1 / 35

Revision – Session 6

Revision – Session 6. The First World War. The Schlieffen Plan. The French also had a plan – Plan 17 which was drawn up in 1912-13. This was based on an attack from Champagne across the German border into Alsace-Lorraine

ciel
Download Presentation

Revision – Session 6

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Revision – Session 6 The First World War

  2. The Schlieffen Plan • The French also had a plan – Plan 17 which was drawn up in 1912-13. This was based on an attack from Champagne across the German border into Alsace-Lorraine • The Schlieffen plan was drawn up in 1905 by Count von Schlieffen – it was intended to cope with a war on two fronts and it would win the war in the west in 6 weeks

  3. The Schlieffen Plan • Germans thought the Russians were the stronger opponent • The plan was intended to knock out France within 6 weeks • The belief was that Russia would take 6 weeks to mobilise • An army of 1.5 million men would advance through Belgium, swing around the French army and encircle Paris

  4. The Schlieffen Plan • BUT Schlieffen seems not to have taken into account the distances the army had to move in the short time scale • It also assumed that the French would be allowed to advance into Germany to take their attention of the German advance through Belgium • This part of the plan was changed by Von Moltke

  5. The Schlieffen Plan • Further complication was the intervention of Britain • They were dispatched to Belgium within 3 weeks • In the meantime the Germans faced heavy resistance in Belgium – e.g. the forts at Liege held out for 12 days • When the British arrived they fought with the Germans at Mons (23rd) and Le Cateau (26th) • They were outnumbered but professional soliders who were well trained to fire their new Lee Enfield Mark III rifles • They slowed the Germans down

  6. The Schlieffen Plan • The Russians attacked after 2 weeks before the army was fully mobilised • 2 German Army Corps were sent to Eastern Front to deal with the attack • This weakened the German force in Belgium • Consequently, Von Kluck – Leader of the German First Army abandoned the plan to encircle Paris and headed south • There the German met the French at the Battle of the Marne • The Germans were forced to fall back as a result of this battle • The Schlieffen Plan had failed

  7. Deadlock on the Western Front • Late September 1914 Allied armies tried to force the Germans back at the Battle of the Aisne. But failed • Both side began to ‘Race to the Sea’ this was to try and gain control of the Channel ports • The Race to the Sea created a frontline of trenches that stretched from the Channel to Switzerland • It became clear that defence was easier than attack

  8. Deadlock on the Western Front • The popular image of the trenches is one of mud and death – for many this was true • The soldiers had to deal with decaying bodies – made worse by the fact that many battles were fought over the same stretches of ground • Places in the two frontlines could be as little as 15 metres apart (even the slightest movement = death) or as much as 1000 metres (which for many meant safety and even boredom)

  9. Deadlock on the Western Front • Soldiers spent 4 Days on the Frontline when they were moved to support trenches and reserve trenches – this cycle was then repeated • The worst experiences were had by the soldiers used to ‘go over the top’ at the beginning of a major battle • e.g. At the Somme on 1st July 1916 70% of the first wave of men to go over the top were killed or wounded.

  10. Deadlock on the Western Front • Many of the volunteers in the British Army had joined up to a Pals Battalion made up of people from the same village or town • This was supposed to increase morale but when many of them were killed or wounded at the same time it devasted whole communities back home

  11. Deadlock on the Western Front • Deadlock meant that the two sides had to find ways of breaking through the enemies defences • The Germans used gas for the first time in Ypres 1915 with 9000 Allied Soldiers killed • Gas could be released from tanks – though this depended on the wind direction • Or it could be released from gas shells which broke open when they hit the ground • Gas was terrifying but not the weapon to win the war – it could blow the wrong way and attackers had to wear gas masks

  12. Deadlock on the Western Front • Another method used was mining – • Special units were formed to dig under the enemy trenches and put huge mines in place which would destroy them • These were used at the Somme before the big Allied attack in 1916 • It was a dangerous task and the Germans also mined under the allied trenches • In 1916 tanks were used for the first time by the Allies • The Germans were terrified of them • But they broke down too easily and were unsuccessful

