1. World War I
The Battles

2. World War I
Truly a Total War: nations devote multitude of resources to effort, including those not directly involved with fighting.
German “Schleiff

3. No advantages Eastern Front Austria-Hungary Germany Russia and Serbia
8/17/1914: Russia invaded E. Prussia
German Schlieffen Plan: avoid two-front war
Germany: counter offensive, pushback
Attack/Counter-attack continues for 2 years
Allies: poorly prepared
No advantages
Austria-Hungary
Germany
Russia and Serbia

4. Relatively small area due to trench warfare
The Western Front
Britain
France
Germany
Relatively small area due to trench warfare

5. Soldiers being taken to the Western Front by Military Buses

6. Key Battle #1: The Battle of Marne
483, 000 Casualties (7th deadliest) September 4th – 10th, 1914
Allies stop Germans from marching on Paris.
Germany digs trenches to avoid
losing ground
Allies can’t break, build own
trenches
No more than few miles gained gains more than a
at any point by either side

7. Key Battle #2: The Battle of Verdun 976,000 Casualties (4th) February 21st – December 18th, 1916
Symbolizes German strategy of “Bleeding France White.”
Verdun: linked to important Allied traveling road
Germany tries everything, gets close, retreat and surrender
Led to major allied offensive at Somme

8. Key Battle #3: The Battle of Somme 1.2 Million Casualties (3rd--)*
July – November, 1916
25 mile battle line
(*Deadliest Single Battle-- our class: 3rd)

9. Battle of Somme 7:20 am 40,000 pounds of explosive under German
machine gun at Beaumont
Hamel.
Barbed wire not destroyed

10. Battle of Somme
End day 1: 60,000 British soldiers dead
Tanks 1st used

11. Peronne during the Battle of Somme 1916

12. Battle of Somme British Advancement: 8 KM (about 4 miles)
British casualties: 1 Million

13. Key Battle #4: Battle of Passchendaele 848,614 casualties, (#5) July – November 1917
(AKA the Third Battle of Ypres)
Represents: grinding/bloody misery of trench warfare
Goal: wear down German line / outflank German army
Small territory gains

14. Key Battle #5: The Battle of Cambrai 80,000 Casualties November 20th – December 7th, 1917
British launch first mass tank attack – 324 total
No pre-attack bombardment, only wall of smoke
British advances far in short time, only losing 4,000
German uses “stossstrupen” (storm troopers) to counter attack
10 days later, drive Britain back to starting lines
Overall, Allied success because proved tanks could overcome trench defense.

15. German Strategy after Cambrai
Germany: Spring attack in West only way to victory
Russia’s exit frees German troops and raises morale
Allies: no unified leader, low morale and manpower
Germany plans major offensive
Take advantage of new weapons: planes, tanks, machine guns and poison gas

16. Key Battle #6: Spring Offensive 1
Key Battle #6: Spring Offensive 1.5 Million Casualties (2nd) Spring 1918
Operation Michal: First German offensives, almost splits allies
Furthest German
advance (shelling
distance of Paris)
Allies agree on
unified system of
command
American troop
arrival
Offensive fails, sets
up final push by Allies

17. Key Battle #7: The 100 Days Offensive 1
Key Battle #7: The 100 Days Offensive 1.8 Million Casualties (1st) July - November 1918
Germans in weak position
Fresh US troops
German lines eventually broken, retreat
Germans want peace
Armistice signed
November 11, 1918