Europe plunges into war… World War I Chapter 13 Europe plunges into war…
The Triple Entente Great Britain France Russia
The Triple Alliance Germany Austria-Hungary Italy
Austria had declared war on Serbia! Russia begins moving troops to the Austrian border. This is because they are allies with Serbia.
Russia also moves troops to the German border! This is because Germany is allies with Austria!
Germany declares war on Russia! Russia looks to France for help!
Germany declares war on France! Everyone else picks a side.
The Central Powers The Allies Two sides: The Central Powers The Allies
The Central Powers Germany Austria-Hungary Later Ottomans and Bulgarians.
The Allies France Great Britain Russia Later: Italy (anything weird about this?) Japan
1914 Millions of soldiers happily march off to war. They have no idea….
The Western Front A bloody stalemate.
The Western Front Northern France The battlefield was a dead-lock.
The Schlieffen Plan
General Alfred Graf von Schlieffen.
The Schlieffen Plan This was a strategy for a war on two fronts. Attack France and defeat her quickly. Then move on to Russia.
The Schlieffen Plan Speed is vital. Germany felt Russia lagged and would take longer to get supplies to front lines.
September 1914 The Germans get to the outskirts of Paris!
The Battle of the Marne
The Marne The Allies regroup and attack the Germans! Every available soldier was sent to the fight.
600 taxicabs even helped get soldiers to the front!
The Germans retreat! After 4 days of heavy fighting.
The significance of the Battle of the Marne. This left the Schlieffen Plan in ruins! The Russians then invaded the East.
War in the trenches. 1915
World War I trenches.
Trench warfare. Protection from fire. Yet, huge loss of life for pitiful gains.
Life in the trenches. Misery. Mud. Rats. Sleep – virtually non-existent. Dirty water and food.
No Man’s Land
No Man’s Land The space between opposing trenches. Men sent “over the top” to attack.
No man’s land. Shell holes. Machine guns. Artillery. Gas. Tanks.
“ Shells of all calibers kept raining on our sector “ Shells of all calibers kept raining on our sector. The trenches disappeared, filled with earth…the air was unbreathable. Our blinded, wounded, crawling, and shouting soldiers kept falling on top of us and dies splashing us with blood. It was living hell.”
The Western Front 500 miles long. “A terrain of death.”
The New Weapons of War.
Poison Gas Introduced by Germans. Used by BOTH sides. Blindness, blistering and burning, choking and death.
Machine Gun Fires many rounds/bullets automatically. Wipes out waves of attackers.
Tank Armored combat vehicle. Drives on tracks. Introduced by British. Could travel on any terrain.
Submarine 1914 – Germany. A warship that travels under the water. Used torpedoes.
Airplane Very maneuverable. Weight is in the center. Timing device let machine gun fire through propeller. Faster and faster as war goes on.
The Eastern Front
The Eastern Front The German and Russian border.
The Eastern Front Russians and Serbs fighting Germans and Austro-Hungarians. More mobile than Western Front.
Russia invaded Germany. Germany counterattacked Crushed Russian army and sent them into full retreat. 30,000 Russians lost.
Russia struggles… 1916. Near collapse. Not industrialized. Short on: Food Guns Ammo Clothes Boots blankets.
Germany’s submarines also prevented supplies from getting to Russia!
The Russians had one major asset.
Their population. Staggering battlefield losses, but a huge population could replenish ranks.
World War Fighting would spread beyond the two fronts. Africa Southwest Asia. Southeast Asia.