1. The Great War

2. The Schlieffen Plan Fails
The German offensive was stopped at the Battle of the Marne, just outside Paris, in 1914

3. “Race to the Sea”
Following the Battle of the Marne, both sides began a desperate attempt to outflank each other in a “race to the sea”
Neither side was able to gain an advantage and “dug in” (built trenches in which to take cover from enemy fire and bombardment)

5. Trench Warfare
The conflict soon developed into a “war of attrition,” (trying to tire each other out) with neither side gaining much ground throughout 4 long years.
WWI is known mostly for its “trenches” – long, narrow, dugout paths

7. The Ideal Trench

8. “Going Over the Top”

9. Both sides would exit their trenches and run across No Man’s Land in an attempt to capture an enemy trench

10. “No Man’s Land”
These trenches were often very close to each other, with the area in between known as “No Man’s Land.”
Ironically, “No Man’s Land” is were many soldiers lost their lives.

11. Death and Destruction

12. Modern Weapons
Machine Guns
Artillery

13. Modern Weapons Cont’d…
Poison Gas
Flamethrowers

14. Tanks

15. Fighter Planes

16. Battleships

17. Foot Inspection

18. “Trench Foot”

19. Casualties

20. Life in the trenches…
My memories are of sheer terror and the horror of seeing men sobbing because they had trench foot that had turned gangrenous. They knew they were going to lose a leg. Memories of lice in your clothing driving you crazy. Filth and lack of privacy. Of huge rats that showed no fear of you as they stole your food rations. And cold deep wet mud everywhere. And of course, corpses. I'd never seen a dead body before I went to war. But in the trenches the dead are lying all around you. You could be talking to the fellow next to you when suddenly he'd be hit by a sniper and fall dead beside you. And there he‘d stay for days.
Arthur Savage, Age 92

21. Life in the trenches…
Just ask yourself, what would it be like to live in a ditch?
Rats the size of cats, millions of them
Trench Foot
Enemy machine guns, snipers, artillery, tanks, airplanes, mines, etc.
Mud and water everywhere
Cold and never enough food

24. Casualties of War
Country
Mobilized Forces
Total Casualties
% of Force
Russia
12,000,000
9,150,000
76%
British Empire
9,000,000
3,200,000
36%
France
8,400,000
6,200,000
73%
Germany
11,000,000
7,100,000
65%
Austria-Hungary
7,800,000
7,000,000
90%

25. “Lest We Forget”