One hundred years ago today, the First World War came to an end. WWI claimed more than 15 million lives, caused untold destruction, and shaped the world for decades to come. Its impact can scarcely be overstated.

Welcome to the /r/AskHistorians Armistice Day Amateur Ask You Anything.

Today, on Remembrance Day, /r/AskHistorians is opening our doors to new contributors in the broader Reddit community - both to our regular readers who have not felt willing/able to contribute, and to first time readers joining us from /r/Europe and /r/History. Standards for responses in this thread will be relaxed, and we welcome contributors to ask and answer questions even if they don't feel that they can meet /r/AskHistorians usual stringent standards. We know that Reddit is full of enthusiastic people with a great deal of knowledge to share, from avid fans of Dan Carlin's Blueprint for Armageddon to those who have read and watched books and documentaries, but never quite feel able to contribute in our often-intimidating environment. This space is for you.

We do still ask that you make an effort in answering questions. Don't just write a single sentence, but rather try to give a good explanation, and include sources where relevant.

We also welcome our wonderful WWI panelists, who have kindly volunteered to give up their time to participate in this event. Our panelists will be focused on asking interesting questions and helping provide feedback, support and recommendations for contributors in this thread - please also feel free to ask them for advice.

Joining us today are:

• /u/Abrytan - Germany 1871-1945
• /u/Bernardito - Moderator | Modern Guerrilla | Counterinsurgency
• /u/CptBuck - Modern Middle East | Islamic Studies
• /u/crossynz - Military Science | Public Perceptions of War
• /u/DBHT14 - 19th-20th Century Naval History
• /u/Klesk_vs_Xaero - Mussolini and Italian Fascism
• /u/k_hopz - Austria-Hungary during the First World War
• /u/NotAWittyFucker - British Regimental System | Australian Army History
• /u/TheAlecDude - WWI
• /u/thefourthmaninaboat - 20th Century Royal Navy
• /u/TheWellSpokenMan - Australia | World War I

Note that flairs and mods may provide feedback on answers, and might provide further context - make sure to read further than the first answer!

Please, feel more than welcome to ask and answer questions in this thread. Our rules regarding civility, jokes, plagiarism, etc, still apply as always - we ask that contributors read the sidebar before participating. We will be relaxing our rules on depth and comprehensiveness - but not accuracy - and have our panel here to provide support and feedback.

Today is a very important day. We ask that you be respectful and remember that WWI was, above all, a human conflict. These are the experiences of real people, with real lives, stories, and families.

If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please respond to the stickied comment at the top of the thread.