The Schlieffen Plan an attempt at a quick victory

What was the Schlieffen Plan? The Schlieffen Plan was a strategic plan created by the German General, Alfred von Schlieffen, in 1907. It was a plan that was to ensure that Germany would not have to fight a war on two different fronts (in two different areas).

Background Schlieffen calculated that it would take Russia six (6) weeks to organize and mobilize its troops. Thus, it was believed that France could be attacked first, and would be defeated very quickly. REMEMBER: Russia had an alliance with France, and therefore it was expected that if Germany led an attack on France, Russia would soon join in. Germany, however, did not think that Russia would be able to get itself together in time before France fell to Germany, so Germany would not have to fight both the French and the Russians at the same time.

The Plan Use 90% of Germany’s troops to attack France; the rest of Germany’s troops would be sent to defensive positions along the border with Russia. Attack France from the North and invade through neutral Belgium, cutting off ties to Britain and encircling Paris from the north. Once France was captured, Germany would move all its troops to the Eastern front to battle Russia.

The Result The Schlieffen Plan did not succeed. The German hopes of a swift and decisive victor were frustrated because of several reasons: Belgian army fought back, slowing Germany’s advance to France. Russian army mobilized quickly and invaded Germany. French army heard about the invading Germans, and were able to move north and cut off the German advance. Britain guaranteed Belgium’s neutrality and declared war on Germany; British troops quickly reached France and Belgium.

Impact on the Great War Both sides dug trenches to solidify their advances and to provide shelter and protection for their troops. Trenches were intended to be a temporary strategy, used to help each side get organized. However, as barbed wire was spread (to prevent the movement of the enemy) and more trenches were built, the trenches became a permanent feature of World War One.

Trench Warfare

Trenches…. Zig-zag patterns – to protect against machine gun fire and explosives Consisted traditionally of: Front Line Support Lines Communication Lines Artillery Supply and Medic Average time on front line duty: 1 month

Once the ditches were dug, they were fortified with sandbags and fencing; if they didn’t do this, the trenches would cave in There was no place to sit down or sleep; you were on your feet the entire time you were on duty There was no shelter from the weather If there was time, boardwalks were build on the floor of the trench, but most of the time it was dirt…which became mud when the rains fell

Conditions in the Trenches When the rains began, the trenches quickly filled with water = MUD!!! These conditions brought rats (sometimes the size of cats!), lice, and trench foot (feet would swell up from being constantly wet) Men had to endure cold, wet conditions with no source of shelter or relief: they only had one uniform made of wool

Case of trench foot – yikes!

Rations often consisted of stale bread, mouldy cheese, and rotten meat

Cookhouse

Defending the Trench Barbed wire was placed along the front line to be the last line of defense if your trench was captured by the enemy This also made it difficult to make an assault because all the soldiers had to climb over the barbed wire to rush the opposing trench Holes were cut in the barbed wire to allow easier movement, but this centralized soldiers into certain locations along the front Barbed wire was placed at night. Barbes would be 1 ½ inches thick and couple of inches apart. You had to be careful if you fell on it and take your time (like you had time?!); of course any movement to get yourself out of it made a noise and alerted the enemy

Timing of the Offensive An offensive was always preceded by artillery fire on the opposing trench When this stopped, the opposing side knew an attack was imminent The best times for an offensive were dawn and dusk: just enough light for the soldiers, yet not light enough for the opposing side to make out all the shapes that were advancing on them

Going “Over the Top” When the commanding officer blew his whistle, all the soldiers had to go “over the top” Climb out of the trench, over the top lip, and run towards the opposing trench Most soldiers were not privy to strategy – they just ran straight towards the enemy, firing their gun

No Man’s Land As soon as soldiers went “over the top”, they entered “no man’s land” – the space of land between your trench and the enemy’s trench Heavy casualties occurred in this area It was dangerous for fellow soldiers or the medical teams to rescue wounded soldiers from this area Soldiers were often left out here to die Fellow soldiers would hear them slowly dying and then weeks later smell their rotting bodies The dead bodies would freeze into the mud during the winter. In the spring, the ground would thaw and the dead bodies would rise back up to the surface.

Walking across no man’s land at Vimy Ridge

No man’s land was a barren wasteland of death and destruction Some soldiers were stuck out in the area until it was safe to come back to their trench Enemies would shoot flares up into the sky to check for movement or activity in no man’s land Men used water in the shell holes for drinking and bathing…hoping there wasn’t a dead body at the base of the puddle

Shell Shock The constant noise of gunfire and exploding shells made some men go mentally “mad” Their nerves were shot from being constantly on alert for the signal to launch an offensive or a possible attack from the enemy This condition became known as shell shock Commanders in the military saw this a cowardly condition. Many men were sent back to the front line to fight

New Weapons of WWI

Machine Gun

Repeating Rifle The Ross Rifle issued by the Canadian government The Ross rifle kept jamming on the Cdn soldiers, so they quickly tossed it away and used the British issued Lee Enfield rifle The Lee Enfield Rifle issued by the British government

Artillery Fire Artillery fired from the guns would include shells or shrapnel. Sometimes the Germans were only 100 yards away

Tank Often got stuck in the mud. Weren’t successfully used until the Battle of Cambrai & Amiens 1918 Photo on the right is taken at Vimy Ridge

Chemical Weapons Germans used chemical weapons first at the Battle of Ypres 1915. The gas was heavy and would float into the bottom of trenches. The mustard gas burned your eyes, nose, and throat, as well as your skin Before gas masks were invented, men would pee on handkerchiefs and breath through that

Airplane Initially planes were used for reconnaissance, but towards the end of the war they were used in battle. When the pilots started using guns, at first they held a gun in their hand! Later, guns were mounted to the side of the airplane

Submarine

The human cost of war Over 4 years, the Western Front did not move more than 10 miles each way 645,000 Canadians served 68,000 Canadian soldiers lost their lives Over 9 million soldiers in total gave the ultimate sacrifice

Was it worth it?

Created by Miss Ross Socials 11 October 2009