World war I : A stale mate, trench warfare, new technology

1. World war I : A stale mate, trench warfare, new technology

2. Bell-Ringer List the 4 Causes of WWI

3. The Alliance System Breaks Down! • July 28, 1914 – Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia • Russia Austria-Hungary • Germany Russia • France Germany • What would Great Britain do?

4. Beginning of the war Many Europeans were excited about war “Defend yourself against the aggressors” Domestic differences were put aside and nations pulled together to fight the Great War

5. Great Expectations! The belief was that modern, industrial war could not be conducted for more than a few months without a winner “Home by Christmas” was the thinking on both sides

6. Recruitment posters Propaganda It is the manipulation of public opinion. It is generally carried out through media that is capable of reaching a large amount of people and effectively persuading them for or against a cause.

7. Recruitment posters

8. Recruitment posters

9. The Schlieffen Plan “Breakfast in Paris and dinner in St. Petersburg After defeating France, get Russia A two-front war would not be in Germany’s best interests This plan was supposed to prevent it

10. The SchlieffenPlan: Why did it Fail? Germany made an encircling movement through Belgium to surround Paris They by-passed French forts built after 1871 Britain joined Allies when Belgium was invaded Belgium fought back and delayed the Germans Britain quickly sent troops to France The French rushed their army to front lines

11. Paris is Saved and Stalemate Results First Battle of the Marne (Sept. 5-10, 1914; Germany was driven back from Paris Russian forces had indeed invaded Germany Both sides dug trenches along the Western Front Germany now had to fight on two fronts A 4-year stalemate resulted

12. The Trenches By 1915 both sides had built trenches from the English Channel to Switzerland The Western Front spanned 415 miles! 6,250 miles of trenches total! 6 to 8 feet deep Millions died and little land was won It was really insane!

14. Life in the Trenches Elaborate systems of defense barbed wire Concrete machine gun nests Mortar batteries Troops lived in holes underground “No Man’s Land” Land between trenches where soldiers were often mowed down.

15. Life in the Trenches Boredom Soldiers would read, write letters, gamble, play games to help pass the time. Rats (corpse rats) also kept them busy as did fighting to be rid of lice. Many soldiers went crazy from “shell shock” due to constant artillery bombardments

16. “Death is everywhere” “We all had on us the stench of dead bodies.” Death numbed the soldier’s minds. Shell shock Psychological devastation

17. Medical services were primitive and life-saving antibiotics had not yet been discovered. Relatively minor injuries could prove fatal through onset of infection and gangrene. The Germans recorded that 12% of leg wounds and 23% of arm wounds resulted in death, mainly through infection.

18. Life in the Trenches Trench warfare baffled military leaders Attempt a breakthrough = Over the top! Then return to a war of movement Millions of young men sacrificed attempting the breakthrough

21. Rat Tales • “The rats were huge. They were so big they would eat a wounded man if he couldn't defend himself.“ • “ If you left your food the rats would soon grab it. Those rats were fearless. Sometimes we would shoot the filthy swines. But you would be put on a charge for wasting ammo, if the sergeant caught you.” • “I can't sleep in my dugout, as it is over-run with rats. Pullman slept here one morning and woke up to find one sitting on his face. I can't face that, so I share Newbery's dug-out.” • “Rats. There are millions!! Some are huge fellows, nearly as big as cats. Several of our men were awakened to find a rat snuggling down under the blanket alongside them!” • “Rats came up from the canal, fed on the plentiful corpses, and multiplied exceedingly. While I stayed here with the Welch. a new officer joined the company and, in token of welcome, was given a dug-out containing a spring-bed. When he turned in that night he heard a scuffling, shone his torch on the bed, and found two rats on his blanket tussling for the possession of a severed hand.”

22. German soldiers after rat hunting in their trenches

23. Bell Ringer: World War I Begins • Write a short diary entry (5-7 sentences) describing your life in a World War I combat trench. • Beginning Review: WW I Alliances and the Schlieffen Plan

24. Life in the trenches video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiyWP7EM0tg

25. The Eastern Front • German-Russian Border – Ger. & A-H vs. Russia & Serbia • The Frozen Front – lack of food and clothing; 100’s froze to death daily • Russia not industrialized was always short on food, clothing, weapons, and ammo • Russia’s asset was its numbers • Germany blockaded the Baltic Sea and the Ottoman Empire controlled the Black Sea

26. Chemical Weapons WWI was the first major war to use chemical weapons Mustard Gas and Chlorine Gas The two most popular weapons: They caused suffocation, blindness, skin disorders, and usually death!

28. “Death is everywhere” Mustard gas Carried by the wind Burned out soldier’s lungs Deadly in the trenches where it would sit at the bottom

29. SUBMARINES U-boats submarines used by Germans in WWI and WWII developed by Germans Unrestricted submarine warfare any ship traveling in water around Great Britain was subject to attack

30. SUBMARINES easy to attack without being seen attack merchant ships cut off (British) supply lines Great Britain developed convoys helped against threat of attack Allied Ships Sunk by U-Boats

31. AIRCRAFT Uses of aircraft: observe enemy positions armed with machine guns & bombs attacked battlefields & cities attacked enemy planes (“dogfights”) useful from beginning of war Manfred von Richthofen – Germany’s Red Baron had 80 kills Ace = a person who shoots down 5 or more enemy planes

32. AIRCRAFT Most countries had few planes at start of war 18’ – 23’ long X 28’ – 30’ wide 120 MPH; 23,000’ altitude; 2 HR flight times Planes had to be easy to fly first, designed for stability later, designed for maneuverability Generals began including planes in planning France had had 140 planes at the start of war  ended with 4,500. 10,000 existed among all combatants at end of war

34. The Germans also used Zeppelins and by 1918 had over 100 of these airships capable of bombing missions on London and Paris. • 60 – 70 MPH tops • Could fly at high altitude but it took longer to climb • 28-man crew • 4 machine gun pods for defense

36. TANKS aka: Landships 1st armored vehicles First tank; “Little Willie” built by Britain, but soon all nations built their own 14 tons (weight) with 12-foot long track frames space for three men (cramped) maximum speed of 2 mph (on rough terrain)

37. TANKS These early tanks were very slow and not really effective Invented in Great Britain, but all powers eventually built them It was thought they would break the stalemate on Western Front http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdgnZyRX5F0

38. British Mark I Battle Tank

39. MACHINE GUNS rapid-fire machine guns were used early were big & heavy needed a crew of four to six people to operate lacked cooling mechanisms shot 400-600 smallcaliber rounds perminute

40. Improved and Deadlier Artillery Germany’s “Big Bertha” -43 ton howitzer could fire a 2,200 lb shell over 9 miles! It took its 200-man crew, over six hours to re-assemble it on the site.

41. Flamethrowers

42. New Warfare video http://www.youtube.com/user/mrallsop#p/c/9DBE5F08B042293F/20/VDkhMn911ek

43. Effects of War

44. Sacrifices of War