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