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An Overview of the Great War
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1915: Stalemate and Stagnation
The Western Front is deadlocked; no real movement due to: 1. Trench systems 2. Effectiveness of new weapons 3. Slow process of learning by the generals The Eastern Front is essentially deadlocked as well after the Allies are turned back at Gallipoli (February-December). Elsewhere, the Lusitania is sunk by the Germans as they step up their blockade of Britain and in England the first airships bombings begin.
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Stalemate Begins: Trench Warfare
The use of trenches quickly turned an offensive war into a defensive stalemate. Why? Typical layout of trench system found on the Western Front
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Charles Quinnell, Sergeant, Royal Fusiliers
Charles Quinnell, Sergeant, Royal Fusiliers. Served Loos, Givenchy, and Somme. Wounded (leg amputated) 1916
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Barbed Wire Barbed wire was used extensively by both sides to slow down an enemy advance. Wire was placed in front of a trench system to provide added protection for defenders. Each night, under cover of dark, wire that was damaged from that day’s shelling was repaired. Meanwhile, teams of soldiers armed with wire cutters moved at night to prepare the way for an impending attack. Whether repairing or cutting wire, this was a despised and dreaded task for it placed you outside of the trench and directly in harm’s way.
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Aerial view of trench systems
Which is German? Which is Allied?
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Belgian Trenches These British trenches from Sanctuary Wood near Ypres, Belgium, are now preserved in a private museum. Note the communication trench running parallel to the front line.
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Ruined South African trench system—
Delville Wood
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Trench theory
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Trench application
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Comfortable German Trenches
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French and Belgian Soldiers relax near a dugout
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French Poilous in front of trench dugout
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Inside of an underground bunker.
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A quiet moment at the Front.
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German Trenches on the Eastern Front
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Rats were always a problem in the trenches; these were killed in the German lines. And lice were ever-present. Perry Webb, Private, Dorset Regiment. Served the Somme and Ypres Victor Fagence, Private, Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment. Served Messines and Ypres; wounded.
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“Bully Beef and Biscuits:” Trench Rations
Victor Fagence Private, Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment. Served Messines and Ypres. Wounded 1917 Ulick Burke, Captain, Devonshire Regiment. Served Armentières, the Somme and Ypres. Wounded 1917; captured 1918.
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Trench Signs; Imperial War Museum Collection
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Going “over the top,” July 1, 1916; Battle of the Somme.
Ulick Burke, Captain, Devonshire Regiment. Served Armentières, the Somme and Ypres. Wounded 1917; captured 1918
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Beyond the Trenches: No Man’s Land
“No Man’s Land”--Flanders
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Duckboards through No Man’s Land
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Rain drenched fields of Passchendale
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Flanders fields today
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