BATTLES OF WORLD WAR I
Major World War I Battles
Battle of
Tannenburg:
Aug. 1914,
Russia’s worst
defeat in World
War I
First Battle of
the Marne:
Sept. 1914,
Allies halted
German
advance, saving
Paris from
occupation
First Battle of
Ypres: Oct.–Nov.
1914, last major
German offensive
until 1918
Battle of
Gallipoli:
Apr.–Dec.
1915, failed
attempt of the
Allies to knock
Turkey out of
the war
Battle of
Verdun: Feb.–
Dec. 1916,
longest battle of
World War I with
huge loss of life
Battle of the
Somme: July–
Nov. 1916, first
great offensive
of the British,
best
remembered for
its staggering
loss of life
Third Battle of
Ypres
(Passchendaele):
July–Nov. 1917, so
many losses that
the name
Passchendaele
came to mean
senseless slaughter
Battle of
Caporetto:
Oct.–Nov.
1917,
tremendous
victory for the
Central Powers
Major Battles and Events
• Marne - 1914-North of Paris the French stop the German advance
and ruins the Schlieffen Plan.
• After this point the war becomes a stalemate and they dig into
the Trenches.
• The front lines change little for the rest of the war.
• Christmas Truce- 1914- Christmas Eve the soldiers on the front
hold up candles and sing Christmas Carols.
• On Christmas day they agreed not to fight and came out of their
ditches to meet in the middle and hold funeral services and bury
the dead.
• Verdun- 1916- Place of Legendary battles, and importance, city
surrounded by underground tunnels.
• German offensive goal to kill (attrition) not for land, to get other
side to surrender because of high body count.
• Started with a heavy artillery attack, French and Germany forces
clash after 9 months and 1 million dead or wounded nothing is
accomplished.
• Somme - 1916- North of Somme- 30 miles where the British try
to break the German lines.
• Fought at same time as Verdun in attempt to relieve pressure.
• Artillery bombardment for 7 days believed to destroy Germans.
• When the British advances across no mans land they are
slaughtered 20,000 in one day.
• 1 million dead or wounded in six months, 6 miles changed
hands
• Gallipoli- The British (Australians) assault on a Turkish peninsula
in an attempt to open the strait to the Black Sea and their ally
the Russians for re-supply.
• British are unable to breach the high cliff and dig in at the
beaches and get stuck in a stalemate.
• Lost 250,000 men and withdrew in Jan. 1916.
• Genocide- mass murder of a group usually ethnic based.
Muslim Turks force Christian Armenians in the north by the
Russian border to leave their homes and then murdered them
or left them to starve in the desert. 500,000 die
Other Fronts
• Western Front- 475 miles of trenches from Swiss border through
France and Belgium to the Atlantic Ocean.
• Italian Front- Austria- Hungary fights Italy along the northern
border, they break through Italian lines late 1917• Battle of Caporetto- but are pushed back with the help of the Allies
• Balkan Front-Austria- Hungary overruns Serbia and fights the Allies
along the border of Greece.
• Fighting with the Turks at Gallipoli over the water ways to the black
sea.
• Rumania joins in with Allies, also overran.
• Eastern Front- After Battle of Tannenberg Russia continues to be
beaten, Germans make their way into Russia.
• At first Russia does well against Austria but 1915 continues to be
driven back into Russia by Austria also.
• Russian army is poorly equipped, not enough food, clothing,
weapons, moral is very low.
Overview
• 65 million combatants from 30 countries
representing every continent.
– 29 million become casualties.
• Naval battles around the world and land battles in
Europe, Africa, and Asia.
• Triple Alliance = Germany, Austria, Italy
– +Turkey + Bulgaria - Italy = Central Powers
• Entente Cordiale = Britain, France
– + Russia + Italy + (later) US = Allied Powers
• Revolutionary technology, but evolutionary
tactics(?)
3
How Did the War Become a Global Conflict?
EASTERN EUROPE
In August 1914, Russian armies
pushed into eastern Germany.
SOUTHERN EUROPE
In 1915, Bulgaria joined the Central
Powers and helped crush Serbia.
After Russia was defeated in the
battle of Tannenburg, armies in the
east fought on Russian soil.
OUTSIDE EUROPE
Japan, allied with Britain, tried to
impose a protectorate on China.
The Ottoman empire joined the
Central Powers in 1914.
Arab nationalists revolted against
Ottoman rule.
THE COLONIES
The Allies overran German colonies
in Africa and Asia.
The great powers turned to their own
colonies for troops, laborers, and
supplies.
1914
• June 28, 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne
of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is assassinated in Sarajevo.
• July 28 Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia.
• August 1 Germany declares war on Russia.
• August 3 Germany declares war on France.
• August 4 Great Britain declares war on Germany.
• August 4 Germany invades neutral Belgium.
• August 26-30 German army, led by Erich Ludendorff and
Paul von Hindenburg, achieves its greatest victory of the war
on the Eastern front against Russia at the Battle of
Tannenberg.
• September 5-10 First Battle of the Marne halts German
invasion in France.
• September 15 First trenches of the Western front are dug.
“Belgium is a country, not a road”
• King Albert I of
Belgium denied
permission
• August 2, 1914
Germany declared war
on France
– Why???
– The Schlieffen Plan!
• August 4, 1914 Great
Britain declared war on
Germany for violating
Belgian neutrality
The Powers Prepare for War
July 23 – August 3, 1914
June 28, 1914
Assassination of Archduke Franz
Ferdinand
July 5-6, 1914
Germany supports Austria-Hungary
July 28, 1914
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
July 31, 1914
German forces begin to mobilize
August 1, 1914
Germany declares war on Russia & France
With Russia mobilizing, Germany has
no choice but to demand an immediate
halt or to declare war before anyone
else can.
Russia refuses to stop it mobilization
and within hours on August 1, 1914
Germany is at war with Russia.
