WWI In the beginning, the armies on the western front became almost immobile. The basic soldier was...
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Transcript of WWI In the beginning, the armies on the western front became almost immobile. The basic soldier was...
WWI
In the beginning, the armies on the western front became almost immobile.
The basic soldier was a man on foot (motor transportation was still new)
Machine gun most deadly weaponThe result was a long military stalemateHence, trench warfare intensifies
Overview of the War: Western Front
A-H opened fire on Serbia
Russia mobilized its troops
Britain prepared its British Expeditionary Forces
Germany puts its Schlieffen Plan to action
Failure of Schlieffen Plan
Belgian resistance was unexpectedly strongThe attack on Belgian brought Britain into
the warThe German delay in getting through
BelgiumGerman forces marching to Paris were
weakened by the deployment of some of their troops to the east
In Paris, reservists were sent out to meet Germans
Statlemate
The Germans were driven back from Ypres in April 1915
2nd battle of Ypres that poisonous gas was used by the Germans
The attacks halt
1914
Schlieffen plan is stopped by a counterattack by the French and small British contingent
Battle of Marne (September 5-12)-changed the whole character of war
The hope of knocking France out in one blow was ended
The Germans failed to gain control of the Channel Ports
1915 and 1916
The Germans and the Austro-Hungarians put their effort into knocking out Russia
They pressed hard into Russia/tsarist Russia-2 million, captured and wounded in 1915
The British tried to open tried to open communications launched naval attack on Turkey-Battle of Gallipoli-the allies lose after a year
Gallipoli
1916
In 1916, both sides turned to the western front to end the deadlock
The allies planned a great offensive along the Somme river in France, while the Germans planned an offensive in Verdun
Verdun
The Germans attack Verdun in FebruaryGeneral Petain holds troops for the upcoming
offensive on Somme, so he is limitedThe battle of Verdun lasted 10 months and
became a legend for determined French resistance
Each side sustained 330,000-350,000 casualities
Somme
• While Verdun was taking place, the allies opened their offensive on the Somme in July
• During a week long bombardment , the Brits lost 60,000 men on the first day
• General Douglas Haig made bad decisions• In a wk they had advanced only 1 mile on a 6
mile front. • The battle lasted 4 months• The battle cost the Germans about 500,000,
the Brits 400,000, and the French 200,000
Results of the Battle of Somme and Verdun
Nothing of real value was gained in these battles
In one and half months the British advanced only two and half miles
Huge causalitiesAt the battle of Somme, the Brits fired more
than 1.5 million shells in 5 days
War at Sea page 691The land armies were helpless-they look to
the sea
The Brits imposed a strict naval blockade
Contraband and noncontraband (make a T chart)
Page 692
Purpose was to prevent the Brits from starving out other countries
The allies announced a new international law-NO MORE NICE GUY!=Total war
continued
Germans counter with a blockade of England
Germans rely on sub, but the sub is unrefined weapon
Total War
A war in which a state uses all its human and material resources to fight
WWI is Total War
Both sides fight for total victoryGov’ts used all weaponry that they had; they
also developed new technologyIt involve all people in society . Civilians are
targeted and they suffered from the economic warfare.
The state becomes an efficient war-making machine
War at Sea Continued
The Brits stop all goods in route for Germany-stop distinguishing between contraband and noncontraband
At first the USA protested this action and defended the neutrality of the seas-they upheld “freedom of the seas”
Then, the sinking of Lusitania in May 1915
Unrestricted sub warfare p.698
Germans announce unrestricted sub warfare to resume on Feb 1, 1917
Countermeasures were developed by the Brits to offset the blockade such as: mine barges, hydrophones, depth charges, airplane reconnaissance, and the convoy
Naval mine
hydrophone
Water/SoundUnderwatermicrophone
Reasons for Germany’s defeat
Schlieffen Plan failedBritain comes in the warVerdun was a failureHigh-risk strategy of unrestricted submarine
warfare brought USA in the warGermany had weak alliesGermany’s dire economic conditions