were seen in every major Allied army in the Second World War, even in the Soviet and Chinese forces.

While too lightly armored and armed to be a main battle tank in Europe by the time the US entered the war, the Stuart was still quite useful as a scout tank and against the lighter AFV's of Japan. It's original max armor of 51mm (2inches) a main gun of only 37mm and up to five .30 cal. machineguns was fine when first designed but was quickly surpassed as the war progressed. What it did possess was a great turn of speed, up 58 kph/36mph and unsurpassed reliability. So reliable were Stuarts that the British tankers in North Africa gave them the nick name "Honey." Many variants included upgraded armor, weapons (flame throwers and short 75mm cannon being especially popular) and even turrets.

As with the later Sherman's, Stuarts had a long and successful life in the armies of smaller nations after the war, the army of Paraguay was still using ten upgraded Stuarts as late as 2014.

M4 Sherman medium tank, Draftee, 75mm cannon two .30 cal. machineguns one .50 cal. machinegun. Note the extra inch thick applique armor on extra areas of the vulnerable sides and turret. 

50,000+ Sherman's were produced during World War Two, seeing combat on every front as well as in the Korean War, India vs Pakistan wars the Arab-Israel conflicts and countless smaller actions through the '50's, '60's and '70's with dozens of countries.  The varieties produced are too many to list in this small post check out "The Online Tank Museum" for a more complete list. 

The weight went up from 30.3 tons for the first M4 models to over 42 tons for the massive M4A3E2 Jumbo Sherman. Armor was constantly increased and changed with frontal armor ranging from 76mm (3 inches) to 177mm (7 inches)-again on the Jumbo.

Main weapons available also went through a dizzying amount of varieties, 75mm, 76mm, 76.2mm, 105mm cannons; flame-throwers and rockets from 76.2mm, 113mm, to 183mm, fired in groups of from 2 to 60 projectiles. Adaptability was a hallmark of the Sherman.

All in all, the massive number produced, reliability and the great variety of designs made the Sherman a real war winner for the Western Allies (while over 4100 Sherman's saw service in the Soviet Armies in WWII, they had their own game winner in their excellent T34 series of tanks.) The last Sherman tanks in active duty, after many upgrades, were retired in 1999, from the Chilean army. While the army of Paraguay did not fully retire their last three Sherman's until 2018, quite a career for a tank that many considered way inferior to its German advisories.

Both of these tanks are on display at the National World War Two Museum in New Orleans.
 

The Great War-Begins in the West

August 2, 1914, Luxembourg and the opening moves of the soon to be called the Great War begins as Imperial German cavalry crosses the border. The German Schlieffen plan is about to run head on into the French Plan XVII. To the Germans this was "Der Tag" where they would gain their true place as the leaders of Europe. To the French this was the day of "Revanche" where their loss in the 1870 Franco-Prussian War would be avenged. The great Battle of the Frontiers will start in days and determine if this will be a short or long war.

Figures painted by Rick Wall.

A Lord by Every Name

Nobles and Lords often have multiple titles. Some signify territories or fiefs as in Duke of York or the Earl of Warwick. Others are earned titles such as a Knight of the Realm. While some may be simple honorary titles. Regardless, all are important to the recipient. Below is a rather extreme case of multiple titles, these belonged to Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom:

His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, Baron Greenwich, Royal Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Extra Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, Grand Master and First and Principal Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Member of the Order of Merit, Companion of the Order of Australia, Additional Member of the Order of New Zealand, Extra Companion of the Queen's Service Order, Royal Chief of the Order of Logohu, Canadian Forces Decoration, Lord of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Privy Councillor of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Personal Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty, Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom.

Post War Nippon

Downtown Osaka at the end of World War Two, intensive bombing with both high explosive and incendiary bombs has reduced the city to little more than rubble. Most major cities in the country suffered similar fates and more than 2 million of the nation's population died in less than four years of war.

American occupation forces soon set about the task of both rebuilding the nation and its form of government. The Americans were surprised to find the people of Nippon were in most cases friendly and willing to assist in the duties required of them (much of this was due to the emperors request that his people cooperate fully with their conquerors).



