AHM WWI HISTORY OUTREACH
WWI ambulance and the history of the American Field Service World War One History and the Ambulance: World War I began in 1914 - when Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb Yugoslav nationalist, assassinated Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, setting off a series of territorial conflicts. This terrible war lasted until 1918. During the conflict, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire (the Central Powers) fought against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan and the United States (the Allied Powers). WWI was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated 9 million combat deaths, and 13 million civilian deaths. World War I was a significant turning point in the political, cultural, economic, and social climate of the world. But the 15
COLLINGS FOUNDATION - AMERICAN HERITAGE MUSEUM
conflict involving 32 countries quickly faded into memory as WWII began just 21 years after. The American Heritage Museum’s WWI Ambulance is an excellent artifact to engage people in the history of WWI. Using this rare vehicle we bring to life stories of our veterans and volunteers who served. The American Field Service (AFS): Before the U.S. entered the War in April 1917, many young Americans volunteered to fight with the Allies. 2,500 of them were driving Ford Model T ambulances with the French and American Field Service, carrying supplies and more than 500,000 casualties. 77% of the
