Trench Warfare Show Clip

Trench Warfare The Canadian government wanted to encourage men to enlist for war. They said the war would be safe, hardly any fighting, a good lark and over by Christmas. They used advertising posters to encourage this idea! A picture of soldiers going ‘Over the Top’

Trench Warfare Posters always showed men ready and willing to fight. They never showed the boredom of the trenches or actual fighting taking place.

The reality of ‘going over the top’ was very different!

How the uniform and equipment changed after just three weeks in the trenches…

The Failed Schlieffen Plan… Trench Warfare The Failed Schlieffen Plan… World War I officially began with the German army storming through Belgium, into France. At the First Battle of the Marne, Germany attacks and then retreats A stalemate occurs

Trench Warfare Trench Warfare is battle in which both sides have dug trenches to stand their ground Artillery fire (cannon) was used to keep the enemy off-guard

Trench Warfare Trenches were generally holes, dug about six feet deep Trenches were a lot like a maze on both sides, with bunkers used for communications and storing ammunition

Key 1.Communication Trench 2.Machine Gun Nest 3.Underground Bunker 4.Traverse 5.Wire Break 6.Listening Post + Trench Block

Trench Warfare Problems All Quiet on the Western Front, excerpt “We must look out for our bread. The rats have become much more numerous lately because the trenches are no longer in good condition. Detering says it is a sure sign of a coming bombardment. “The rats here are particularly repulsive, they are so fat—the kind we call corpse rats. They have shocking, evil naked faces, and it is nauseating to see their long, nude tails.

“They seem to be mighty hungry “They seem to be mighty hungry. Almost every man has had his bread gnawed. Kropp wrapped his in his waterproof sheet and put it under his head, but he cannot sleep because they run over his face to get at it. Deterring meant to outwit them: he fastened a thin wire to the roof and suspended his bread from it. During the night when he switched on his pocket-torch he saw the wire swing to and fro. On the bread was riding a fat rat. “At last we put a stop to it. We cannot afford to throw the bread away, because then we should have nothing left to eat in the morning, so we carefully cut off the bits of bread that the animals have gnawed.

“The slices we cut off are heaped together in the middle of the floor “The slices we cut off are heaped together in the middle of the floor. Each man takes out his spade and lies down prepared to strike. Detering, Kropp, and Kat hold their pocket-torches ready. “After a few minutes we hear the first shuffling and tugging. It grows, now it is the sound of many little feet. Then the torches switch on and every man strikes at the heap, which scatters with a rush. The result is good. We toss the bits of rat over the parapet and again lie in wait.

“Several times we repeat the process “Several times we repeat the process. At last the beasts get wise to it, or perhaps they have scented the blood. They return no more. Nevertheless, before morning the remainder of the bread on the floor has been carried off.” (pp. 101-103, Ballantine paperback edition.)

Conditions in the Trenches No smiling and relaxed faces… No clean uniforms… Their equipment is scattered everywhere…Boredom and sleep are obvious…

Conditions in the Trenches In the busier front-line sectors: constant machine gun and artillery fire Don’t peer over the edge of the trench Estimated 1/3rd of the deaths for the Allied Powers were in the trenches. Show 2nd clip

Conditions in the Trenches Shell fire Germans used mortar fire (large shells that explode on impact) against the allies These shell attacks were more deadly than gunfire

Conditions in the Trenches Rats, which numbered in the millions infested the trenches These rats gorged themselves on human remains As a result, some were as big as cats.

Rats continued… A single rat could produce 900 offspring, so it was impossible to get rid of them What do you think rats contributed to the trenches?

Conditions in the Trenches

Conditions in the Trenches Lice, another problem with the trenches Caused never-ending itching Clothes that were “de-loused” almost always still had lice eggs on them Condition called Trench Fever Caused by lice Horrible fever/severe pain

Conditions in the Trenches Trench foot: a fungal infection caused by standing in water for long periods of time Especially bad at the beginning of the war Conditions improved in 1915

Conditions in the Trenches Poison Gas In 1915, the Germans began to use poisonous chlorine gas in some shell attacks The poisonous gas caused violent choking spells

Conditions in the Trenches The Stench Chlorine gas from the gas attacks still lingered in many places Rotting carcasses lay around in their thousands. For example, approximately 200,000 men were killed on the Somme battlefields, many of which lay in shallow graves

Pics

Why was WWI unique? WWI was unique for many reasons. WWI was the first total war of the 20th century Total war: an international war where all of a country’s resources are used to destroy another country WWI was also known as “The Great War,” and the “war to end all wars” Due to the new war strategies and weapons

U-boats or Submarines Germany’s fleet of U-boats were the largest and most advanced They attacked Allied shipping across the Atlantic German attacks on Allied ships severely hurt the supply of weapons and ammunitions to the Allies

Submarines: German U-Boat U-14

Tanks The use of tanks were introduced during WWI They replaced cavalry units (horses) The first tanks were tough and could cause heavy damage Especially trenches They were also slow and hard to maneuver

British Mark I tank on September 26, 1916

Machine Guns Machine guns were introduced during WWI They were used in the trenches and on airplanes Allowed for rapid fire of bullets

The British Vickers machine gun required a six man team to operate The British Vickers machine gun required a six man team to operate. One to fire, one to feed the ammunition, and the rest to help carry the weapon and supplies

Poison Gas Chemical warfare was introduced during WWI Poison gases Chlorine gas Mustard gas Poison gas would destroy the lungs Killing the soldier slowly Soldiers wore gas masks to protect themselves

Mustard gas burns from World War I

Australian troops in the trenches equipped with gas masks, Battle of Ypres, 1917

The Airplane The use of airplanes in wartime was introduced during WWI Originally, Allied and Central Powers used airplanes for spying Machine guns were later added to shoot down enemy spies

Flying Aces Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918) was a German fighter pilot known as the "Red Baron". He was the most successful flying ace of World War I, being officially credited with 80 confirmed air combat victories. He was killed in combat with Canadian pilots near the Somme River. Canada – Billy Bishop

The MacAdam Shovel The MacAdam Shield-Shovel, also known as the Hughes Shovel, was an item of Canadian infantry equipment designed at the beginning of the First World War. It was conceived and patented by Sam Hughes, the Canadian minister for the Department of Militia and Defence in 1913, for use as an instrument which held the combined function to operate as a spade and a shield from which soldiers could securely fire from at enemy positions and advantageously not be targeted in return. However, the implement was first suggested by Ena MacAdam, Hughes' personal secretary, after she witnessed Swiss soldiers constructing frontline fortifications in France