World war One

The start of the war Many believed the war would only last a few weeks - European wars before this had not last long at all - The soldiers were expected be home by Christmas The use of propaganda, ideas spread to influence public opinion for or against a cause, was used to stir up hatred among nations prior to the start of the war - The majority of the nations people believed their cause in the war was just - The people were very receptive to contributing to their nations war effort

The Four Fronts of WWI There were four fronts during World War One - The Western Front- Britain & France Vs Germany - The Eastern Front- Germany & Austria- Hungary Vs Russia - The Italian Front: Austria- Hungary Vs Italy - The Balkan Front: Allied Powers Vs Turkey 

The Western Front The Germans planned for a quick end to the war through their Schlieffen Plan - according to the plan they would sweep around Paris - this would enable them to surround most of the French army They were stopped right before they reached Paris at the First Battle of Marne - September 6-10 - the French military sent two thousand fresh troops to the front line - both sides dug trenches for shelter and to fight from - the war became a stalemate due to neither side being able to dislodge the other from these trenches

The Western Front Fighting from these trenches became known as trench warfare - they were ditches that were protected by barbed wire and would soon become elaborate systems of defense - two lines of trenches soon reached from the English Channel to the frontiers of Switzerland - these trenches kept both sides in the same positions for four years.

The Eastern Front This front was marked by mobility At the start of the war Russia moved into eastern Germany - They were defeated at the Battle of Tannenburg on August 30 - On September 15 they were defeated at the Battle of Masurian Lakes - Russia was no longer a threat to the German territory Austria- Hungary however was defeated by Russia in Galicia - They were also thrown out of Serbia When Italy attacked Austria in May 1915 Germany came to their aid

The Eastern Front The German- Austrian army defeated the Russian army in Galicia - they were pushed back into their own territory 2.5 million Russian men were either killed, captured, or wounded Germany and Austria- Hungary were joined by Bulgaria They went on to eliminate Serbia from the war in September 1915

The Balkan Front In August of 1914 the Ottoman Empire entered the war on the side of Germany and Austria- Hungary The Allied Powers declared war on the Ottoman Empire in November The Allies tried to open a Balkan Front in April of 1915 - placed forces at Gallipoli, southwest of Constantinople Bulgaria entering the war on the side of Germany, Austria- Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire, who were now called the Central Powers - Germany was able to use the Bulgarian railways to help the Ottoman Turks in the Mideast The Allies withdrew from Gallipoli after a disastrous campaign

The Italian Front Italy was originally unsure of joining the war, but their desire for more territories and desire to become a world power lured them in. Knowing this, Great Britain promised Italy territories from the Austria- Hungary Empire if they joined their side in the war. Italy decided to betray the Triple Alliance They joined the war on the side of France, Great Britain, and Russia - They were now called the Allied Powers Italy proceeded to open a front against Austria- Hungary - In May 1915 they attacked Austria- Hungary

The Weapons of WWI https://youtu.be/c-LxzD6Luj4

The Weapons of WWI Due to the advancements of the Industrial Revolution new weapons emerged during WWI Weapons and tactics during this war included: - trench warfare - airplanes - zeppelins - tanks - ​rifles​ - ​bayonets​​ - artillery​ - Grenades​ ​ - gas ​ -machine guns​ ​ - flamethrowers​ - ​pistols

Trench Warfare By 1916 the trenches had become elaborate systems of defense. They were protected by barbed wire entanglements up to 5 feet high and 30 yards across Generals tried to overcome this tactic by using numerous soldiers to breakthrough enemy lines - they would first use heavy artillery fire to flatten the barbed wire - then a mass of soldiers with bayonets would work their way toward enemy trenches - this did not work because the men were unprotected, and were fired at by machine guns

Trench Warfare The artillery that was used in the trenches were large caliber mounted field guns - long rage weapons - needed about 12 men to work them The machine guns that were used were the equivalent of 100 rifles - could fire up to 400 rounds per minute - required 4-6 men to operate them Between 1916 -1917 millions of men died trying these breakthrough tactics The war became a war of attrition, a war based on wearing the other side down by constant attacks and heavy losses.

Airplanes Airplanes were used for the first time in battle at the end of 1915 - first used to spot the enemies location They were later used to attack ground targets and enemy communications - they dropped bombs, used machine guns, and sometimes cannons Pilots would fight for control of the air - they first shot at each other with pistols - later machine guns were mounted on the noses of the planes

Zeppelins - could travel up to 136 mph Fist used by the Germans, sometimes referred to as airships or blimps - could travel up to 136 mph They were often used to bomb London and eastern England - caused little damage, but evoked fear They used hydrogen gas to keep them in the air - Germany’s enemies used this to their advantage - hydrogen gas was very flammable so the blimps went up in flames when fired at by guns

Tanks Tanks helped bring an end to the war and foreshadowed a new type of warfare The first tank was called “Little Willie” - could not cross trenches - only reached 3 mph - could only fit a crew of 3 Several weeks before the end of the war a more modern tank was introduced by the allies - It could reach 4 mph - It could fit up to 10 men inside

Gas WWI was the first war to use chlorine and mustard gas as a weapon The Germans were the first to use chlorine gas in 1915 - French soldiers assumed it was a smoke screen - realized it was gas when they had chest pains and burning throats - this gas lead to damage of the respiratory organs and suffocation

Gas Mustard gas was the most deadly gas used - introduced in 1917 by the Germans against the Russians - it was odorless and took 12 hours to take effect - it was contained in artillery shells - caused internal and external blisters, as well as a slow and painful death When gas was first used it claimed many lives, but after the surprise wore off the number of casualties dwindled - by 1918 both sides wore filter respirators to protect them from gas - the total percentage of deaths caused by gas were around 4%

Flamethrowers The basic idea was to spread a fire by launching burning fuel The Germans began using flamethrowers at the start of the war, and they were quickly adopted by all forces It was developed for portable use, and was carried by one man - best used at short range