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Fighting the War:. BBC Resources WW!. Fighting the War. World War 1 represents a transitional time in warfare. Previously wars were fought with single shot relatively inaccurate guns.
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Fighting the War: BBC Resources WW!
Fighting the War • World War 1 represents a transitional time in warfare. • Previously wars were fought with single shot relatively inaccurate guns. • Armies would line up facing each other on the field of battle in long lines. (This was how Europeans had fought wars since the ancient Greeks.) • World War 1 or the Great War put an end to that.
The Start of the War. The Schlieffen Plan: This was the plan the Germans created to fight the war. • The German army would perform a surprise attack on France by going through Belgium. This attack and following battles was supposed to take 6 weeks to defeat France. • The attack on France would be started when Russia started to mobilize its army. • The bulk of the German army (90%) would be used to defeat France then sent east to reinforce the soldiers fighting a holding action against Russians. • Map (return after slide) • Discuss—what could possibly go wrong?
Problems with the Plan • The plan counted on Britain not joining the war in defense of Belgium. • The German Army didn’t defeat France in the six week time frame. • The Russian army was able to mobilize faster that the Germans anticipated.
Results of the Schlieffen Plan • The German advance was stalled by the French, Belgians, and British. • This lack of movement created a static line of opposing armies. • This became known as the “Front”
The Trenches • The front became a network of trenches dug into the ground. • These were necessary because of machine guns and artillery. • Both sides created intricate trench systems • The area between the two fronts became known as no man’s land. • Both sides used barbed wire to create obstacles in no mans land to slow advancing troops.
Life in the Trenches • The trenches were the response to the carnage machine guns had on the infantry • Life in the trenches was difficult. The trenches flooded easily, so they were constantly muddy and wet. • This caused men to develop a condition called trench foot.
Life in the Trenches continued… • Besides the constant shelling from artillery and threat of machine gun fire, and the mud and wet conditions • Rats occupied the trenches with men. • There were two types of rats: the black rat and the Norwegian rat (this one could get as big as a house cat) • Some men developed a condition called shell shock (PTSD) and became incapable of fighting.
Other Inventions of the War • The trenches created the desire of the high command on both sides to try to develop a weapon that would create a “breakout” so they could take the offensive.
Poison Gas • This resulted in the use of poison gases, they used three main types • Tear gas (mace) • Mustard gas • Chlorine gas This resulted in the development of gas masks to combat the attacks causing gas not to be the weapon that turned the tide of the war.
Weapons continued • The weapon that helped turned the tide of the war was the tank. • First developed by the British. • The first tanks were underpowered and slow but allowed infantry to advance on the enemy.
The Battle of the Somme • The most costly battle in terms of lives during the war is the Battle of Somme.
The Christmas Truce THistory Channel Video Clip • Happened the first Christmas of the war (1914). • Sporadic ceasefires happened in many places up and down the Western Front. • Men from both sides met in No Mans Land and exchanged cigarettes, souvenirs, and even played soccer in some places.