Kaiser Wilhelm II needs no excuse to
declare war on France and does so
two days later on August 3. This sets
up the first stage of the "Schlieffen
Plan".
The Schlieffen Plan
• Invade western front
1st
• After defeating France
concentrate on the
Eastern front
• Avoid fighting a 2
front war
Schlieffen Plan
• Germans want to finish off French before Russia
is ready to fight.
• Germans believe French will immediately try to
retake Alsace-Lorraine.
• Original plan called for economy of force on the
left while heavily weighting the right flank
– Von Moltke revised and distributed forces more evenly
across the front.
• Plan failed when Germans were held up by
Belgians, then stopped by French and British at
the Battle of the Marne.
– Russians also mobilized more quickly than expected.
German Aggression Leads the Way
The Outbreak of War (1914)
•
Germany had prepared a battleplan well in advance of the
outbreak of war & used the
Russian mobilization as an
excuse to launch their attack
•
THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN
(Germany’s 2-Part Plan for the War)
A)
Attack France thru NEUTRAL Belgium
to avoid forts along the French-German
border (defeat France in a matter of
weeks)
B)
Reverse course and attack Russia before
it was fully mobilized for war
•
The “Offensive” strategy & attack thru
Belgium will be critical in Germany
being blamed for “starting” WWI
The Schlieffen
Plan
The Schlieffen Plan’s
Destructive Nature
The Schlieffen Plan’s
Destructive Nature
• Germany made vast
encircling movement
through Belgium to
enter Paris
• Underestimated speed
of the British
mobilization
– Quickly sent troops to
France
The Schlieffen Plan’s
Destructive Nature
• Sept 6-10, 1914
– Battle of Marne
– Stopped the Germans
but French troops were
exhausted
– Both sides dug
trenches for shelter
STALEMATE
Paris: The First Day of Mobilization, Sunday August 2 1914
The German Attack
August 4, 1914
August 4, 1914
German forces invade neutral
Belgium
August 26-30, 1914
Battle of Tannenberg
October-November, 1914
First Battle of Ypres
December 25, 1914
Unofficial Christmas Truce on the
Western Front
The French thought that Germany's
advance into Belgium was a
diversion. Most of the French
army moved northeast to attack
Germany through the lost
provinces of Alsace and
Lorraine.
The first major battle on the
Eastern front occurred when
German forces surrounded and
destroyed the Russian army at
the Battle of Tannenberg. This
August 1914 battle was
Germany's greatest victory of the
war.
First Battle of the Marne
September 5 -10, 1914
German plans for the
Western Front began to
fall apart in September
of 1914.
As the German right flank
drove deeper, it was
separated from the rest
of the invading German
force. This made it
vulnerable and forced
the Germans pulled up
twenty-five miles short
of Paris.
This was France’s chance
to attack. What
followed was the First
Battle of the Marne
where the German
advance was stopped
The First Battle of the Marne
• The German army quickly advanced through northern France and
after only one month of fighting were barely 25 miles from Paris.
• The French, however, would not give up.
The Battle
• The French launched a
counterattack along the Marne
River east of Paris on September
7, 1914.
• This battle became known as the
First Battle of the Marne.
• 2 million men fought on a battlefront that stretched 125 miles.
• After five days and 250,000
deaths, the French had rallied
and pushed the Germans back
some 40 miles.
The Aftermath
• The French paid a heavy
price, as countless redcoated French troops had
fallen in the battle.
• Despite the loss of life, it
helped the Allies by giving
Russia more time to mobilize
for war.
• Once Russia mobilized,
Germany had to pull some of
its troops out of France and
send them to fight Russia on
the Eastern Front, which
stretched from the Black Sea
to the Baltic Sea.
BATTLE OF THE MARNE
• The 1st Battle of Marne - The First World War - Sept 1914
• Germans continued their push towards Paris. This was part of the
Schlieffen Plan
• British and French troops retreated to positions south of the Seine and
Marne rivers. French 6th Army launched a counter attack.
• French managed to save Paris. (Reinforcements were sent in taxi's
from Paris.)
BATTLE OF THE MARNE
•
•
•
•
Around 600 taxis used to transport 6,000 French troops to
battle.
Over 2 million troops fought in First Battle of the Marne.
260,000 ALLIED CASUALTIES
250,000 GERMAN CASUALTIES
Battle of the Marne Sept.-Nov. 1914
•Germans encounter heavy
resistance at the Marne River
•French & Germans dig
defensive trenches
•Halts German offensive
A Massive “Meat Grinder”: The
Western Front
• Early Battles of the War
--The Battle of the Marne
(September 6, 1914)
• Immovable front for two and a
half years
• Trench warfare
--25,000 miles of trenches
• Cavalry gives way to infantry
WWI on the Eastern Front
• Eastern Front of the great
war had a profound impact on
the remainder of the 20th
century
•Grim statistics for the Eastern
war:
•more than three-million men
dead,
•more than nine-million men
wounded,
•and every major country
which participated lost its
form of government.
•Russia collapsed completely
and catastrophically
State of the Russian Army
•Russian Army of World War One has become notorious for its reputation
as a large, ill-equipped force
•Russia's Imperial Troops were actually well trained and equipped
•Real problem: inadequate transportation infrastructure, which was not
able to supply and maintain Russian field formations at wartime
establishments, and poor command decisions
•Equipment: the average Russian soldier in the 1st and 2nd Line had
sidearms, rifles and machine guns equal to his German counterparts, and
probably superior to the Austrians
•standard Russian Field Guns, the 76.2 mm and 122 mm, were robust
enough to be used in World War Two and still be in reserve units in the
1980's
Pre-War
Decisions
•Russian Army High Command had maintained a lively pre-war debate
over what action would be taken in case of war with Germany
• by 1910 it was decided to launch major offensive operations
immediately upon the outbreak of any war
•decision catered to the "spirit of the offensive" which then pervaded
European military thought, and as a result most Russian fortress units
were deactivated
•age-old Russian strategy of defense-in-depth supported by
counteroffensives was cast aside
•would exact a brutal toll in Russian lives, which in turn helped to spur
later unrest
Austria-Hungary
•Austro-Hungarian Army of 1914 had been starved of proper
equipment and resources throughout the pre-war period
•composed of an increasingly nationalistic soldiery, three-quarters
of whom were from Slavic recruiting districts
•these troops proved to be reluctant to follow Austrian officers
into combat against their Russian brethren
•became a major liability, especially after the enormous losses
suffered during the first year of war.
