World War I Course of War

Schlieffen Plan

German Strategy & the Western Front Schlieffen Plan to fight a war on 2 fronts (France West & Russia East) While Russia mobilized Germans would go through Belgium, circle behind France and conquer. Defeat it in 6 wks- then turn to Russia. Transport troops from West to East for a much longer, harder battle. French Military load 2,000 taxis with soldiers and drove to the front lines. Battle of Marne: French stop Germans. They attacking right flank. Western front becomes a stalemate. Soldiers were in trenches for 4 years. Russia mobilized. Germans need to send troops to the East.

Western Front @ Battle of Marne (Sept 1914), the French fought back (using Parisian taxies to move troops); Germans forced to retreat. Paris was saved Hope for quick war dashed as both sides settled into trenches @ Verdun (Feb-Dec 1916) over 700K French casualties @ Battle of Somme (July-Nov. 1916) 1 million casualties (the Brits lost 60K in one day) @ Passchendaele (July-Nov 1917) Brits lost 250K men for 5.0 square miles of Belgian Flanders

Eastern Front Front not as trench-ridden as West- troops more mobile. In beginning, Russians pushed into Germany Under Gen. Hindenburg Germans defeat Russians @ Tannenberg

1915 over 2.5 million Russian soldiers killed, wounded, taken prisoner Russia almost knocked out of war Russians now weak, never re-cooped from loss. Revolution in Russia = Russia out of war bye 1917. Germans now focuses on Western Front

War Widens Italy betrays Triple Alliance: attacks Austria 1915 Italy Joins Fr./G.B./Russia/Serbia/Belgium Triple Entente becomes the Allied Powers (Allies) Japan joins allies to gain Pacific Islands under German Control A-H, Germany, Ottoman Empire becomes Central Powers

America Enters the War British set up Naval Blockade of Germany Germans set up Naval Blockade of Britain Germans use submarines to sink Lusitania (passenger ship): May 1915 (100 Americans onboard ) U.S. threatens to enter war if Germans continue use of submarine warfare. Germans resume submarine warfare Feb 1917 attempting to starve British of supplies within 6 months

Zimmerman Telegram: Jan. 2017 Telegram from German foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmermann, to the German ambassador to Mexico. The Goal: a Mexican-German alliance in the case of the United States entered the war. Germany offered a great deal of financial support. And promised Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico would be given to Mexico if the Central Powers won the war U.S. enters war April 1917 New source of money, war goods and morale boost to the allies

The First Technological War Machine Gun Lewis Guns- 500 shells/minute Large artillery- “Big Bertha” Cannons (Krupp) 15 miles away (by ’18, shelling Paris from 70 miles away) Tanks 1st used at Battle of Somme by Brits U-Boats After Dreadnoughts, Germans focused on these to break Brit blockade Poison Gas 1st used by Germans at Ypres, eventually both sides used it Airplanes Manfred von Richthofen- most famous ace Zeppelins Dirigible bombers could level building in seconds; susceptible to ground fire Radios 1st used to communicate battlefield messages