Hi all,
Recently, thanks to this amazing reddit, I found about Dan Carlin’s podcast.
I am currently listening to his WWI podcast and he has a nice segment around the history of war, importance of mobilization and conscription evolution.
I was wondering, what did able-bodied people who were living abroad do when there was mobilization of a country? If I send myself back during WWI/II and there would be a nationwide mobilization what do I do as I am an expat?
Could one join the country of residence’s army? Were you re-called back to your homeland? How would you even be held responsible if you were recalled but you didnt go?
There's more to be said, but you might like to read my response to the question It’s August 1st 1914. I’m a 20yo Parisian male who just heard Jean Jaurès was shot dead and I desperately want to avoid fighting in the Great War. Can I still flee to the UK or preferably US? When would it become harder?, which discusses the mobilization requirements of French expatriates.
In short, expatriates were expected to honor their mobilization requirements, and nations to enforce those of their military allies, but in practice it was not hard for men living abroad to avoid service. Nonetheless many appear to have served very willingly, such as these German-American reservists who marched through New York City on the way back to Germany in 1914, or this Serb expat who volunteered and was killed in Canadian service.