General John J. Pershing, serving as the commander on the western front in World War I, promised his soldiers they would be in heaven, hell or Hoboken by Christmas of 1917.

“Heaven, hell or Hoboken!” soon became the nation’s rallying cry for a swift end to the war.

Of course, the war lasted well beyond that Christmas. But the slogan highlights the strong ties New Jersey had to the war, with nearly 1.8 million Americans passing through Hoboken before landing on the European battlefront.

“New Jersey, because of our crucial location as a seaport and our factories, was really instrumental in supplying the allies with arms, supplies and food,” said Flora Boros, a historical researcher who curated the “Heaven, Hell or Hoboken!” exhibit at Rutgers University last year, which commemorated New Jersey’s role in the Great War.

Though the exhibit is no longer on display, those interested can check out some of the archives that were recently digitized and now available on the Rutgers College War Service Bureau website.

“There’s so many connections in this state and it’s just about knowing where to look for them,” Boros said.

Nov. 11 marks the centennial of the armistice that ended the fighting, just the right time to remember those connections.

“This state in unparalleled ways sacrificed so much for our country,” Boros said. “I think this centennial is really a great opportunity to teach Americans that WWI was one of the most consequential events of the 20th century.”

Here are six connections the Garden State has with World War I.

1. Lusitania

New Jersey citizens – 24-year-old Phyllis Hutchinson of West Orange and Hoboken native Mary Picton Stevens – were onboard the RMS Lusitania when it was torpedoed by the German U-boat U-20 as Germany waged submarine warfare against the United Kingdom in the spring of 1915.

The ship, at one point the largest passenger ship in the world, sank in less than 20 minutes and contributed to America’s entry into World War I.

2. Trenton Roebling Works

New Jersey’s ports and factories were sabotaged for two years before America entered the war, which brought the conflict close to home for the Garden State. In January of 1915, there was an attack at the Roebling factory in Trenton. Though no one was arrested, historians say the attack and others like it were carried outby German saboteurs. Roebling was one of a few plants that housed munitions in the state.

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3. Black Tom Island

Just over a year later, the biggest explosion and attack on a port that housed munitions happened at Black Tom Island, a major munitions depot off the coast of Jersey City. Again, German saboteurs were suspected.

The explosion registered a 5.5 on the Richter scale, permanently damaged the torch of the Statue of Liberty, killed five people and shattered windows across Jersey City.

“Black Tom Island is considered to be the first act of terrorism by a foreign power on American soil,” Boros said.

The island, created by landfill, housed American-made munitions that were supplied to the Allies in the war.

“At the time we weren’t even supposed to technically have munitions there because the United States wasn’t supposed to be helping the allies ‘officially,’” Boros said.

4. Heaven, Hell or Hoboken

Military bases at Fort Dix and Camp Merritt and the port of Hoboken were often the first and last stops for thousands of Americans going abroad and returning home.

General Pershing made the promise to troops that they would be home – or heaven, hell or Hoboken – by the Christmas of 1917.

5. Woodrow Wilson

The American involvement in the war came during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson, who had previously served as the president of Princeton University and then as governor of New Jersey.

6. Somerville Circle

President Warren G. Harding officially signed the end of the war in July 1921 at the Somerville Circle in Bridgewater.

Email: carrera@northjersey.com