Germany on the
East
•main German armies in the East operated with characteristic efficiency
•troops enjoyed the luxury of fighting the battles of maneuver for which
they had been trained
• Russian front saw the rise of the great German "artillery virtuosos" of
the war like Lieutenant Colonel Georg Bruchmüller
• Bruchmüller orchestrated artillery firepower with ferocious efficiency
• undertook aggressive training measures to assure near perfect
coordination between the artillery and infantry branches of the army
Opening the
War on the
Eastern Front
•Eastern half of the Great War began on August 17, 1914 w/ the Battles
of Stalluponen and Gumbinnen
•Russian General Pavel Rennenkampf's First Army invaded Eastern
Prussia in a full scale offensive
•Two days later, General Alexander Samsonov's Second Army attacked
around the right flank of the German Eighth Army commanded by General
Friedrich von Prittwitz
•This was achieved despite the fact that Second Army was fighting at twothirds strength due to the slow Russian mobilization.
•Prittwitz, certain that he could not hold against the two armies facing
him, informed high command that he intended to withdraw to the Vistula
River, abandoning most of East Prussia including Königsberg
Battle of
Tannenberg
•Prittwitz was relieved of duty and replaced by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg
and his new Chief-of-Staff, Erich Ludendorf.
•Along with the staff at East Prussian Army Headquarters, they planned a
counteroffensive against the Russians.
•By August 27 they had already laid the plans and fallen on Samsonov's weak Army,
taking it in both flanks in a near perfect double envelopment
•The Battle of Tannenberg ended by August 30 when Samsonov's entire command
disintegrated at a cost of 92,000 captured and tens of thousands of other casualties.
Battle of Tannenberg May-August 1914
•Germans & Austrians push Russians
out of East Prussia & Carpathian Mts.
•Russians retreat beyond Brest-Litovsk,
Poland.
•Russia--one million killed or wounded;
one million captured.
The Winter War
of 1914-1915
•
•
•
•
•
Winter 1914-15: von Hoetzendorf appealed to the Germans to support an
offensive he hoped would force the Russians off the Carpathian Mountains
German senior command agreed on a thrust deep into Russian lines out of
East Prussia
resulting "winter war" inflicted 90,000 casualties on the Russians, but
petered out when the Austrian forces to the south utterly failed to dislodged
the Russians.
Austria suffered another embarrassing defeat, and even lost control of
Dukla Pass, a prime route onto the Hungarian plains
severe weather and their unfortunate supply situation prevented the
Russians from moving into Austria-Hungary
German Control
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
May 1915: Germans took over command of the
Eastern Front
used their units to support the fragmented Austrian
formations
next offensive came on May 1, with a sharp attack
on the Russian lines at Gorlice
offensive penetrated more than two-hundred miles
in two weeks
triggered the collapse of the entire Russian
Southern Front
German and Austrian formations pushed
northward capturing Warsaw in August
September: Gen. Max von Gallwitz' Twelfth Army
attacked into the Courland toward Riga
Russian front line fell apart
strongholds of Novo-Georgiesk and Brest-Litovsk
fell to the Germans
Took until the end of September for the Russian
line to re-form
The Eastern Front
• Russian army moved into
Eastern Germany on
August 30, 1914
– Defeated
• The Austrians kicked out
of Serbia
• Italians attacked Austria in
1915
• G. came to Austrian aid
and pushed Russians back
300 miles into own
territory
Nicholas Takes Command
• Russian Tsar Nicholas
intervened and assumed
personal command of the army
• decision would have grave
consequences.
• territory captured by the Central
Powers to date included all of
Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
• two million Russian troops were
lost during the course of the
year, half of them prisoners
• Central Powers of Germany and
Austria-Hungary lost a total of
nearly one-million
A Romanian Whoopsy
• Romania entered the war on the
side of the allies
• invaded Transylvania instead of
preparing an adequate defense.
• mistake gave the Germans the
opening they needed
• ensuing counter-offensive
achieved the total collapse of
Romania to the Central Powers
• Germany and Austria gained
control of vast coal and wheat
fields, but added over 200 miles
of front to their lines
Troubles All Round…
• Russian industry proved unable
to continue manufacturing new
equipment in sufficient
quantities to replace staggering
losses, especially in small arms
and ammunition.
• Late 1916: several nations
across Europe began to suffer
from mutinies and revolts as
troops became disillusioned
• Russia slowly edged toward
open revolt
• dual monarchy of AustriaHungary edged toward
complete dissolution.
Russian
Disintegration
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1917--the Russian Army's officer corps increasingly demoralized by the poor
progress of the fighting
Grossly outnumbered Germans had proven to be dangerous and cunning
opponents
Russian royal family's intervention didn’t improve anything
repeated catastrophes suffered by Russian field armies squelched what
patriotism had existed three years earlier
entire governing system slowly fell apart
by March, some Army units began ignoring their orders
situation made worse as growing Communist rebel groups exaggerated reports
of minor events: I.e. revolt of a Russian Guard depot formation at Petrograd
(carried out by trainees and depot troops, not by fully trained Imperial
Guardsmen)
The Western Front
• “The Race with Death”
-- “Going over the top”
-- “No Man’s Land”
• Gap between officers and
enlisted men
• Daily routine of the World
War I soldier
YPRES
• First Battle of Ypres was last major
battle of the first year (1914)
• This battle marked the end of the Race to
the Sea where Germans tried to reach
French ports of Calais and Dunkirk,
which were the main supply routes for
the British Expeditionary Force.
