World War I Historical Analysis
Some of the more interesting photographs within the Oscar Strahan Papers are those depicting World War I. These images (seen on the left) show the gruesome aftermaths of two major battles of the war, Verdun and Saint-Mihiel. We know that these photographs were not taken by Oscar personally because 1) the battle of Verdun was in September 1916 and the 108th Field Signal Battalion had not arrived in France until June 1918 and 2) during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel in September 1918, Oscar and Company C of the 108th were stationed near the French town of Amien, far away from the site of the battle. Although we cannot know with any certainty who took these photographs or how Oscar came to have them in his possession, the images presented provide a detailed look into the war and its effects.