In 1918, the world had never seen such killing.
Between 15-19 million people died during World War I, and another 23 million were wounded.
The industrial age had industrialized death and Europe became the factory floor for new weapons and new means of killing from tanks and airplanes to gas and machine guns.
The war had started in 1914, and the killing continued without letup until Nov. 11, 1918, when the Allies and the Central Powers signed an armistice that ended the slaughter.
Just about every city, town and village felt the pain of the war. France alone lost nearly 1.7 million people on the battlefield or by disease. The United Kingdom lost between 860,000 and 1 million. The United States, which entered the conflict on April 6, 1917, lost 116,708 service members.
The Allies had broken through on the Western Front. German forces had been decisively beaten and American, British and French forces were advancing on Germany. The other Central Powers – Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire – had already stopped fighting. Germany signed the armistice in a railroad car in the Forest of Compiegne. It was to take effect Nov. 11, 1918 at 11 a.m.
It seemed like a miracle to a tired world.
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