• Germans called the battle "The Massacre
of the Innocents" (German
"Kindermord").
• Many of German units consisted of
enthusiastic students. Their offensive
had been stopped by a British force,
which although outnumbered was highly
professional having learned many
lessons from the Boer War.
• The BEF was effectively destroyed at
First Ypres but bought the British
valuable time to reinforce the lines
Battle of Ypres, Belgium November 1914
•Last open Battle of the Western Front
•British and French halt German advance to
English Channel
•German & French Casualties:
•300,000 killed; 600,000 wounded
1915
• January 19, 1915 First German Zeppelin air raid on
England.
• February 4 Germany declares a submarine blockade of
Great Britain. Any boat approaching England is considered
a legitimate target.
• April 22-May 5 Second Battle of Ypres marks first use of
chemical weapons.
• April 25 Allies begin assault on Gallipoli peninsula in
Turkey.
• May 7 Sinking of the passenger ship Lusitania.
• May 23 Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary.
• August 30 Germany responds to U.S. anger by ceasing to
sink ships without warning.
• December 28 Allies begin withdrawal of troops from
Gallipoli.
Second Battle of Ypres
April 22-May 31, 1915
The Second Battle of Ypres involved
four battles around Ypres. The first
of these four battles began on 22
April 1915 as a surprise offensive
by the German 4th Army on the
Allied front line.
This attack saw the first use of a new
German weapon on the Western
Front: poisonous gas. A breeze
moving towards French troops
carried the deadly gas. It had a
devastating effect on the French
and the German infantry made a
significant advance into Allied
territory.
During the next four weeks the Allied
Forces of Belgium, France and
Britain fought to hold off the
successful German advance and to
regain the ground that had been
lost north of Ypres. The fourth
battle ended on 25 May 1915.
Battles on the Western Front
While people on the home front supported their troops, the war
in Western Europe was going badly for the Allied Powers.
The Italian Front
The Battle of Verdun
• Germans planned assault on
• Italy joined Allied Powers,
French fortress, Verdun
May 1915
• Sent forces against AustriaHungary at border with Italy
• Series of back-and-forth
battles
• Little progress made
• Believed French would defend
fortress at all costs
• Battle of Verdun meant to kill,
injure as many French soldiers as
possible
• 400,000 French casualties in 10
months of fighting, almost as
many for Germany
The Battle of the Somme
• British launched attack in Somme River area to pull German troops away
from Verdun
• Main assault during 1916, but no major breakthrough
• Both sides lost great number of troops; British suffered nearly 60,000
casualties on the first day of fighting
The Third Battle of Ypres
• Failed French offensive caused rebellion among French soldiers, spring
1917
• British began offensive near Ypres, Belgium, site of German attacks
• Third Battle of Ypres a disaster for British
• After 3 years of battle, front lines remained virtually unchanged
Battle of Verdun
• 10 months
• 700,000 men killed
Case Studies in Industrial
Warfare
• Battles of Attrition
• The Battle of Verdun
(February-June, 1916)
--German attack opened by
most massive military
bombardment in history
--longest single battle of the
war
--The “sacred road”
--600,000 men died
The Battle of Verdun
February 21. 1916 – July 1916
The Allies had planned to launch a
joint French and British assault
in the region of the Somme. The
target date was the middle of
1916. However, in February the
Allied plan was upset when the
Germans began an assault on
the fortress-ringed city of
Verdun. The belief was that
Verdun was essential to the
French that France would fight
to the death. On February 21,
the German artillery barrage
began and, for the next several
months both sides unleashed
soldiers and shells at each By
Christmas, when the battle
finally ended, 800,000 men had
lost their lives.
One hundred and twenty-five miles
northwest of Verdun, the British
and French armies joined at the
Somme river. A French-British
offensive was planned here for
1916 to relieve pressure on the
French at Verdun.
Battle of Verdun February-July 1916
•Germans believed they could win a war of attrition
w/ Allies.
•Verdun, a series of fortifications in rolling hills.
•Almost 1,000,000 killed or wounded.
•French lost 325,000 (90,000 killed), in one assault at
“Dead Man’s Hill.”
Battle of Verdun 1916
•24 million shells used
•equates to 1,000 shells
per square meter of the
Battlefield.
VERDUN
• "They shall not pass." -Philippe Pétain
• fought between Feb and Dec 1916.
• resulted in nearly one million deaths and an additional
450,000 wounded and missing.
• one of longest and bloodiest battles in history.
VERDUN
• Douaumont Ossuary (remains of 130,000 unknown soldiers) and
National cemetery (15,000 graves of identified French soldiers).
• Germany captured a centre of France's fortifications -Fort
Douaumont but could not capture Verdun itself.
Verdun
• Germans assaulted French forces
with massive artillery barrage
and then advanced on French
trenches using flamethrowers for
the first time.
VERDUN AFTERMATH
• apparent successes of fixed fortification system (with
the exception of Fort Douaumont) led to adoption of
the Maginot Line as preferred method of defense
along the Franco-German border during the interwar years.
• France's army was plagued not with desertions, but
rather with a general refusal to march face-first into
the teeth of Germany's impregnable positions.
• France's troops remained in their trenches, willing to
fight only in a defensive capacity.
 The Battle of Verdun was
fought from Feb. 21, 1916
through Dec. 15, 1916.
 It was between the French
and Germans. The French
won.
 The French suffered 371,000
casualties; the Germans
suffered 337,000 casualities.
Many men were also maimed.
 The battle became a symbol of
French determination to hold
ground and repel the enemy
at any cost.
