"We Made the World Safe?" The WWI Memoir of Rudolph Forderhase

Rudolph Forderhase

In We Made the World Safe? Howard County, Missouri, native Rudolph Forderhase recalls his experiences serving with the 89th Division during World War I.  Spanning September 21, 1918, through June 10, 1919, Forderhase describes in vivid detail his experiences during the draft, basic training, service in the 89th Division, and occupation in Europe after the war. The memoir has been chosen for digitization and will be available online this spring.

The Forderhase memoir has been cited in multiple works, including: 11th Month, 11th Day, 11th Hour by Joseph Persico; Military Service, Combat, and American Identity in the Progressive Era by Sebastian Hubert Lukasik; To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne, 1918 by Edward G. Lengel; The Illusion of Victory: America in World War I by Thomas Fleming; and The Greatest Day in History: How, on the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day the First World War Finally Came to an End by Nicholas Best.

Several artifacts of Forderhase's are currently on display in the main corridor gallery at the State Historical Society of Missouri - Columbia, including his gas mask, his helmet emblazoned with the 89th Division logo, and his mess kit. The exhibit, entitled Missouri and World War I, examines the Great War's impact on Missourians' daily lives through photographs, correspondence, artifacts, and more, that provide firsthand accounts of Missourian experiences, both on the home front and abroad.

The most riveting and frequently cited portion of the Forderhase memoir provides an account of the action during the Meuse Argonne Offensive and the events occurring on Armistice Day. We have included an excerpt below.

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Special thanks to J. Forderhase and family, who have allowed Over There to digitize their grandfather's memoir and photographs and loaned artifacts for the State Historical Society of Missouri's exhibition.