Playing movies KEY STAGE 3 and 4 National Curriculum History THE FIRST WORLD WAR INTERACTIVE Why did Britain and her allies defeat Germany in the Great War?

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9  Sandbags at the front PARAPET  Dugout  Fire step  Duck boards  Barbed wire A Cross-Section of a Trench  Sandbags at the back PARADOS Trench Warfare was a type of fighting during the First World War in which both sides dug ditches protected by mines and barbed wire. Trenches were usually feet deep and 6 feet wide. Key Stage 3 and 4 History The First World War

A week of artillery bombardment German trenches and defences destroyed German soldiers killed or taken prisoner Gaps cut in the barbed wire for British soldiers Low cloud reduced aerial artillery spotting German artillery was not destroyed Germans emerge from their dugouts British advancing troops cut down by machine guns River Somme Verdun FRANCE ENGLAND GERMANY BELGIUM French and British Army German Army The Trenches 14 July 15 Sept 19 Nov French and British Army 400,000 casualties German Army 600,000 casualties The Battle of the Somme  It was also hoped that this attack would help the French army which had been under a strong German attack at Verdun.  The aim of the British attack was to break through the German trenches and defeat the German army.  By 1916, the fighting on the Western Front had reached a stalemate. The German army was well protected on high ground and well built trenches. Steps leading down to a huge German underground shelter. The picture gives a good idea of the size and depth of many German dugouts on the Somme. The Battle of the Somme General Haig, the British commander at the Somme believed that he had the secret of a successful attack. A heavy bombardment by the artillery would destroy the German barbed wire, trenches, machine guns and soldiers. The bombardment would lift and at dawn on 1st July 1916 the British troops would cross No Man's Land and occupy the German trenches. Heavy casualties were not expected. Soldiers were told by their officers that it would simply be a matter of stroll across No Man's Land on a sunny day. 16 Ist July 1916 Did you know that on the first day of the battle of the Somme:- There were 60,000 British casualties. 1 in 4 men were wounded. 1 in 10 men were killed. Estimate how far the British and French armies advanced by the end of the Battle of the Somme? Do you think that the number of casualties justified the reasons for the Battle of the Somme?

France Germany Russia Austria- Hungary England Paris The collapse of Germany. The Kaiser escapes to Holland. Russia signs a treaty with Germany and leaves the war in March Germany launched the Ludendorff Offensive in March 1918 in an attempt to win the war. The German army breaks through British and French trenches nearly reaching Paris. British, French and American forces begin a counter-attack forcing the German army back. Germany surrenders on 11/11/1918. This was called the armistice. America enters the war in April HOW THE WAR ENDED The American army on the Western Front About 2 million American solders fought in the First World War. How did the American army help the Allies? The allies were low on ammunition and they were worn out. The American army was fresh and they had many soldiers. America was the strongest country in the world. The American army helped to push the Germany army back. It was a turning point in the war and helped the Allies to victory. 39