Case Studies of Industrial
Warfare (cont)
• The Battle of the Somme (JulyNovember, 1916)
--Seven Days and Seven Nights
of British bombardment
--60,000 British dead in 12
minutes
--1 million dead for just 7 miles
of land
• The Changing atmosphere of
War
--complete breakdown of
human existence
The Battle of the Somme
July 1,1916 –November 1916
The Allies had planned to launch a joint
French and British assault in the
region of the Somme. The target date
was the middle of 1916. However, in
February the Allied plan was upset
when the Germans began an assault
on the fortress-ringed city of Verdun.
The belief was that Verdun was essential
to the French that France would fight
to the death. On February 21, the
German artillery barrage began and,
for the next several months both
sides unleashed soldiers and shells
at each By Christmas, when the battle
finally ended, 800,000 men had lost
their lives.
During this horrendous fighting, the
French sent frantic appeals to Sir
Douglas Haig, the new British
commander, to hasten the Somme
offensive and to take the pressure off
Verdun.
Battle of the Somme July-Nov. 1916
•British & French felt a massive assault on German forces
would turn tide of war.
•After a week of constant bombardment, the British came
out of their trenches.
•By the end of the first day, British casualties were 110, 000
(19,000 dead).
BATTLE OF THE SOMME
• 1916- Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles, with
more than one million casualties. The British and French forces
attempted to break through the German lines along a 25 mile
(40 km) front north and south of the River Somme in northern
France. One purpose of the battle was to draw German forces
away from the battle of Verdun; however, by its end the losses on
the Somme had exceeded those at Verdun
BATTLE OF THE SOMME
• The battle is best remembered for its first day, 1 July
1916, on which the British suffered 57,470 casualties of
which 19,240 were killed or died of wounds. It remains
the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army.
BATTLE OF THE
SOMME MOVIE
• For the first time the home front
in Britain was exposed to the
horrors of modern war with the
release of the propaganda film,
The Battle of the Somme which
used actual footage from the first
days of the battle.
• The film spanned five reels and
lasted 63 minutes . It was first
screened on 10 August, 1916,
while the battle was still raging.
• On 21 August the film began
showing simultaneously in 34
London cinemas.
SOMME MOVIE CONT…
• film was screened for British soldiers at rest in France where it
provided new recruits with some idea of what they were about to
face. Soldier's main complaint was failure of film to capture
sounds of battle. However, as a silent film, the titles could be
remarkably forthright, describing images of injury and death.
• film was shown to British public as a morale booster and was
favourably received. British public's response to film was
enormous with an estimated 20 million tickets being sold in two
months. On this basis, The Battle of the Somme remains one of the
most successful British films ever.
Battle of the Somme 1916
•Britain lost 420,000; France-200,000; Germany-650,000.
•More British soldiers died in the first three days at the Somme than
Americans in WWI, Korea & Vietnam combined.
•Ends in a Stalemate
The Battle of Passchendaele
31 July 1917 – 10 November 1917
•This battle was fought for control of the city of
Passchendaele.
• The city was located on a ridge that sat above the rest of
the land, offering whoever had control of the city a
strategic advantage in the war.
•The plan was to drive through the German forces and
reach the Belgium coast where they would capture the
submarine bases located there.
•Also, by distracting the Germans there would be less
pressure on the French, who were suffering from low
morale.
Where oh where~
• Ypres, West Flanders,
Belgium
• Mud soaked, hell
ridden, shell molested
badlands!
When
The battle of Passendale was apart of a campaign
which is also known as the Third Battle of Ypres.
• The campaign lasted from July 31st to November
10th, 1917
• There had been previous battles revolving around
the district of Ypres in both 1915 and 1916.
Significance
• The city of Passchendaele has strategic significance.
• You must pass through here in order to reach the coast.
• The ports located there are a key part shipping equipment and
goods.
• This battle was important to the Belgium people because it was the
last city left free of German rule.
• Upon arriving at Passchendaele with Canadian Troops, Canada’s
Commander-in-Chief General Sir Arthur Currie estimated that
16,000 would die in order to complete this task.
• Passchendaele is the current spelling for the city of Passchendaele,
and it’s old spelling is used specifically as a reference to the battle.
PASSCHENDAELE
•
•
Battle of Passchendaele, otherwise known as Third Battle of Ypres, fought by
British, ANZAC, & Canadian soldiers against German army near Ypres
village is now known as Passendale, the term Passchendaele alone is now used to
refer to this battle. The label "Passchendaele" should properly apply only to battle's
later actions in Oct–Nov 1917, but has come to be applied also to the entire
campaign from July 31. After three months of fierce fighting, the Canadians took
Passchendaele on Nov 6, 1917, ending the battle.
PASSCHENDAELE
• "...I died in Hell
• (they called it
Passchendaele) my
wound was slight
• and I was hobbling
back; and then a shell
• burst slick upon the
duckboards; so I fell
• into the bottomless
mud, and lost the
light"
• -- Siegfried Sassoon
Weaponry
• Mark IV Tanks were used by the British, mainly in the battle of
Messiness Hill – just prior and South of the battle of
Passchendaele (Third battle of Ypres)
Weaponry Cont’.
Strategies
• “Bite and Hold” : where the attackers were
to gain a small portion of front, and hold it
against counter-attacks.
• 1,295 guns were concentrated in the area
• Germans had artillery accurately aimed in
No-Man’s Land.
Conditions
• Ground conditions during the whole YpresPasschendaele action were atrocious.
• Continuous shelling destroyed drainage canals in the
area, and unseasonable heavy rain turned the whole
area into a sea of mud and water-filled shell-craters.
• The troops walked up to the front over paths made
of duckboards laid across the mud, often carrying up
to one hundred pounds (45 kg) of equipment.
• It was possible for them to slip off the path into the
craters and drown before they could be rescued.
• The trees were reduced to blunted trunks, the
branches and leaves torn away, and the bodies of
men buried after previous actions were often
uncovered by the rain or later shelling.
• First battle of
Passchendaele produced
13,000 Allied casualties;
which stacked on top of the
100,000 dead already.
• Germans lost about
270,000 men.
