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War on Land. Brian Forman, Jon Puckett, and Hassan. Schlieffen Plan.
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War on Land Brian Forman, Jon Puckett, and Hassan
Schlieffen Plan Germany did not believe that it could win a prolonged two-front war versus both France and Russia. As a result, the German High Command tried to formulate a plan that would allow for a quick victory. This plan, known as the Schlieffen Plan hoped to capitalize on the strength of German infrastructure to quickly defeat France through a flanking march through Belgium. German commanders believed that if they could either capture Paris (like in 1870) and/or win a decisive battle against the weaker French before the immense Russian army could mobilize, then they would win the war. German plans did not factor in British involvement in the struggle.
“Rape of Belgium” The French meanwhile hoped to stall the Germans long enough for the Russians to fully mobilize. Still, the French made a series of half-hearted attacks in Alsace when the war started. Belgium also prepared for a potential invasion (that turned out very real); however, its army was no match for the numerically and technologically superior Germans. Worried about saboteurs, the Germans started inflicting atrocities that would give the British their excuse to enter the war.
1st Marne and 1st Ypres The German Army looked poised to capture Paris. However, the Allies soon found out that their existed a 50 mile gap between two wings of the German army. The French along with the solid British Expeditionary Force attacked this gap driving the Germans away from the outskirts of Paris. A failure of communication forced the Germans to retreat and build formidable defensive barriers mostly in the form of trenches. These proved strong enough to prevent a total Allied victory. The Germans figured they had one last chance at a quick victory and attacked the British at Ypres. However, this was the pride of the British Army facing numerically superior but untested German troops and the British were able to hold ground. The defensive positions after these two battles formed the basis of the Western Front.
Tannenberg The Russians meanwhile split their forces into two. The first army group headed haphazardly towards Serbia in attempt to save them from Austria. The second army group headed towards East Prussia where it encountered heavy resistance. German commanders would not give up the hereditary lands of Prussia without a fight and the duo of Hindenburg and Ludendorff took advantage of Russia miscommunication and destroyed the Russian Army at the Battle of Tannenberg. The fight did not actually take place at Tannenberg, but it was named in reference to the defeat of the Germans 500 years earlier against Poland. This was a decisive victory for the Central Powers as Russia would not have troops on German soil until 1944.
Eastern Front The Ottoman Empire played a central role in the war. As long as the Dardanelles remained in Turkish control, Allied aid to Russia would be limited. Meanwhile, the Ottomans heavily influenced by the “Young Turks” who wished for a Pan-Turkic government that included the Caucasus. Turkish offensives here eat up valuable supplies and manpower that the Russians wanted to use against either the Germans or Austrians. The British believed that their navy combined with an expeditionary force of mainly Australian troops could take the Dardanelles and force a surrender of Turkey. The Turkish positions were too strong though despite gallant efforts by the colonial troops at Gallipoli. During this time, the Italians also entered the war on the Allied side and fought brutal battles in the Alps against the Austrians.
Eastern Front Part 2: Politics dominated German strategy on the Eastern Front. Erich von Falkenhayn, the German Chief of Staff, did not view a Russian defeat as the path to victory and wanted to put more resources into the Western Front. However, he was overruled by the popularity accorded to Hidenburg and Luddendorff. There was also concern that if the Germans did not make the east a priority that Austria would soon be destroyed. So, the Germans spent most of 1915 chasing the Russians out of Poland while the Austrians mostly deserted.
Eastern Front 3: Russian morale was awful and it looked like the czar's government could collapse any day. One last great Russian offensive (Brusilov Offensive) and attempts by the Romanians humiliated Austria even further and forced the Germans to spend precious resources bailing out their sickly allies. The czar's government was forced to abdicate, but when the next government lead by Alexander Kerensky launched a new offensive (Kerensky Offensive) the Russian people had quite enough. In Kerensky's place stepped a leader known as Vladamir Lenin.
New Weapons There had been no prolonged European conflict since Napoleon. As a result, many of the powers had no idea how the changes of technology coupled with industrialization would affect a large-scale war. As a result, a lot of the beginning months of the war were filled with experimentation. The two most deadly weapons were artillery and the Maxim machine gun. WW1 artillery for the first time could hit a target without the target seeing it. Some pieces could hit targets from 18km away and were highly mobile. Machine guns of the time could fire up to 600 rounds a minute. This was up against infantrymen that only carried bolt-action rifles. Also introduced for the first time were tanks whose potential was discovered after the war.
Life in the Trenches Trenches on the Western Front had some of the worst conditions imaginable. Trenches usually were about 6 feet deep and 7 feet wide. Both sides had systems of trenches that could stretch kilometers. Thus, taking the front-line trenches as seen at the Somme often did nothing to breakthrough an enemy position. Conditions were awful with mud, disease, and filth being all too common. Soldiers often made attempts to modify the trenches to make them somewhat more livable. The worst part of the trenches though was passing the time.
Verdun With Russia on its last throes, Falkenhayn could finally concentrate on the West. The only real attempt in 1915 had been at Ypres were the Germans had experimented with chlorine gas, but now the Germans would attempt another decisive victory. This would be a fight of attrition designed to bleed the enemy into surrender. The Germans choose the attack to take place at Verdun, a town that was little defended at the time. Verdun was a historical site associated with past military glories, and the French would not give it up without a fight. The resulting fight was one of the bloodiest in history. The French rotated troops in and out and launched several crippling counter-attacks. Verdun soon became a slaughterhouse. 360,000 French and 340,000 Germans died in an attempt to outlast the other side.
Somme Allied commanders had been planning the attack at the Somme for some time. The British would lead the attack and this would be the first real test for many of the soldiers. An artillery barrage with over a million shells signaled to the Germans that they should probably defend that area, and as a result when the first attacks occurred the British where mowed down. 20,000 British died on the first day, and the Somme has cemented itself as one of the most horrific battles in human history. The attacks continued on for months with over 600,000 Allied dead and similar German ammounts. All for a relatively small land gain.
1917-1918 Luddendorff replaced the disgraced Falkenhayn and soon retreated back to a more defensible trench line known as the “Hindenburg Line”. The British tried once again with several “Somme-like” attacks that proved to be epic failures. Finally, in 1918 with the Allies being swelled with fresh American troops and the German people no longer as willing to fight, Luddendorff attempted one final offensive. Although initially successful, Luddendorff lost too many men and was forced back. An Allied counter-attack was too much for the Germans. The German Army was defeated and the war was over.
