Chapter 13 Section 2 Europe Plunges in War

The Great War Begins Austria declared war The countries allied with each other followed through with their pledges of support Every major power in Europe was now at war 8/1/14: Germany declared war on Russia 8/3/14: Germany declared war on France Soon Britain declared war on Germany

New Alliances Central Powers Germany Austria-Hungary Named for their location in Europe Bulgaria & the Ottoman Empire would join, hoping to regain lost lands Allies England Russia France Italy would join after accusing their former allies of starting an unjust war

Happily to War Millions of soldier left home headed to war Most believed it would be a short war Very few saw the horrors that would cover Europe

The Bloody Stalemate The Schlieffen Plan – Quick strike into France through Belgium – A quick defeat of France would allow Germany to move their troops East to fight the Russians – The Russians would be slower to ready for war because of the inadequate railroad system – As Germany neared Paris the plan appeared to be working – Battle of the Marne River – After 4 days of fighting Germany retreated – The plan was ruined

Trench Warfare

“No Man’s Land” – Area between the opposing trenches – Covered in barbed wire – Littered with craters – 500 miles of bombed out area from the North Sea to the Swiss border

Trench Warfare New weapons – Poison gas Chlorine, could blind, burn, or kill – Machine gun Between rounds per minute – Tank 1916, British used the 1 st one Could cross open terrain because of its armor

New Weapons con’t. Airplane – Wright Brothers, 1903 – Used for reconnaissance – Some air to air combat – Very dangerous to fly & land – Some aerial bombing – Baron von Richthofen 80 aerial kills Most famous German pilot Fokker Dr 1 Sopwith Camel

New weapons con’t: – Submarine Germans introduced them in 1914 Torpedoes were used to sink enemy ships Called the Unterseeboot or U-boot, or U-boat in English These new weapons were devastating Officers were not trained in tactics to fight against the new weapons 19 th century tactics vs. 20 th century weapons WW1 is the first mechanized war

The Eastern Front Austria-Hungary & Germany vs. Russia & Serbia – Millions of soldiers in battle – Germany drove the Russian out of the country 30,000 deaths from one battle – Russia did better against Austria 1916 – The Russian effort was near collapse – Short on all supplies – Supplies from the Allies had trouble reaching Russia – But Russia population kept them fighting Millions of men would be used & die (10)

The Eastern Front The Weather – Brutal cold made conditions in the east worse – 100s froze to death on a daily basis The conflict spreads – Africa becomes a key battle front – European colonies in Asia also become entangled in the war – A true world war – In the Middle East, Arab nations fight against the Ottoman Empire for their freedom

Images and Songs from WWI