• British Empire forces lost
about 450,000, including
36,500 Australians and
16,000 Canadians - the
latter of which were lost in
the intense final assault
between October 26 and
November 10;
• 90,000 British and
Australian bodies were
never identified, and
42,000 never recovered.
Casualties
German
British
Australia
n
Candian
Quotations
– "I died in Hell
– (they called it
Passchendaele); my wound
was slight
– and I was hobbling back;
and then a shell
– burst slick upon the
duckboards; so I fell
– into the bottomless mud,
and lost the light"
• — Siegfried Sassoon
The man beside him, who had
been through the campaign,
replied tonelessly, 'It's worse
further on up.'"
• — Leon Wolff, In Flanders
Fields
"Passchendaele was just a
terrible, terrible place.
We used to walk along
these wooden
duckboards - something
like ladders laid on the
ground. The Germans
would concentrate on
these things. If a man was
hit and wounded and fell
off he could easily drown
in the mud and never be
seen again. You just did
not want go off the
duckboards." — Private
Richard W. Mercer
(911016)
Iron Maiden: Passchendaele
In a foreign field he lay
lonely soldier unknown grave
on his dying words he prays
tell the WORLD of Paschendale
Relive all that he's been through
last communion of his soul
rust your bullets with his tears
let me tell you 'bout his years
Laying low in a blood filled trench
killing time 'til my very own death
on my face I can feel the falling rain
never see my friends again
in the smoke, in the mud and lead
smell of fear and feeling of dread
soon be time to go over the wall
rapid fire and the end of us all
•
Whistles, shouts and more gun
fire
lifeless bodies hang on barbed
wire
battlefield nothing but a bloody
tomb
be reunited with my dead friends
soon
many soldiers eighteen years
drown in mud, no more tears
surely a war no one can win
killing time about to begin
Home, far away. From the war, a
chance to live again
Home, far away. But the war, no
chance to live again
• The bodies of ours and our foes
the sea of death it overflows
in no man's land God only knows
into jaws of death we go...
Crucified as if on a cross
allied troops, they mourn their loss
German war propaganda machine
such before has never been seen
swear I heard the angels cry
pray to God no more may die
so that people know the truth
tell the tale of Paschendale
Cruelty has a human heart
everyman does play his part
terror of the men we kill
the human heart is hungry still
• I stand my ground for the very
last time
gun is ready as I stand in line
nervous wait for the whistle to
blow
rush of blood and over we go...
Blood is falling like the rain
its crimson cloak unveils again
the sound of guns can't hide
their shame
and so we die in Paschendale
• Dodging shrapnel and barbed wire
running straight at cannon fire
running blind as I hold my breath
say a prayer symphony of death
as we charge the enemy lines
a burst of fire and we go down
I choke a cry but no one hears
feel the blood go down my throat
Home, far away. From the war, a chance to live again
Home, far away. But the war, no chance to live again
Home, far away. From the war, a chance to live again
Home, far away. But the war, no chance to live again
See my spirit on the wind
across the lines beyond the hill
friend and foe will meet again
those who died at Paschendale
VIMY RIDGE
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
seminal event in Canadian history
Vimy, located in northern France, was one of most heavily
defended points on Western Front and was thought to be
impregnable.
Germans fortified it with tunnels, 3 rows of trenches
behind barbed wire, and numerous machine gun nests.
French and British had suffered thousands of casualties in
previous attempts to take Ridge; the French alone lost 150
000 men at Vimy in 1915. The ridge was a crucial point
that allowed Germans to control much of surrounding
territory.
Canadians determined to learn from mistakes of French
and British and spent months planning their attack.
Built a replica of the Ridge behind own lines, and trained
using platoon-level tactics, including issuing detailed maps
to ordinary soldiers rather than officers or NCOs alone.
Each platoon given a specific task by commanding
officers, rather than vague instructions from an absent
general.
employed older techniques such as detonation of large
mines under German trenches.
VIMY RIDGE
•
•
•
On April 2, 1917, the Canadians launched
largest artillery barrage in history up to
that point. They shelled the German
trenches for the next week, using over one
million shells. The attack was loud enough
that it could be heard in London.
Easter Monday, April 9, the 30 000-strong
Canadians began the attack, using a
creeping barrage, a new technique
whereby soldiers walked across No-Man's
Land just behind a continuous line of
shells
After less than two hours, three of the four
Canadian divisions had taken their
objectives; the fourth division, however,
was caught by the machine gun nests on
the highest point of the Ridge known as
Hill 145. The 87th Battalion suffered 50%
casualties.
VIMY RIDGE CONT…
•
•
•
•
By April 12 the Canadians controlled the
entire Ridge, at a cost of 3598 men
killed and 7104 wounded. The Germans
suffered approximately 20 000
casualties. The Canadians also took
4,000 German POWs.
It was the first time in Canadian history
that its army fought as a complete
organization in an independent battle.
The capture of the Ridge by the
Canadian Corps, under the command of
British General Julian H.G. Byng with
Canadian General Sir Arthur Currie
acting as Chief-of-Staff), was a turning
point for Allies.
The success of the Canadian forces in
this battle and others earned them a
place at the post-war peace negotiations,
a clear mark of the nation's
independence from Britain.
Wider Involvement
• Ottomans entered war in 1915 on
side of the Central Powers
– Wanted to acquire Russian territory
– Turkey slaughtered millions of
Armenians to get their land
– Britain wanted to protect trade routes
to India
• Arabs promised their own country if they
would join with Britain against the
Ottomans
War around the World
Much of the early fighting took place in Europe, but the conflict quickly
became a true world war as fighting spread around the globe. Over 30 nations
officially took sides in the war.
Gallipoli Campaign
Spring 1915
Major Loss
• Ottoman Empire
joined Central
Powers, late 1914
• Allies landed force
on Gallipoli
Peninsula
• Ottoman subjects in
Arabian Peninsula
rebelled later in war
• Controlled sea
passage, Dardanelles
• Attempted to destroy
guns, forts on
Dardanelles
• British sent T.E.
