WW1 Gas Mask Lineup: Uncovering the Raw Memories of Soldiers on the Battlefield

As the Meuse-Argonne offensive raged on, Harvey Dunn's artwork captured the raw emotions and vivid accounts of American soldiers fighting for their lives. The official American artist with the American Expeditionary Forces in France, Dunn poured his heart into dramatic drawings that told the story of bravery and sacrifice.

In a dugout near Vincennes, Seine, France, Private Obets, Company A, 132nd Machine Gun Battalion, recalled the horrors of war as they cleaned out German soldiers from captured territory. 'Men were getting killed and wounded all around us, and our Red Cross man was helping to dress their wounds,' he wrote.

The experience was far from ordinary for these doughboys. On October 8th, they were ordered to line up in platoons to relieve part of the second division. As they advanced, they faced intense shelling and machine gun fire, with shells strafing all around them.

Dunn's artwork captured the chaos and destruction, including the moment when a grenade was thrown into a German dugout, killing many soldiers. His sketches also depicted infantry boys overcoming barbed wire and capturing the irony of setting up a machine gun in a cemetery.

The raw memories of these soldiers accompanied Dunn's artwork, creating a vivid record of the war. Many of the soldiers were illiterate, but they recorded their experiences while it was still fresh in their minds. After the war, the men of the 36th Division were ordered to write about their experiences, and Captain Dunn poured his experience into dramatic drawings.

Like other official World War I artists, Dunn wasn't attached to any particular division. He spent time in the trenches, went 'over the top' with the men, and knew intimately what battle meant to the infantryman, runner, and machine gunner. Harvey Dunn sketched the war from his heart, capturing the emotions and sacrifices of those who fought on behalf of their country.

This article is part four of our series on World War I art and artists, highlighting the contributions of men like Captain Dunn who brought attention to the bravery and sacrifice of American soldiers during the Great War.

Ww1 gas mask lineup