Based on the following slides, complete the technology and colony section of this organizer. World War I Causes  imperialism  nationalism  arms race  alliance system Consequences Technology / Warfare Colonies

What were the trenches really like? According to the University of Pennsylvania’s Paul Fussell…  It smelled bad!  It smelled bad because there were open latrines everywhere. There were bodies rotting everywhere.  Nothing could be done about them. You could throw a shovel full of quick lime on them to take some of the smell away, but the odor of the trenches was appalling.  There were rats the size of cats.  Both the Germans and the British were troubled with rats. The rats ate corpses, then they came in and snuggled next to you while you were sleeping. And they ate your own food, and they were filthy creatures. They also carried disease – bubonic plague primarily.

Frontline Trench Observer

Trench Kitchen

 Many soldiers fighting in the First World War suffered from trench foot.  an infection of the feet caused by cold, wet and unsanitary conditions.  in the trenches men stood for hours on end in waterlogged trenches without being able to remove wet socks or boots.  feet would gradually go numb and the skin would turn red or blue - trench foot could turn gangrenous and result in amputation.  By the end of 1915 British soldiers in the trenches had to have three pairs of socks with them and were under orders to change their socks at least twice a day.  Trench foot was a particular problem in the early stages of the war.  For example, during the winter of over 20,000 men in the British Army were treated for trench foot.

Trench Life  “You look at the sky constantly from the opening of the trench, because you can't look out to the side…All of your view is vertical. You consequently get very interested in birds for the first time, because those are the only animated things you can see, except for rats and lice, or other human beings.”  Troops were isolated from home, from normal pursuit and forced to live with constant artillery barrages

German infantry on the battlefield, August 7, 1914.

Over the Top  The object of each side was to try to put mortar shells into the enemy trench and blow it up, or kill the people in it.  Both sides quickly recognized that assaults against the enemy trenches were suicide if begun in broad daylight - attacks tended to take place just before dawn or right at dawn.  Poison gases tended to be more effective in the mornings, as the colder air and absence of wind allowed the gases to stay closer to the ground for longer periods of time  “except for artillery shelling” – which caused most of the combat deaths, daytime was relatively safe for the soldiers on the front line.  Once the sun went down, men crawled out of their trenches to conduct raids, investigate the layout of the terrain, and eavesdrop near the enemy lines to pick up information on their strengths, weakness and strategies.

Battle of the Somme (July to November 1916) – Nearly 1,000,000 casualties

A Soldier’s Life: As an example - and the numbers varied widely - a man might expect in a year to spend some 70 days in the front line, with another 30 in nearby support trenches. A further 120 might be spent in reserve. Only 70 days might be spent at rest. The amount of leave varied, with perhaps two weeks being granted during the year.

Anthem for Doomed Youth British soldier and poet, Wilfred Owen What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle Can patter out their hasty orisons. No mockeries for them from prayers or bells, Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,— The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells; And bugles calling for them from sad shires. What candles may be held to speed them all? Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes. The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall; Their flowers the tenderness of silent maids, And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

Problems in the Trenches Christmas Truce: a series of widespread unofficial ceasefires that took place along the Western Front around Christmas 1914 Through the week leading up to Christmas, parties of German and British soldiers began to exchange seasonal greetings and songs between their trenches On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, many soldiers from both sides – as well as, to a lesser degree, from French units – independently ventured into "no man's land", where they mingled, exchanging food and souvenirs.

Problems in the Trenches Joint burial ceremonies were held in addition to several meetings that ended in carol-singing. Troops from both sides were also friendly enough to play games of soccer with one another. Mutiny: After three years of war, men, armies and nations were nearing a breaking point. Half the French army mutinied in 1917, refusing to undertake senseless attacks. Most of their demands were met, and only a small number of the mutineers were punished severely.

World War I Weapons: Artillery [cannons] and machine guns. Essential weapons of trench warfare. Tanks and airplanes represented new innovations in warfare.

Big Bertha ( Grosse Bertha in German) The name given by the Allies to the German 420-mm artillery that could shoot a one-ton shell 9 miles.

Tank Production YearUKFranceGermanyItalyUSA , ,3914,  Explore a World War I Tank:

Colonial Troops: Since World War I involved colonial empires, the use of colonial troops became an essential part of the conflict.

Unlike the African troops of Britain, who saw very little action on European battlefields during World War I. France deployed hundreds of thousands of African fighting men to aid its cause, including some 300,000 North Africans, some 250,000 West Africans.

 Germany's colonial allies: native infantry in East Africa

Calls for Australians to enlist

Colonial French Posters

Over 140,000 African soldiers fought on the Western Front during World War I.

 Wounded French colonial troops returning to the Front

Airplanes in World War I  France had fewer than 140 aircraft when her war against Germany began;  four years later that number had ballooned to approximately 4,500.  The plane did not play the decisive roll that it was to play in later conflicts, the First World War proved their capabilities.

 With the growing importance and influence of aircraft came the need to control the air, and thus the fighter was born.  A typical British aircraft at the outbreak of the war was the general purpose BE2c, with a top speed of 116 km/h (72 mph).  By the end of the war aircraft were designed for specific tasks. Built for speed and maneuverability, the SE5a fighter of 1917 had a top speed of 222 km/h (138 mph).