Lawrence to support
Arabs
• Gave up after months
of fighting, 200,000
deaths
• Arabs overthrew
Ottoman rule
• Used by Allies to
ship supplies to
Russia
The Global Nature of WWI
• In 1915 Britain landed British, Australian & New Zealand
troops at Gallipoli in the Dardanelles Straits in an attempt
to:
a) knock Turkey out of the war
b) open up access to the Black Sea & Russia
• The campaign would be a disaster as Gallipoli is one of
the most easily defended territories in the world – high
cliffs, small beachheads – over 50% of the Allies troops
were killed or wounded (approx. 250,000)
• Both France & Britain mobilized troops from their
African colonies – usually in support roles (construction,
guard duty) – more than 2 ½ million participated in some
way
• Britain mobilized forces from India to fight against the
Ottomans in the Middle East – T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence
of Arabia) persuaded Arab princes to rise up against the
Ottomans – by 1917 much of their former empire had
revolted
• Japan & Australia attacked & seized German colonies in
Pacific
• The Ottoman Empire waged a campaign of genocide
against the Armenians in the Caucasus – killing over 1
million & displacing millions more – Adolf Hitler studied
this event intensely & noted the lack of response from the
world to stop the slaughter
Battle of Gallipoli April-Dec. 1915
•Objectives:
•Open the Dardanelles to supply Russia
through the Black Sea.
•Prevent Turks from disrupting Suez
Canal trade.
•Strengthen British colonial interests
in the Middle East.
Gallipoli Campaign
The Gallipoli Campaign was an attempt to
gain control of the Dardanelles and
capture Constantinople. This would open
a Black Sea supply route to Russia. The
idea originated with Winston Churchill,
then First Lord of the Admiralty. After the
failure (March 1915) of a British naval
force to open the straits, British,
Australian, and New Zealand troops
landed (Apr. 25) at various points on the
east coast of the Gallipoli Peninsula,
while a French force landed on the Asian
side of the straits. The Turks were ready
and prevented the Allies from making any
important gains.
Churchill’s plan failed due to Allied
bureaucratic incompetence. Allied
cooperation was poor and there was lack
of coordination between land and naval
forces. The result was a premature naval
attack without sufficient support from the
army. The two-month delay between the
navy's arrival at Gallipoli (Feb., 1915) and
the arrival of land forces (Apr., 1915) gave
the Turkish army plenty of time to
reinforce its troops. The landing (Aug.,
1915) at Suvla on the west coast of the
peninsula was followed by months of
costly fighting. Eventually, the Allies
withdrew from the area on Jan. 9, 1916.
The evacuation, unlike the attack, has
been described by some as brilliantly
executed.
Gallipoli 1915
Allied troops, mostly ANZUS (Australian & NZ, lost
between 200-400,000 before retreating.
GALLIPOLI
• The Battle of Gallipoli took place on the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli in
1915. A combined Allied operation was mounted in order to eventually
capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople. The attempt failed, and an
estimated 131,000 soldiers were killed and 262,000 wounded.
• In Britain it is called the Dardanelles Campaign and in Australia and New
Zealand it is known simply as Gallipoli
GALLIPOLI MOVIE
• The film Gallipoli (1981) is an
account of several young men from
rural Western Australia who enlist
in the Australian armed forces.
They are sent to Turkey, where
they take part in the Battle of
Gallipoli.
• It stars Mel Gibson.
• The climax of the movie occurs on
the Anzac battlefield at Gallipoli
and depicts the ill-fated attack at
the Nek on the morning of the
August 7, 1915
GALLIPOLI
War around the World
Other Fighting
• War also fought in Asia and Africa
• Japan declared war on Germany
– Part of military agreement with Great Britain
– Japanese captured German colonies in China
– British, French attacked German colonies in Africa
• Allied colonies scattered around world made contributions
to war
– Some colonists worked as laborers to keep armies supplied
– Others fought, died in battles in hope of winning independence
– Hopes were in vain
1917
• February 1, 1917 Germany again declares unrestricted
submarine warfare.
• April 6 The United States declares war on Germany.
• July 6 T.E. Lawrence and the Arabs capture Aquaba.
• July 16-November 10 Third Battles of Ypres, known as
Passchendaele, results in minor gains, but still no
breakthrough.
• November 7 Bolshevik socialists, led by Lenin, overthrow
Kerensky's government.
• December 3 The new Russian government, represented by
Leon Trotsky, signs an armistice with Germany.
• December 9 British capture Jerusalem.
1918: The End Nears
Left: Over four months in 1918 the German
army launched five major assaults at
different parts of he allied line. Initially
the plan worked. But for every allied
trench captured, there was always
another for the Germans to take. Soon the
elite German storm troopers were a
depleted force. As desperation set in, the
Germans resorted to the tactic of mass
assault. Large numbers of casualties
resulted.
The Hindenburg Line- the last and strongest of
the German army's defence - consisted of
three well-defended trench systems
established in 1917. Throughout
September 1918, Australian forces had
helped the British army to secure
positions from which an attack on the
Hindenburg Line could be launched.
On 18 September 1918, an attack was
launched on the first part of the
Hindenburg Line.Troops, supported by
huge artillery barrages, attacked the
heavily fortified German defences and
machine-gun posts. Using only eight
tanks (as well as dummy tanks) to
distract the Germans 4,300 prisoners
were taken.
On 29 September, the line was finally broken..
The fighting lasted four days and resulted
in heavy losses. Eventually, the Allies
broke through the third and final stage of
the Hindenburg Line, and the Germans
were forced to fall back.
1918
• January 8, 1918 President Woodrow Wilson declares
his 14 points as the path to world peace.
• March 21 Germans launch the first of five major
offensives to win the war before American troops
appear in the trenches.
• April 25 British and Australian troops stop the
German advance near Amiens
• May 23 German shells land on Paris.
• August 8 Allied counteroffensives on the Somme
push the German army back.
