In September of 1914, amidst the turmoil of World War I, Herzfeld was drafted into the German military. He served in the Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Regiment, a guards regiment based in Berlin. Later that year, Herzfeld's brother Weiland joined the army as a medical orderly and was sent to the Belgian front.
In 1915, with the threat of a move to the front lines hanging over his head, Helmut faked a nervous breakdown and was released from service. His brother, Weiland, was also removed from duty following an act of insubordination. Both in Berlin, this gave the brothers an opportunity to resume their relationship.
In the summer of 1916, Germany had been utilizing a rather offensive nationalistic slogan: "Gott Strafe England" or May God Punish England. This angered Helmut who protested by changing his name to John Heartfield. His brother Wieland changed his last name from Herzfeld to Herzfelde and their new acquaintance, George Gross changed his name to George Grosz. During the remainder of the year, Heartfield and Wieland revitalized an old German monthly magazine with their newly founded publishing company, Neue Jugend, or New Youth.
The next year, Heartfield worked alongside his brother as a film set designer and as the director of the Military Educational Film Service. The year 1917 also turned out to be a very memorable year for Heartfield because later that year he wed a woman by the name of Helene Balzer.
In 1918, Heartfield made a decision that would ultimately impact the rest of his career. He became a member of the Berlin Club Dada as a protest to Germany's current barbaric state and also joined the German Communist Party.
Later that year, his first son, Tom was also born.
In 1919, Heartfield continued his controversial ways as he was dismissed from the UFA (formerly the Military Educational Film Service) because he called for a strike after the questionable murders of Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg. After co-editing a satirical magazine that was banned after its first edition, Heartfield joined Wieland and Grosz to found Die Pleite, a satirical, political magazine.
Continuing his activity in the Dada club, in 1920, he helped organize the Erste Internationale Dada-Messe (First International Dada Fair) in Berlin. It was an all around happy year for Heartfield, who also celebrated the birth of daughter Eva in 1920.
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