  13. Deadlock on the Western Front • By 1915 there was complete Deadlock on the Western Front • In Britain, there was a demand to break this by opening up a new front in the Eastern Mediterranean by attacking Turkey

  14. Gallipoli • The idea of the ‘Easterners’ led by Winston Churchill – who believed that it was impossible to beat the Germans on the Western Front and that they should attack from the East • The plan was designed to defeat Turkey, then attack Austria and send further supplies to Russia

  15. Gallipoli • In March 1915 the navy attempted to force its way through the Dardenelles but failed (Turkish forts and mines) • The Turks were then forewarned of an attack • The first troops arrived at Cape Helles 24th April – but poor leadership meant they did not progress inland • A second wave of troops arrived at Anzac Cove 25th April – but that was the wrong place and troops were faced with steep cliffs and Turkish defenders who were well ‘dug in’ and had been well- trained by German General von Sanders

  16. Gallipoli • In August 1915 another wave of troops arrived at Sulva Bay but the landings were carried out in darkness and the troops became lost – there was total confusion • Once on land the Allied troops found themselves stuck in difficult terrain, fighting the Turks who always had the high ground in a climate that was hot – many troops died of disease and heat • The decision to evacuate was made and all troops left in December 1915 • By that time 250,000 Allied soldiers had died

  17. The Somme and Passchendaele • Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig – Commander in Chief of the British Army on the Western Front from December 1915-the end of the war • He believed in the Big Push • He believed the war could be won through sheer weight in numbers • He believed that the war could only be won on the Western Front • He continually demanded more men from politicians • He did not allow troops to be diverted to other areas of fighting

  18. The Somme and Passchendaele • On 1st July 1916 Haig launched his first major offensive at the Somme • This was to take pressure off the French at Verdun • Haig ordered a seven day bombardment of the German trenches involving 4000 guns • Bombardment failed to destroy the enemy defences • British suffered 59,000 casualties on the first day

  19. The Somme and Passchendaele • The German trenches were well constructed – they were also dug deep into the chalk and this offered good protection • One of the Allied mines exploded early which gave the Germans time to prepare

  20. The Somme and Passchendaele • Despite horrifying casualties and failures Haig ordered the attacks to continue • Pozieres – a town 5 km from the start line – was not taken until August 25th • Haig eventually called off the attack in November • Less than 5 miles had been gained

  21. The Somme and Passchendaele • In 1917 Haig ordered a second major attack at Passchendaele north of Ypres • Aim was to capture the ridge and then capture the U-boat pens at Zeebrugge • Haig was encouraged by British success at Messines Ridge east of Ypres in June 1917 when 18 mines were exploded under enemy lines • Passchedaele Ridge was heavily defended by the Germans and had 2000 concrete machine gun posts

  22. The Somme and Passchendaele • It was the MUD that really defeated the Britsh attackers • It rained heavily throughout the battle • Bombardments destoyed the ditches and drains that were built to deal with wet land • Haig never visited the battle field and didn’t know what the conditions were like • The British needed duckboards and ribbons to show where the safe ground was • Many soldiers died of being drowned/suffocated in the mud

  23. The Somme and Passchendaele • Haig has been heavily criticised for the heavy losses incurred in such big battles • He appears to have been inflexible and lacking in ideas • He remained convinced until the end of the war that cavalry was the key to victory • He resisted Lloyd George’s attempts to create a unified Allied Command in 1917 • He remained in his position until the end of the war but had to accept Foch as his superior (French General who was made Allied Supreme Commander in 1918) • In the end his ‘Big Push’ tactics failed and the war was won by surprise attacks without massive bombardments