• September 29 Allied troops break through the
German fortifications at the Hindenberg line.
• November 11 At eleven o'clock on the eleventh day
of the eleventh month of 1918, the war ends as
Germany and Allies sign an Armistice.
Battle of Belleau Wood – June, 1918
· This was the
first battle
involving U.S.
troops.
· The Germans
were defeated
after three
weeks of battle.
"American Marines in Belleau Wood”
(1918) Georges Scott (1873-1943)
* The Allied
defense of Paris
was the turning
point of the
war.
Battle for Belleau Wood
• 4 June 1918 Germans reach their “high water
mark”, but are turned back by 5th Marines at
Les Mares Farms, 50 miles from Paris.
• 5 June 1918, 4th Marine Brigade (5th and 6th
Regiments, 6th Machine Gun Battalion) enters
Belleau Wood to stop German advance.
French are retreating as Marines arrive. One
Frenchman advises Marines to join the
retreat, Capt Lloyd Williams replies “Retreat,
hell. We just got here.”
• Marines begin picking off Germans at 800
yards (200 yds considered far to Germans)
Belleau Wood
• June 6 1/5 charges twice. Sustains 410 and
1087 casualties, respectively. Marines gain
toe hold on woods.
– Dan Daly: “Come on you sons of bitches. Do you
want to live forever?”
• Marines fight until 16 June when an Army unit
relieves them
• 22 June Marines reenter fight.
• 26 June Maj Shearer sends signal, “Woods
are now entirely US Marine Corps.”
• Victory was not the product of sound tactics,
but of the discipline and determination of the
Brigade.
Teufel Hunden
• Devil Dog title given
Marines by Germans
“Teufel Hunden”
• “The 2nd American Division
must be considered a very
good one, and may perhaps
even be reckoned as storm
troops. The different attacks
on Belleau Wood were
carried out with bravery and
dash. The moral effect of
our gunfire cannot seriously
impede the advance of the
American riflemen.”
German intel dispatch
In view of the brilliant conduct of the
4th Marine Brigade… which in a
spirited fight captured… Belleau
Wood, fiercely defended by the enemy
in force, the Commanding General,
VI Army, decrees that henceforth in
all official papers, Belleau Wood shall
bear the name, Bois De La Brigade
De Marine.”
French citation dated 30 June 1918
I believe they are soldiers from
Montezuma. At least when they
advanced this morning they were
all singing “From the Halls of
Montezuma, to the Shores of
Tripoli.”
French soldier describing
the
unit fighting on his
regiment’s
right during WWI.
Battle of the Argonne Forest – Sept.-Oct., 1918
· The battle
was fought
in an
attempt to
push
Germany
further out
of France.
· After forty-seven days and heavy casualties, the Germans
retreated.
American gunners battle through the Argonne Forest.
The War Ends
The Germans’ Last Offensive
• At midnight on July 14, 1918, the Germans launched their last offensive at the Second
Battle of the Marne.
• U.S. blew up every bridge the Germans built across the Marne River, and the German
army retreated on August 3, after suffering 150,000 casualties.
• The Allies began a counterattack in September 1918 and, fighting as a separate army for
the first time, defeated German troops at Mihiel, near the French-German border.
Allies Push Forward
• Allies continued their advance toward the French city of Sedan on the Belgian border,
which held the main German supply railway.
• By November, the Allies had reached and occupied the hills around Sedan.
The Armistice
• By 1918 the war crippled the German economy, causing food strikes and riots, and
revolution swept across Austria-Hungary.
• The Central Powers lacked the will to continue and started to surrender.
• Austria-Hungary, and then Germany, surrendered, and the Allies demanded that
Germany surrender its weapons and allow Allied occupation of some areas.
•Armistice signed on November 11, 1918 @ 11 am
•10 million soldiers killed, 20 million wounded
WWI by the Numbers
• Over 8 million Military
Deaths
• Over 21 million wounded
• Over 2 million missing
• Cost of $337 billion (1918
Dollars)
• Over 2 million civilian
deaths
• An additional 20+ million
will die from the 1918
global flu (Spanish Flu)
epidemic – not directly
related to the war
* Approximately 13 million people died and 20 million were
wounded in the war.
Entente Powers
Military
Deaths
Total Deaths
Military
Wounded
Australia[1]
Belgium[2]
Canada[3]
61,928
42,987
64,944
61,928
104,987
66,944
152,171
44,686
149,732
France[4]
India[6]
Italy[7]
Romania[13]
1,397,800
74,187
651,010
250,000
1,697,800
74,187
1,240,010
680,000
4,266,000
69,214
953,886
120,000
Russia[14]
Serbia[15]
United Kingdom[17]
1,811,000
275,000
885,138
3,311,000
725,000
994,138
4,950,000
133,148
1,663,435
117,465
205,690
10,353,813
12,809,280
United States[18]
116,708
Total
(Entente
5,696,056
Powers)
Central Powers
Austria-Hungary[19]
Bulgaria[20]
Germany[21]
Ottoman Empire[22]
Total
(Central Powers)
Military
Military Deaths Total Deaths
Wounded
1,100,000
1,567,000
3,620,000
87,500
187,500
152,390
2,036,897
2,462,897
4,247,143
800,000
5,000,000
400,000
4,024,397
9,415,397
8,419,533
Social Impact
•
•
•
•
•
Men lost limbs and were mutilated
Birthrate fell markedly
Invalids unable to work
Ethnic hostility
Influenza epidemic
Psychological impact
• “Never such innocence again”
• Bitterness towards aristocratic officers
whose lives were never in danger
•Homelessness, food shortages & high prices
•13 million civilians killed: disease, famine & injuries
•Industry & manufacturing dropped 25% below 1914 levels
•Cities lay in ruins, transportation in some areas was impossible
•Estimated total cost: $350 billion
Ideals were destroyed & most Europeans were ashamed
as they looked at their huge cemeteries.