world war i: a new kind of warfarerobertjohnstonghs.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/0/7/... · trench...
Post on 10-Jul-2020
4 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
First World War General Overview
Following the July Crisis, war began in early August 1914
It was expected to be quick….over by Christmas
Romantic / chivalry… men signed up eager for adventure
A war of movement was expected…..stalemate occurred with trench warfare
No one knew the problems associated with industrialized warfare….19th century tactics were ineffective against modern weapons such as the machine gun
War lasted for 4 years…..approx 9 million soldiers / 20 million civilians would die
First World War Opening Moves
Prior to 1914, all major countries (Russia, France, Germany) had developed very detailed and calculated war plans that would be implemented should war ever erupt.
For Germany, it was surrounded by countries of the Triple Entente, so a war plan was needed to deal with the possibility of war on two fronts (France in the West & Russia in the East)
We can use the map on the next slide to describe how Germany’s geographic location in Europe influenced its pre-World War I war plan
First World War Opening Moves
• The German plan was to quickly knock
France out of the war & capture Paris
before British & Russia forces could be
mobilized & brought into action
• To accomplish this Germany decided to
invade neutral Belgium, sweep through
northeastern France & capture Paris,
knocking France out of the war in only 6
weeks…Schlieffen Plan
• This plan brought Britain into the
conflict in defense of neutral Belgium &
it responded by sending forces to
Northern France
The Race to the Sea, Fall 1914
• By September 1914 the German plan had failed, British & French forces stopped the Germans just outside of Paris. France was saved!!
• ‘The Race to the Sea’ now began as both sides attempted to control the ports along the English Channel
• Both sides also now began to dig in over the next few months to consolidate their positions …TRENCH WARFARE had arrived!
• The Outbreak of War (Interactive Map)
A New Kind of Warfare
The war on the Western Front was a new kind of warfare.
No one had experienced a war like it before. The generals’
plan had not allowed for it. Everyone had to adapt.
What distinguished this war from previous ones?
Trench Warfare
Dominated by artillery
Cavalry became outdated
Dominated by infantry
Industrialized Warfare
Trench Warfare
• Both sides began to construct deep trenches protected by
machine guns & barbed wire.
• Parallel lines of trenches soon stretched from the English
Channel to Switzerland
• Opposing forces were only separated by 25m in some areas.
• Trench warfare dominated the Western Front battlefields of
WWI.
Activity #1: Trench Organization
Front-line : This was the firing-and-attack trench (closest to the enemy)
Support : This trench contained men & supplies that could immediately assist those on the front line
Reserve : This trench contained men & supplies that were available in emergencies should the first trenches be overrun.
Communication : Connected the various trenches & allowed movement of messages, supplies, & men
among the trenches
No Man’s Land
• The space between the allied &
enemy front line trenches
• Characterized with destroyed
military equipment &
vegetation, mud-soaked craters,
rotting corpses, & barbed wire
• Night-time Trench raids were
common
• Snipers were a constant threat
First World War Trenches
The front line trench was supported by much stronger
reserve trenches and linked by communication trenches.
German trenches were usually stronger and better
constructed than allied trenches.
As the Germans invaded Belgium and France they quickly
captured the higher ground and built their trenches in those
areas.
First World War Trenches
Many of their dugouts and machine gun posts were
reinforced with concrete which provided a stronger defence
against artillery bombardment.
The British and Allied trenches were often filled with water
and mud because they were constructed in the low-lying
areas.
2. Artillery
It was the key weapon of
WWI which caused more
casualties than any other
weapon
Fear most by the soldiers
Shrapnel shells
2. Artillery
The area around Ypres,
Belgium experienced the
devastating effects of artillery
bombardments
The Menin Gate stands there
today as a reminder of the
men who have no known
grave (over 55,000 British &
Empire dead)
Thiepval on the Somme has
over 70,000
The following shows a series of aerial photographs of Passchendaele taken before, during, and after the battle in 1917.
As you view the photos, think about the following
How has the use of artillery physically changed the town and surrounding landscape?
In what ways were soldiers impacted by this destruction?
3. Cavalry
Traditionally, Cavalry forces provided
speed & mobility to armies
Cavalry Charge
The emergence of artillery, barbed
wire, machine guns, & trench warfare in
WWI, however, rendered cavalry
virtually useless
Animals were too vulnerable for frontal
assaults & were mainly concentrated on
transportation/supply duties
Tanks became the new cavalry as the
war progressed
4. Infantry
Foot soldier who formed the
backbone of the army
‘Infantry Charge’ replaced
the ‘Cavalry Charge’
Carried a variety of
equipment into battle
4. Infantry Charge
The attacking side’s artillery
bombarded the frontline trenches
of the enemy in the days / weeks
prior to the attack.
As soon as the barrage lifted
(stopped), attacking
troops would go over the
top of their trenches to
attack.
4. Infantry Charge
The defenders now attempted to
hold their positions & destroy the
attacking forces with machine gun
fire & other weapons available
If enemy trenches were captured,
they had to be held against strong
enemy counter-attack….a very
difficult task
4. Infantry Charge
The machine gun was devastatingly effective defending a trench
against the infantry charge.
Firing 8 – 10 bullets / min, this weapon made frontal assaults on
trenches very costly
The theory was that if enough soldiers charged then no matter how
many were killed or wounded on the way, there would still be
enough men alive to capture the machine guns in the enemy
trenches.
July 1st, 1916…Battle of the Somme
Trench Warfare Simulation
Now you will build on your knowledge of trench warfare by
completing a simulation from the Canadian War museum
Over the Top is an interactive adventure game that allows YOU to
experience life in the trenches during the First World War. As a
young Canadian soldier stationed somewhere along the Western
Front in the late Fall of 1916, you will live through some of the
excitement, despair, brutality and sheer horror of trench warfare.
Complete the following activity for homework, to be submitted for
next class.
5. New Weapons
As countries militarized & prepared for war, new
technologies appeared which introduced the world to the
dark side of the Industrial Revolution
All of the following first appeared during WWI
Machine Guns, Tanks, Airplanes, Submarines, Poisonous Gas
top related