The Course of WWIDrawing What You Read

Looking Back Enduring images are

soldiers bogged down in Belgian and northern French trenches

Minimal gains, high casualties

Infantry running into machine gun and artillery fire

Many theaters of fighting though

Belgium, France, Austria-Italy border, Balkans, Ottoman Empire at Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, Middle East, Africa

1914

Rapid movement characterized the early phases of war

German Schlieffen Plan seeking to knock out France quickly, trying to obliterate their left defensive flank

French Plan XVII seeking to retrieve Alsace-Lorraine, Britain and Russia mobilize immediately

Austria-Hungary focuses on Serbia

1914 – Western Front German Commander Helmuth von Moltke had adapted

Schlieffen Plan

Transferred more troops to Eastern Front to counter Russia’s faster mobilization capabilities

Many more troops on the left side of the right wing August 1914, Germany invaded Luxembourg, France,

Belgium

Slower than expected, due to British arrival (GER took heavy casualties at Mons), Belgian resistance and extension of supply lines

Opening weeks were disastrous for France under Plan XVII

Held up at the Battle of the Frontiers, lost 210,000 in the first month

1914 – Western Front Early September, German forces neared Paris, swung east, exposed

the flank to French and British at the Battle of the Marne, Sept. 5.

Germans forced to pull away from Paris

Von Moltke resigns, replaced by Erich von Falkenhayn

Now a series of attempted outflanking maneuvers by the Germans, French and British, became known as the ‘race to the sea’, ran out of room at the English Channel

First Battles of Ypres, British prevented the Germans from taking the town

Ypres becomes a salient

By end of the year, BEF lost 96,000, French 995,000 Germany 670,000

Germany occupied northern France though, its major industrial region

1914 – Eastern Front

Russians had mobilized by Aug. 17

Invaded Germany as two armies moved into East Prussia

Moltke must transfer 60,000 troops to the Eastern Front

Russians overwhelmed the Germans at Tannenberg in August and Masurian Lakes in September

Russian armies never connected and accidentally transmitted uncoded messages of movements to the Germans

1915 – Western Front Falkenhayn decided to concentrate on Russia in the East

Only significant offenseive on Western Front was in April at the Second Battle of the Ypres

Germans used poison chlorine gas for the first time

Captured the high ground around the town, Allies kept the town

Number of French and British offensives, no real successes, only heavy casualties

From December 1914-March 1915, French attached the Champagne region

March, British Army broke through Germans at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle

German counter-attack though, 12,000 casualties

May-November, French repeatedly, unsuccessfully attempted to capture the Vinny Ridge

September, British failed attack on Loos, 50,000 casualties

September, French limited success in attacks on Champagne and Artois

1915 – Eastern Front

May, Germans launched a huge offensive against Russia’s Northwest Front

Russians driven out of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia

Russian General Brusilov decides to withdraw from Southwest as well

1 million Russians surrendered during this year

August Tsar Nicholas II took over military command, total mistake

Other 1915 Developments

Major debate among British and French politicians/commanders about whether to attack Germans in France and Belgium or knock out the weaker elements of the Central Powers

March, Gallipoli campaign as a way of weakening Central Powers at a time of stalemate

Continuing debate meant limited resources

Looking to seize control of the Straits of the Dardanelles, defeat Turkey

Pressure on Russia will be reduced

Four ships sank from mines

British and ANZAC forces land in April, failed to capture the high ground, bogged down, now a battle of attrition

All Allied forced evacuated in January 1916

May, Italy joined the Allies (had been promised Austrian territory)

Bulgaria joins the Central Powers in October

Britain and France landed troops in Greece to help Serbia but were pushed back into Greece by Bulgaria

1916 – Western Front February, massive German attack on Verdun, trying to draw in as many

French soldiers to a war of attrition

End of the battle in December, France had suffered 500,000 casualties

Next year saw large scale mutinies

German losses 400,000 though

Falkenhayn replaced by Paul von Hindenburg

British attack the Somme in July

Supposed to be French as well, tied up with Verdun

Seven day artillery barrage, mostly a failure though

First day of infantry attack the costliest in British history – 60,000

Attack continued until November

Tanks used by British for the first time in September

December, Germans began to withdraw to Hindenburg Line defenses

1916 – Eastern Front

Major Russian offensive against the Austrians in Galicia, August

September, Russians pushed back by Germans, huge losses and decline in morale

Other 1916 Developments

August, Romania joins the Allies, wanted Transylvania from Austria-Hungary

Withdrew after six months following a Central Powers attack

1917 German Strategy

Germany convinced Russia was on the verge of collapse

Thought they could then launch a major offensive in the West

January, announced unrestricted submarine warfare hoping to squeeze off British supplies

April, Allies lost 860,000 tons of shipping Meant American ships as well January, Zimmerman Telegram April, US declares war on Germany

1917 – Eastern Front

By 1917, Russians 1.7 mil killed, 8 mil wounded, 2.5 mil prisoners, starting to break down

Really impacted civilians – food shortages, inflation, lack of transportation

February demonstrations led to abdication of Nicholas II, Russia became a republic

Launched a major offensive in June 1917, had totally failed by July

September, peasants are revolting Lenin’s Bolshevik party comes to power in October

December, signs an armistice with Germany

1917 – Western Front Several Allied offensives, mostly deadlock

April, British offensive at Arras, Canadians capture Vinny Ridge

April, major French offensive at St. Quentin, total disaster, halted in May, 100,000 casualties

Serious mutinies

Fell to the British to do something

May, British offensives in Flanders, designed to drive the Germans away from Ypres and break through to the Belgian coast

June, captured the Messines Ridge

End of July, heavy British losses at Third Battle of Yrpes

November, British captured Passchendale Ridge

Also took Cambrai, only a short-lived breakthrough

1917 – Austro-Italian Front

August, Italian offensive against the Austrians at Isonzo, no result

October, major Austro-German victory at Caporetto, Italians suffered 700,000 casualties

Italians were able to stabilize the front

1918 March, Operation Michael, massive German attack 100-km wide

Bolstered by Storm Battalions

Captured the Somme with the attack

Took only five days to go 65 km

April, second surprise German attack on Yrpes, broke through again, 40 miles from Paris

Germans had lost huge numbers though, 240,000 lost, others exhausted

Late May, US took the field with rested British and French

Huge counterattack at Amiens in August

By September, had retaken all the ground lost that Spring

Late September, penetrated Hindenburg Line

October, Germany asked for Allied Armistice Terms

November, Kaiser fled to Holland, Germany declared a republic

November 11, war ends