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Rare photos document first Americans on front lines in World War I (Photos)

WASHINGTON — Last week marked 100 years since the U.S. declared war on Germany, officially entering the first world war.

But years before the first American “doughboys” landed on the shores of Europe, hundreds of Americans had aided the Allies by signing up to serve in the American Field Service, the famous ambulance corps that operated at the war’s French western front.

A rare collection of photographs documents the experience of one such American ambulance driver from his arrival in France to the arrival of U.S. troops and the end of the war.

The Statue of Liberty taken from Poquebot Espagne June 9, 1917. (Courtesy Maine Military Historical Society)
The Statue of Liberty taken from Poquebot Espagne June 9, 1917. Note: The Poquebot Espagne was a liner converted to a troopship. This was the photographer’s trip from the US to France. The liner was attacked by a U-boat en route, and the Espagne’s gun fired on it, putting it to flight. (Courtesy Maine Military Historical Society)
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The Statue of Liberty taken from Poquebot Espagne June 9, 1917. (Courtesy Maine Military Historical Society)

The photo scrapbook first found its way into the hands of Brig. Gen. Albert Greenlaw, who served in France with the Maine National Guard. The collection eventually ended up at the Maine Military Historical Society in Augusta, Maine, First Lt. Jonathan Bratten told WTOP in an email.

Bratten, the command historian for the Maine Army National Guard, co-wrote an article about the treasure trove of photos in an article in The Washington Post last week. WTOP reached out to the historical society for more of the rare photographs. The captions accompanying the photos are the original captions from the back of the photos, with some additional notes provided by Bratten.

Jack Moore

Jack Moore joined WTOP.com as a digital writer/editor in July 2016. Previous to his current role, he covered federal government management and technology as the news editor at Nextgov.com, part of Government Executive Media Group.

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