World War I Begins

2. World War I Begins • By August 1914 the battle lines were in place • Central Powers (Germany & Austria-Hungary) • Bulgaria and Ottoman’s would join later • Allies (Great Britain, France and Russia) • Italy and Japan would join later • Most people felt the war would be short • Reality was the war would last for over 4 years

3. Western Front

4. British Tank

5. Canadian Soldiers

6. Today in France

7. Today in France

8. Battle Lines

9. Schlieffen Plan • Gen. Alfred Graf von Schlieffen called for an attack & defeat France • Then rush to the east to fight Russia • By early September of 1914, Germany had swept into France and reached the outskirts of Paris • Germans are close to defeating France

10. Battle of Marne • Sept 4th the Germans were in the NE of Paris • Every French soldier was put into use (600 French Taxis used to drive soldiers to the front) • The French were able to force the Germans into retreat after days of fighting • Quick victory in the west was not possible for Germany

11. Trench Warfare • By 1915, the Western Front was miles of parallel trenches • Worst conditions possible • The space between the trenches was known as “no mans land” • Artillery fire would go into the trenches • New weapons: Machine Guns, Armored Tanks, Poison Gas

12. Trench Warfare • February of 1916, Germans launched bloodiest attack on the French near Verdun • British tried to help the French by attacking the Germans in the NW at Somme River • British lost 20,000 men on day one alone • By Nov 1916, both sides lost more than half a million men