World War I The War to End all Wars

Getting involved  New Zealand had already undertaken preparations for war.  Here a section of military cadets march past HMS New Zealand, the Royal Navy dreadnought that New Zealand government paid for in It cost £1.7 million (about $230 million today).

Off to war Watch this movie clip of New Zealand soldiers off to war. departing-new-zealand-ww1

First actions  New Zealand’s first military action was an unopposed seizure of German Samoa.  On 16 October 1914, the New Zealand Main Body of 8556 men left New Zealand for Egypt.  There they combined with the Australians for form the famous Australia New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC).  They trained there until being sent to Gallipoli as part of the British plan to try to knock Turkey out of the war.

What often doesn’t make school history textbooks "It (Cairo) is a hell of a place, and if I was to tell you half of what I have seen you would call me a liar. You always want a descent (sic) stick with you and kick the dirty devils out of your way like dogs. The veiled and French tarts are very nice but of course you have to be careful how you approach them. If only a chap had the money to buy some lovely things." “Our platoon is on picquet duty in Cairo for the holidays, and it is the roughest job ever I was on, for you meet some rough customers out here. The best part of it is going through all the girls' bedrooms after ten o'clock, and pulling out the soldiers, so you can guess the sights we see." Arthur Elderton What is there in this extract that you think might interest historians?

The intention of this campaign was to force a way through to the Black Sea from the Mediterranean, to supply troops to Russia and take pressure off the stalled Western front.

To achieve this the British had to control the Dardanelles, the narrow strait shown here. As the Turks had forts and mines protecting this strait, it was proposed to seize the Gallipoli peninsula

On 25 April 1915, a landing was made at what is now known as Anzac Cove. Unfortunately, it was the wrong place, where the terrain was hilly, as the landing was supposed to have been made further south where the terrain was much flatter.

Here is what one Canterbury soldier wrote in his diary about that day. 1.How might an historian find this source useful in understanding what happened on that day? 2.Why might an historian be cautious about relying too much on this source? “I woke this morning with the sound of heavy guns in our ears and could feel the recoil for several miles... Our company safely ashore whence the fun began. The Turks seemed to have a machine gun for every ten men and played terrible havoc but the bayonet was always too much for them. In the afternoon when we had advanced halfway across the Peninsula the Turks got heavily reinforced and we had to fall back to a fairly strong hill which we were able to hold... The fighting was terrible at first and a wounded man would be very lucky if he was not left without attention for 24 hours."

The memories of Gallipoli veterans  Late last century, a television documentary was produced called “Gallipoli, the New Zealand Story”.  In this video were interviews with men who had survived the campaign. They recall many years later what the experience was like.  How does listening to such memories help us to better understand this important event in New Zealand’s history?

The Western Front  Look at this animation showing the failure of the Schlieffen plan and the evolution of war on the Western Front. n_front.shtml  In May 1916, the newly formed and expanded New Zealand Division (about 15,000 men under the command of Major-General Andrew Russell) moved to northern France to begin their two and a half year tour of duty in the Western Front trenches.  The first few months were spent getting used to this new form of warfare, which included digging and maintaining miles of trenches, patrolling No Man’s Land at night, raiding German trenches, training and building up supplies.  For a plan of a front line trench, see _trench.shtml _trench.shtml

The battle of the Somme July-November 1916  New Zealand took part in the Third battle of the Somme, starting on 15 September  Its initial objective was the seizure of the village of Flers, then to assault German-held trench lines near this village.  The Division seized the village and fought a 23-day battle to take control of German trenches  The battle cost the Division over7,000 casualties, including over 1500 dead.  The Division retired to Northern France to reinforce and hold a quieter section of the Western Front

The Battle of Messines  The British High Command decided to launch a major campaign in the area around Ypres in Belgium to try to force the Germans back.  In June 1917 the Division took part in the first major attack of this campaign. In a meticulously-planned attack, the Division seized the key village of Messines and held it against determined German counter-attacks.  Though successful, this battle costs 3700 casualties, and the Division was again required to be reinforced and to train for future attacks in this campaign.

Broodseinde and Passchendaele  In October 1917, the Division took part in two major assaults on German-held trenches around Ypres.  On 4 October the Division seized all its objectives in the Battle of Broodseinde.  On 12 October, a further attack was a disaster. Fighting in appalling conditions with little proper preparation, the Division suffered over 3200 casualties a few hours.  A further attack in December caused more casualties. By the end of 1917, the Division was shattered and had to be withdrawn and reinforced.

The German Spring Offensive  In late March 1918, the Germans launched a massive attack in an attempt to win a last-gasp victory before the Americans arrived.  The New Zealand Division was rushed back to the Somme area to plug a gap in the Allied defences.  It fought a furious battle over two weeks to help halt the German advance. The New Ze4alanders halted the German advance in this sector, but at the cost of over 3500 casualties, with nearly 1000 dead.  The Division then held the line, awaiting the final Allied push to victory.

The Hundred Days  In August 1918, the Allies launched a massive offensive that was to end the war.  The New Zealand Division seized the town of Bapaume in a bloody battle, and then formed part of the Allied spearhead that forced the Germans into a continual retreat. The Division’s final action was to seize the French town of Le Quesnoy without destroying it.  On 11 November 1918, the Germans finally surrendered. New Zealand casualties during the final three months of the war were just as costly as in previous battles.

Summary  New Zealand entered the war in unquestioning support of Britain. The war lasted longer and was much more costly than anyone have ever imagined.  Out of a population of just over one million, New Zealand sent over 100,000 men to fight from in some of the largest and most costly battles in history.  Over 18,000 men were killed or died as a result of the war. A further 40,000 were wounded, some more than once. The personal cost to the men who survived is impossible to calculate. Lest we forget.