Kyle Anderson

(Brooks 1).

Causes Imperial Movement

Scramble for territory and power caused tension among the great powers: Britain, Germany, France, Austria-Hungary, and Russia (Wilde 2).

Nationalist Movement The wishes of independence of small countries in the Balkans and

the feelings of superiority of large powers created tension (Wilde 2). The Assassination

Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary is assassinated by a Serbian Nationalist and Austria-Hungary blames Serbia

(Wilde 2) The Chain Reaction

June 28 – Archduke Ferdinand is Assassinated July 28 – Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia July 29– Russia mobilizes to help Serbia August 1 – Germany declares war on Russia August 3 – Germany declares war on France August 4 – Germany invades Belgium; Britain declares war on

Germany(Wilde 3).

Germany Chiefs of Staff

Helmuth von Moltke; until Sep, 1914 (“Who’s Who – Helmuth Von Moltke”). Erich von Falkenhayn; until Aug, 1916 (“Who’s Who – Erich Von Falkenhayn”). Paul von Hindenburg (“Who’s Who – Paul Von Hindenburg”).

Quartermaster General Erich Ludendorff (“Who’s Who – Erich Ludendorff”). France

Commander-in-Chiefs Joseph Joffre; until Dec, 1916 (“Who’s Who – Joseph Joffre”). Robert Nivelle; until May, 1917 (“Who’s Who – Robert Nivelle”). Henri-Philippe Petain; until May, 1918 (“Who’s Who – Henri-Philippe Petain”). Ferdinand Foch (“Who’s Who – Ferdinand Foch”).

Britain Commander-in-Chiefs of B.E.F.

Sir John French; until Dec, 1915 (“Who’s Who – Sir Douglas Haig”). Sir Douglas Haig (“Who’s Who – Sir Douglas Haig”).

United States Commander of AEF

John Pershing (“Who’s Who – John Pershing”). Chief of Staff of AEF

James Harbord (“Who’s Who – James Harbord”).

Ferdinand Foch (Simonds).

Erich Ludendorff (Binder).

Douglas Haig(Douglas Haig).

John J. Pershing(Harris & Erwing,

Inc.).

Expectations A short and decisive war was expected All other wars before then had been conducted with short spurts of

decisive victories However, new technologies lade the groundwork for the power to be

in the hands of the defense (“Weapons of War – Machine Guns”). Christmas of 1914

Soldiers had a truce for Christmas in 1914 but this level of chivalry would not be shown in the remaining years of the war

(RagLinen).

War in FranceThe Western Front is the term given to the

theatre of World War I in Northern France and Belgium

CombatantsGermany fought against Britain, France,

Belgium (for a time) and later the United States

Initial German Push into France and

Belgium(Stabilization of Western Front).

GermanySchlieffen Plan

The German Plan was to sweep through Belgium, round southward into France, and cut off the French Army

It was to be implemented by Chief of Staff Moltke ("Animated Map: The Western Front, 1914 - 1918”).

Allies: France and the British Expeditionary Force)Plan XVII

French Plan to sweep through BelgiumPlan is not implemented because the French

government would not disrespect the Belgian Neutrality (Wilde 4).

The Actual CourseFrance ended up sending most of their troops South to

recapture Alsace-Lorraine (Wilde 4).

German AdvanceMoltke follows the Schlieffen PlanGermans sweep through BelgiumCome within Artillery range of ParisAdvance stops when Moltke pulls troops out to

the Eastern FrontFrench Advance

Joffre sends troops to attack Alsace-LorraineThese troops are pulled up to defend Paris(Wilde 4).

(German Advance).

Halt of AdvanceThe Germans could

advance no further and were pushed back by French reinforcements from Alsace-Lorraine

The British Expeditionary Force ,BEF, and Germany started their “Race to the Sea” as they created battle lines which ended between Calais and Ostend (Wilde 4).

(Race to the Sea).

Trench WarfareThe exhausted Germans

entrenched themselves at the end of 1914 and the allies created temporary trenches

New TechniquesBattle of Neuve-Chapelle

Teaches commanders that bombardments can break through enemy lines

Second Battle of YpresGermans use Chlorine Gas

which is the first of the War(Wilde 4).

Battle of Neuve-Chapelle(Indian Troops Charging

German Positions at Neuve-Chapelle).

The DebateAfter the stalemate of late 1914 and early

1915, allied commanders began to become divided over which theatre of war would win the war

WesternersBelieved that a breakthrough could be made on the

Western FrontEasterners

Believed that the allies should invade through the “Soft Underbelly” of Southern Europe

(Wilde 4).