By the 1960's a new generation had adapted to the American way of life, rebuilt their cities and industry and embarked on making Nippon into a peace-loving economic powerhouse.


Nippon has become one of the great economies of the Modern World. The Nikkei Index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange covers the third largest stock exchange on the planet with a market cap value of over 4 trillion dollars.


Nippon has come far from the Feudal society that it was in the 1850's. In the century and a half since that time, Nippon has continued to modernize and reinvent itself into one of the greatest economic powers and technological movers on Earth.

Imperial Nippon the Colonial Power

After Commodore Perry's fateful trip to Nippon in the 1850's the Nation of Nippon choose to embrace every aspect of the Modern World, including the European concept of Colonialism and overseas empires. Starting in the 1870's with dozens of Pacific islands, by the 1890's Nippon had turned its attention to the dying Qing Dynasty of China. After a swift victorious war, the Imperial Army and Navy annexed Formosa (Taiwan) and Korea (although the Europeans forced the technical return of the latter to the tender care of the Russian Empire).

By 1905, tensions had run their course between the empires of Russia and Nippon. The Imperial Navy used a lightning strike, before declaring war, on the Russian East Asia fleet in Korea. The Surprise attack destroyed Russian Naval power in Korean waters and allowed the unfettered movement of the Imperial Army as they systematically destroyed the Russian forces in Korea. The overwhelming victory of the Imperial Navy over the Russian reinforcement fleet in the Battle of Tushima sealed the Russian defeat and added Korean to the growing Empire of Nippon. By the 1930's, the Imperial Staff had made plans for the dismemberment of China, starting with Manchuria. This path was to directly lead to the final expansion of the Empire with the early conquests of much of East Asia in the opening victories of World War II.

The Japanese entry into World War II began as it had in the Russo-Japanese War, with a surprise attack upon the naval forces of the Japanese enemy, before a declaration of war.

The Empire's massive victory was also its greatest mistake.  The sneak attack on this "Day of Infamy" while the two governments were engaged in peace negotiations, would so enrage the American public that only total destruction of the Empire would satisfy the cry for revenge.

The Empire Nippon had reached its zenith of size and power and yet it had but four years left to live.

Meiji Restoration, Japan Modernizes into a World Power

The few ships of the Tokugawa Shogunate "Navy" before Commodore Perry's visit in 1853, were coastal junks with no effective armament.

By the 1880's, the Imperial Japanese Navy contained warships of the latest design such as the protected cruiser Naniwa armed with machine guns,and breech loading cannons.

After the United States opened Japan to the Modern World, a massive culture shock shook the country to its core. The Tokugawa Shogunate wanted to keep the status-quo while the Young Emperor Meiji wanted to modernize the whole of Japanese society, without the Shogunate and Samurai Feudalism. This led to brief, but bloody civil war. The modern Imperial Army and Imperial Navy won. Under Emperor Meiji's reform government, a crash modernization program that touched every aspect of Japanese life was instituted. By the 1890's the new Japan had defeated the Chinese and in 1905-06 Japan won the Russo-Japanese War. For the first time in history an Asian nation had defeated a Major European Power. In less than fifty years Japan had advanced from 17th Century technology to that of the Modern World. Under the Meiji Restoration Japan had arrived as a Major World Power.

Meiji, the 122nd Emperor of Nippon, in traditional robes of state.
Emperor Meiji in the modern clothing of a European Imperial Head of State.
Samurai officers of the Tokugawa Shogunate circa 1866.
Officers and men of the modern Imperial Army of Japan circa 1890. They are equipped with the latest weapons, trained in the most current European tactics, and confident in the power of Modern Japan.
Emperor Meiji and his Imperial Consort Shoken in European dress befitting their station.



After the modernization of his nation, Emperor Meiji said, "I dreamed of a unified Japan. Of a country strong and independent and modern… Now we have railroads and cannon and Western clothing. But we cannot forget who we are. Or where we come from."