To better understand the War WWI Vocabulary To better understand the War

Weapons Flame throwers  The basic idea of a flamethrower is to spread fire by launching burning fuel 1st used by Germans Tanks  Armored vehicle that is equipped with a cannon and sometimes machine guns or a flame thrower. It rides on caterpillar tracks making it a road mobile Planes  Used first for reconnaissance but later played a pivotal role in combat Poison gas  A gas or vapor used especially in chemical warfare to injure, disable, or kill upon inhalation or contact

Weapons Gas masks A masklike device containing or attached to a component that filters the air inhaled by the wearer through charcoal and chemicals, for protecting the face and lungs against noxious gases and fumes Machine guns  The 1914 machine gun, usually positioned on a flat tripod, would require a gun crew of four to six operators.  In theory they could fire 400-600 small-calibre rounds per minute Zeppelins German Floating airship U-Boats German Submarines Unrestricted submarine warfare A type of naval warfare in which submarines sink vessels such as freighters and tankers without warning, as opposed to attacks per prize rules

Trench War Fare Trench Warfare a type of combat in which opposing troops fight from trenches facing each other. No Man’s Land disputed ground between the front lines or trenches of two opposing armies. Duck-boards a board consisting of a number of wooden slats joined together, placed so as to form a path over muddy ground or in a trench. Dugout Were protective holes dug out of the sides of trenches Fire step The fire-step was 2 or 3 ft high, so that soldiers in front-line trenches could fire through the parapet

Trench War Fare Parapet Formed the side of the trench directly facing the enemy line, the parapet was invariably lined with several feet of sandbags Parados The parados formed the side of the trench furthest away from the enemy line; that is, the back of the trench. Trench foot medical condition caused by prolonged exposure of the feet to damp, unsanitary, and cold conditions.

Europe Mobilization The readying of military troops Triple Alliance/Central Powers Germany, Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Empire Triple Entente/ Allies Russia, France, Serbia, and Great Britain Western Front border of Germany & France Eastern Front border of Germany & Russia Schlieffen Plan German’s Plan for taking Paris and defeat France Stalemate Situation in which neither side in a conflict is able to gain the advantage Reparation  Payment from an enemy for economic injury suffered during the war

Europe Russian Revolution  Collapse of the Czar’s government in Russia in 1917, after which the Russian monarch was replaced with a republican government Propaganda Information intended to sway the publics opinion on certain issues/topics Genocide  Organized killing of an entire people Armistice A cease fire or a truce Treaty of Versailles  1919 Treaty ended the war

America Isolationism  Policy of avoiding political or economic alliances with foreign countries American Expeditionary Forces Name given to American troops in Europe during the war Selective Service Act  Law passed in 1917 authorizing draft of young men for military service in WWI Sedition Acts Made it illegal to obstruct the sales of liberty bonds or to discuss anything “disloyal, profane, scurrilous or abusive”

America Zimmerman Note  Telegram sent by Germany’s foreign secretary in 1917 to Mexican officials proposing an alliance with Mexico and promising US territory if Mexico declared war on the US Liberty Bonds A special war bond sold by the government to support the Allied cause during WWI Wilson’s Fourteen Points  President Wilson’s proposal in 1918 for postwar European peace League of Nations  An organization in which the nations of the world join together to ensure security and peace for its members Self-Determination  The power to make decisions about one’s own future

Why Trench War Fare? Germany gained a lot of territory in Belgium and France, BUT… During the Battle of the Marne in September 1914, the Germans were pushed back by Allied forces They “dug in” to avoid losing any more ground The allies were unable to break through the line of defense and also began to dig protective trenches What began as a temporary strategy evolved into the main features of the war at the Western Front

Trenches

How extensive were the trenches How extensive were the trenches? If laid end to end WWI trenches would stretch 25,000 miles An aerial photograph of the opposing trenches and no-man's land in Artois, France, July 22, 1917. German trenches are at the right and bottom, British trenches are at the top left. The vertical line to the left of center indicates the location of a pre-war road.

Life in the Trenches Soldiers were regularly rotated through a basic sequence: –fighting in the front line –a period of time in the support line –a brief rest period –begin this cycle again Men repaired shell-damaged walls, removed standing water, created new latrines, moved supplies, etc. During rest periods men were free to nap, read, or write letters home, etc.

