PBS - Model Ts to War American Ambulances on the Western Front 1914-1918 (2009)

The First World War began in August, 1914, but America didn't have a functional army in Europe until the fall of 1917. During those three years (1914-1917), more than 3,000 Americans, paying their own passage, sailed to France to help in the war effort. The majority were young men who drove Ford Model T ambulances for what would become the American Field Service. Field Service ambulance sections were assigned to the French Army and saw their greatest glory in the battle of Verdun (1916). “Model T's to War” is their story. Led by Professor Ed Klekowski of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, “Model T's to War” takes the viewer on an archaeological journey of discovery through the trenches and fortifications of the First World War. More than 90 years have passed since the guns stopped firing, and still the French woods are littered with artifacts, including unexploded grenades and artillery shells. Matching battlefield sites with recently discovered 1917 silent-film footage, and hundreds of previously unpublished war-time photographs, “Model T's to War” brings to life the forgotten story of the Americans who were “over there” first.

Full Version Available Upon Request
Related Documentary