The Great War

1. The Great War 1914-1918 (p. 668-670)

2. Allied Powers • The Triple Entente were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The main allies were the Russia, France, Great Britain, (Italy and the United States). France, Russia, and the United Kingdom (including its empire), entered World War I in 1914, as a result of their Triple Entente alliance. Many other countries later joined the Allied side in the war.

3. Central Powers • They fought against the Allies, and consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. The name Central Powers is derived from the location of these countries; all four were located between the Russian Empire in the east and France and the United Kingdom in the west.

4. Germany’s 2 part plan • First they would attack France.

5. Next…after defeating France • Germany attacked Russia.

6. The huge kink… Belgium built trenches to prevent Germany from invading them on their way to France. They held out for 3 months allowing France and Great Britain to mobilize.

7. A close call… • The Germans fought their way to within 15 miles of the Capital of France, Paris. If Germany could take Paris they could control all of France.

8. Battle of the Marne Both the Allies and Central Powers were a bit upset because they realized that both sides were evenly matched and neither side could win.

9. Battle of Verdun • 750,000 French and Germans died in this battle.

10. Battle of Somme One of the largest battles of WWI. 1.5 million British, French and Germans died. In the end the Allies only pushed the Germans back 7 miles.

11. Stalemate: All of these battles took place along the Western Front of France. The Allies dug into trenches and the Germans did the same. Both continued to fight, but neither side could win, thus creating a stalemate, which lasted for the next 3 years.

13. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWtrenchsystem.htm - trench stories http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWtrench.htm - great link! http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/Xmas%20+%20football.htm Christmas in the trenches!

14. New Weapons *Improved cannons & artillery fired larger shells. *Better riflesallowed for great accuracy. (machine guns were used during WWI too)

15. *Poison gascould kill or injure anyone who breathed it. . http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/poison_gas_and_world_war_one.htm Link to 1st use of poisonous gas.

16.   Every soldier carried iron rations -- emergency food that consisted of a can of bully bee, biscuits and a tin of tea and sugar.  A single pair of rats could produced up to 880 offspring in a year.  A total of 3,894 men in the British Army were convicted of self-inflicted wounds. A firing-squad offense -- none were executed, but all served prison terms. • The British Army treated 20,000 soldiers for trench foot during the winter of 1914-15.  One-third of all casualties on the Western Front may have been killed or wounded in a trench.  A lit candle was fairly effective in removing lice, but the skill of burning the lice without setting yourself on fire was difficult to learn.  Soldiers in the trenches often depended on impure water collected from shell-holes or other cavities, causing dysentery (diarrhea).

17. *Armored tanks could cross battle lines http://www.worldwar1.com/arm001a.htm

18. *The Airplane was the most dramatic new weapon. Pilots participated indog fights. Manfred von Richthofen- German The Red Baron Top Ace of WWI, 80 victories Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker C.O. 94th Pursuit Squadron Top American Ace of WWI, 26 victories

19. *The Germans used thezepplin, or blimp to bomb the Allies.

20. Great Britain blocked ports and the Germans couldn’t get supplies. But the Germans brought in their U-boats, submarines to attack the British ships. This will eventually affect the US and bring us into the war.