Rats? Millions of rats infested the trenches. Two main types, the brown and the black rat.  Both were despised but the brown rat was especially feared.  Gorging themselves on human remains (grotesquely disfiguring them by eating their eyes and liver) they could grow to the size of a cat! A single rat couple could produce up to 900 offspring in a year, spreading infection and contaminating food

Frogs, Lice and Worse… Lice were also never-ending problem causing men to itch unceasingly. Even when clothing was periodically washed and deloused, lice eggs invariably remained hidden in the seams. Lice caused Trench Fever, a particularly painful disease that began suddenly with severe pain followed by high fever.  Recovery - away from the trenches - took up to twelve weeks.  Many men chose to shave their heads entirely to avoid nits. Frogs by the score were found in shell holes covered in water; they were also found in the base of trenches. 

The Smell The appalling reek given off by numerous conflicting sources. Rotting carcasses lay around in their thousands.  Overflowing latrines would give off a most offensive stench. Men who had not been afforded the luxury of a bath in weeks or months would offer the pervading odor of dried sweat.  The feet were generally accepted to give off the worst odor.

Trench Cycle Typically, a battalion would be expected to serve a spell in the front line.  This would be followed by a stint spent in support, and then in reserve lines.  A period of rest would follow - generally short in duration - before the whole cycle of trench duty would start afresh

“Stand to” The daily routine began with the morning ‘stand to’.  An hour before dawn everyone was ordered to climb up on the fire step to guard against a dawn raid by the enemy, bayonets fixed. This policy of ‘stand to’ was adopted by both sides, and despite the knowledge that each side prepared itself for raids or attacks timed at dawn, many were actually carried out at this time. Both sides would often relieve the tension of the early hours with machine gun fire, shelling and small arms fire, directed into the mist to their front: this made doubly sure of safety at dawn.

Breakfast Truce When “stand to” was over, in some areas rum might then be issued to the men.  Breakfast would next be served.  In essentially every area of the line at some time or other each side would adopt an unofficial truce while breakfast was served and eaten.  Truces such as these seldom lasted long; invariably a senior officer would hear of its existence and quickly stamp it out.  Nevertheless it persisted throughout the war, and was more prevalent in quieter sectors of the line.

Inspection and Chores The men would be inspected by either the company or platoon commander.  Once this had been completed NCOs would assign daily chores to each man. Daily chores included the refilling of sandbags, the repair of the duckboards on the floor of the trench and the draining of trenches. Particularly following heavy rainfall, trenches could quickly accumulate muddy water, making life ever more miserable for its occupants as the walls of the trench rapidly became misshapen and were prone to collapse.

Daily Boredom Given that each side's front line was constantly under watch by snipers and look-outs during daylight, movement was logically restricted until night fell.  Thus, once men had concluded their assigned tasks they were free to attend to more personal matters, such as the reading and writing of letters home. Meals were also prepared.  Sleep was snatched wherever possible - although it was seldom that men were allowed sufficient time to grab more than a few minutes rest before they were detailed to another task.

No Man’s Land Patrols would often be sent out into No Mans Land. Some men would be tasked with repairing or adding barbed wire to the front line.  Others however would go out to assigned listening posts, hoping to pick up valuable information from the enemy lines. Sometimes enemy patrols would meet in No Man's Land.  They were then faced with the option of hurrying on their separate ways or else engaging in hand to hand fighting. They could not afford to use their handguns while patrolling in No Man's Land, for fear of the machine gun fire it would inevitably attract, deadly to all members of the patrol.

Dusk With the onset of dusk the morning ritual of stand to was repeated, to guard against a surprise attack as light fell. This over, the trenches became a hive of activity.  Supply and maintenance activities could be undertaken.  Men would be sent to the rear lines to fetch rations and water. Other men would be assigned sentry duty on the fire step.  Generally men would be expected to provide sentry duty for up to two hours.  Any longer and there was a real risk of men falling asleep on duty - for which the penalty was death by firing squad.

Relieving men at the Front Men were relieved front-line duty at night-time too.  Relieving units would wind their weary way through numerous lines of communications trenches, weighed down with equipment and trench stores (such as shovels, picks, corrugated iron, duckboards, etc.).