  24. The War at Sea • It was expected there would be a major battle between the Royal Navy and the German High Seas Fleet • For the first 2 years of the war nothing really happened • The British chased German raiders and eliminated a squadron at the Falkland Islands • The only action in home waters was between battle cruisers at Dogger Bank in 1915 – this was not a major nor decisive battle

  25. The War at Sea • The Germans began submarine warfare in 1915 • This was when they started to attack merchant shipping that was carrying war goods • They stopped after the sinking of the Lusitania and the loss of 1400 lives • The Americans were horrified at the behaviour of the Germans and they were forced to stop • The Germans didn’t want the Americans to enter the war

  26. The War at Sea • There was only one major battle • Jutland May 1916 • The result was indecisive – in as much as the British lost more ships and men • It was the Germans who retreated back to their port • AND the German High Seas Fleet never left port again

  27. The War at Sea • By the end of 1916 the Germans begin unrestricted submarine warfare (this meant they didn’t have to search merchant shipping before attacking thus violating international law) • The Germans wanted to starve Britain out by attacking merchant shipping as they sailed across the Atlantic • In April 1917 – 875,000 tonnes of shipping was sunk • This changed the naval strategy

  28. The War at Sea • May 1917 the PM David Lloyd George ordered the Admiralty to supply escorts for convoys sailing across the Atlantic • This meant the merchant ships would be under the full protection of the Royal Navy • By October 1917 the Germans had lost more than 50 submarines and the danger was over • The Royal Navy also blockaded Germany – this meant they stopped imports from reaching Germany • Germany responded by introducing rationing • But by mid 1918 many Germans were going hungry

  29. The Defeat of Germany • In 1917 it looked like neither side was in a position to win the war • The declaration of war by the USA in April 1917 broke the deadlock • The USA joined the war for two reasons – they had lent huge sums of money to Britain and France and would not get it repaid if the Germans won • There was increasing public sympathy for Britain and France as democratic countries

  30. The Defeat of Germany • In March 1917 four US ships were sunk by Germans due to their unrestricted submarine warfare • And the British government handed the Zimmermann Telegram to the Americans which said that the Germans had invited Mexico to attack the US if war broke out with Germany and that Germany would help them regain lost territory in the US • ALL of this angered the Americans so they declared war

  31. The Defeat of Germany • The Germans were now convinced they had to win the war quickly • After the Bolsheviks had seized power in 1917 they signed a peace agreement with Germany (Treaty of Brest Litovsk 1918) • This meant that 1,000,000 German troops could be moved to the Western Front • Although these troops were not experienced and battle-hardened as those on the Western Front

  32. The Defeat of Germany • On 21st March 1918 the Germans launched Operation Michael – they wanted to bring the war to an end before the US troops arrived • They used new tactics – short barrages and small teams of highly trained soldiers • They took the Allies off guard and gained a lot of new ground – in some places 53 miles • In May 1918 the Germans were just 37 miles from Paris

  33. The Defeat of Germany • The Germans failed to drive a wedge through the Allied lines and they held firm • US troops arrived in Spring of 1918 – by June they successfully helped to halt the German advance and reinforced the Allies • They played an important part in the Second Battle of the Marne • 1,250,000 US troops served in Europe • Casualty rates were very high as they were not prepared/trained for modern warfare

  34. Defeat of Germany • Operation Michael ground to a halt in June 1918 • More and more US troops arrived • Germans had marched beyond their defensive line • They were in exposed positions • On 8th August the Allies attacked near Amiens – it was called Black Day by German High Command • German Army collapsed along the Front

  35. Defeat of Germany • From August until the end of October the Allies advanced steadily • There were informal peace talks between Germans and Allies in October • Some German Army Commanders – like Ludendorff - still believed the Germans could win. Others – like Hindenburg – wanted an armistice • Early November – uprisings in Germany caused the Kaiser to abdicate – on 9th Nov – and the new Socialist Government called for armistice • Germany surrendered unconditionally at the 11 hour on the 11 day of the 11month

More Related