“Trench Cycle” Two weeks on the front lines One week in support lines Two weeks in reserve One week of rest

Routine Living Went through inspection at dawn

Mostly for the trench foot infection Making repairs and digging fortifications

Death Death by Artillery Shells Death by a sniper Death from battle Death from Disease

Rats fed off of the rotting flesh and the troops supplies Lice caused men to itch always and caused Trench Fever

Smell Rotting Flesh Human Waste Smell of Disinfectants Smell of battle smoke and poison-gas(“LIFE IN THE TRENCHES”).

A British Trench

(Brooks 2).

1915 This second year of the war was indecisive and led

the commanders to rethink their strategy The new German Chief of Staff Erich von

Falkenhayn began the war attrition which would force the soldiers to loose heart in their cause; Falkenhayn said of France “Bleed it Dry”

Battle of Verdun Germans lead an attack on the French fortress

region of Verdun to inflict mass casualties However, Germany cannot sustain the pressure

when they are suddenly attacked at the Somme Falkenhayn is replaced by Hindenburg after his

failure at Verdun Battle of the Somme

Allies mass a huge assault near the river Somme The battle begins with a huge artillery barrage

which mangles up the barb wire and sets the stage for one of the bloodiest battles of the war

(Wilde 4).Map of Battle of the Somme

(Battle of the Somme Progress).

Hindenburg LineThe German pull back to a newly built and

heavily fortified line called the Hindenburg line and give 1000 square miles of land back to the allies

Nivelle OffensiveJoffre is replaced by Nivelle who had just come

from victory at VerdunThe Offensive

Nivelle concentrates a great deal of artillery on the Hindenburg line but only creates a larger mess of the German Lines

There is early success but the troops loose heart and began to mutiny

(Wilde 4).

Battle of Arras Small gains tactics are used to

large success here but the allied commanders want decisive victory

The Offensive Third Battle of Ypres

Haig’s British forces attack the German lines but the conditions are stormy and the ground is muddy which leads to the deaths of 250,000 British for only 5 miles of land

First Battle of Cambrai Haig’s British forces use 400 tanks

to attack in the North and are extremely successful but there were not enough reinforcements to hold the territory which is lost 10 days later

(Wilde 4).

British Mark IV Tank(Mark IV Tank with Unditching

Beam).

Peace with Russia Germans gain a peace treaty with

Russia This sends 1 Million men to the

Western Front Ludendorff’s Plan (Ludendorff was the real leader of

the German army). A new sense of desperation set over

the Germans when the United States declared war on Germany

The Plan Split French and British Lines Have a short bombardment and then

send elite soldiers to attack the trenches with reinforcements behind them

The Spring Offensive Germans have rapid success but there

was no plan to support the supply lines at Germans are halted just before Paris again

The French Commander-in-Chief Petain is replaced by Foch

(Wilde 4).

German Spring Offensive(German Offensives on

Western Front).

The Hundred Days Offensive The Allies counter attack

New Tactics – Artillery is used to pin down forces instead of blowing holes in lines

Battle of Amiens The first battle of the final offensive was a

great victory where under 20,000 Germans were taken prisoner and only 6,500 Allies were lost

Ludendorff called it the “Blackest Day of the German Army” – August 8th

(“Hundred Days Offensive”). Foch’s Pincer

Supreme Allied Commander Foch leads a pincer movement which overruns the Hindenburg Line and leads to a huge German retreat to almost the Belgian border

(Wilde 4). The Meuse-Argonne Offensive

The Americans led the battle in an relentless attack on the German lines which only ended on November 11, 1918, the Armistice

(Hickman).

Battle of Amiens and Later Allied Gains

(Thor).

Germany DefeatedLudendorff admits defeat

and the new civilian German government surrenders to the allies

November 11, 1918The fighting came to an end

at 11:00 am(Wilde 4).

Newspaper Article on the Armistice

(The Chicago Daily Tribune).

Casualties (Wounded or Killed)

France – 5.7 MillionBritain – 2.4 MillionGermany – 6 MillionU.S.A. – 0.3 Million(Wilde 1).

EffectsFragmentation of Austria-Hungary into

CzechoslovakiaFragmentation of the Ottoman Empire into

Yugoslavia and the Republic of TurkeyFall of Russian Empire into the Soviet Union(“Socio-Political Changes Following World War I”).Fall of the German Empire into the Weimar Republic(Adams).

World War I Verdun Memorial

(Grandmont).

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Grandmont, Jean-Pol. Douaumont Cemetery (Verdun). Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 5 Sept. 2011. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I_memorials>.

Harris & Erwing, Inc. John J. Pershing. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 4 Aug. 2006. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Pershing>.

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