It was during this period that the key tasks that aircraft could perform were discovered, experimented with, and refined:  observation and reconnaissance,  tactical and strategic bombing,  ground attack,  and naval warfare.

Airplanes in World War I  World War I fighter pilots had a typical life expectancy of several weeks while flying in combat. Several weeks.  In terms of flying hours, a combat pilot could count on 40 to 60 hours before being killed.

Pilots of World War I  Raoul Lufbery, a French-born American. Lufbery, with 16 victories to his credit, who jumped to his death from his aircraft even as it was already burning on its way down to crash. He jumped approximately 1,000 meters (3,300) feet, fell into a small garden, and according to the old lady into whose garden he fell, got up and then fell back dead.  Georges Guynemer, legend in France and with 53 kills to his credit, whose famous "Vieux Charles" airplane hangs today in the Le Bourget Air Museum was 22 when he was shot down and killed on September 11, His body was found later, still in the seat of his aircraft, "a slug through his skull". He had already crashed at least three other aircraft.

The Red Baron The modest, publicity-shy Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen of Germany was the best known fighter pilot of World War I. Known for his aerial daring, skillful flying, and deadly marksmanship, he was nicknamed the "Red Baron," a name that struck terror into the hearts of Allied flyers during the war. In the spring of 1918, Richthofen scored his 70th victory. At that time, this tally made him the world's leading fighter ace and the idol and envy of fighter pilots everywhere.

Chemical Weapons: Considered uncivilized prior to World War One, the development and use of poison gas was necessitated by the requirement of wartime armies to find new ways of overcoming the stalemate of unexpected trench warfare

 In the last few years of World War I, poison gas—especially chlorine, phosgene, and mustard gas—was used extensively by all armies.  These chemical weapons could have devastating effects, causing choking, internal and external blistering, and temporary blindness.  Such hazards were not often fatal, but they could incapacitate large numbers of soldiers during a battle.  Troops relied on gas masks to protect themselves from enemy gas attacks, as well as from accidental exposure during their own use of chemical weapons.

Gas masks for man and horse demonstrated by an American soldier, about 1917.

The ships of World War I Sea power was essential in both conflicts with submarines playing an essential role in combat operations.

World War I saw the emergence of the U-boat. Submarines become deadly weapons in naval warfare attacking merchant and military craft.

Powerful navies fought throughout the globe. Zeppelins [blimps] were air ships that performed reconnaissance and bombing missions.

Total War  In the spring of 1915 the trenches along the western front were filled with millions of soldiers, at the average rate of one soldier per four inches of trench.  The job behind the front lines was to keep the men fed, equipped and ready to continue the fighting until the end came. The civilians behind the lines were as important to victory as the men on the lines. Because of their value to the war-making power of each nation, civilians became the target of the enemy.  Since both sides targeted both civilians and military personnel, and mobilized men and resources at an unprecedented rate, the Great War was a "total war."

The Rape of Belgium [total war] August - September 1914  a series of German war crimes in the opening months of World War I  Belgium’s neutrality had been guaranteed by Prussia in 1839  German war plan, known as the Schlieffen Plan, called for Germany to violate this neutrality - to outflank the French Army  German troops, fearful of Belgian guerrilla fighters burned homes and executed innocent civilians - victims included women and children  August 25, 1914 the Germans ravaged the city of Leuven, burning the university's library of 230,000 books, killing 248 residents, and forcing the entire population, 42,000, to evacuate.

Recruitment Each of the nations which participated in World War One from used propaganda posters not only as a means of justifying involvement to their own populace, but also as a means of procuring men, money and resources to sustain the military campaign. In countries such as Britain the use of propaganda posters was readily understandable: in 1914 she only possessed a professional army and did not have in place a policy of national service, as was standard in other major nations such as France and Germany. Yet while the use of posters proved initially successful in Britain the numbers required for active service at the Front were such as to ultimately require the introduction of conscription. Nevertheless recruitment posters remained in use for the duration of the war - as was indeed the case in most other countries including France, Germany and Italy.

The possessor of a small professional army and without a policy of conscription [they do begin conscription in 1916] Great Britain had an urgent need of more men for training within the British Expeditionary Force (BEF).

 One way to understand the violence and slaughter that occurred in the Great War is to examine the number of casualties and deaths.  Exact figures are still in dispute, because of different definitions used each category, the questionable accuracy of the recording system used and the loss or destruction of a number of official documents. Country Total Mobilized Forces KilledWounded Prisoners and Missing Total Casualties Casualties as % of Forces Russia12,000,0001,700,0004,950,0002,500,0009,150, British Empire 8,904,467908,3712,090,212191,6523,190, France8,410,0001,357,8004,266,000537,0006,160, Italy5,615,000650,000947,000600,0002,197, United States4,355,000116,516204,0024,500323, Japan800, , TOTAL42,188,8105,142,63112,800,7064,121,09022,062,

Deaths by alliance and military/civilian. Most of the civilian deaths were due to war- related famine.

No Man’s Land The Devastation

Whereas in most previous wars, including World War I, “fronts” where opposite sides clashed were identifiable, changing war technology and military techniques meant that the war was fought in two large arenas or theaters; the European theater [including North Africa] and the Pacific Theater.