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Left Photo: Word War I Trench Courtesy of Mrs J Smillie
Right: WW I Postcard of soldiers taking cover in shell holes Courtesy Queen’s University Archives
Europe 1913
German Chancellor
Otto von
Bismarck was
statesman who
might be
described as a
political and
diplomatic
genius. His
efforts led to the
declaration of the
German Empire
in 1870.
Kaiser Willhelm II
was militaristic
and wanted to
strengthen
Germany’s armed
forces.
This along with
foreign policy
changes upset
the balance of
power.
Gavrilo Princip
Gavrilo Princip was a member of a Serbian terrorist
organization known as “The Black Hand”.
Many Serbs wanted wanted to bring Bosnia
under Serb control. Princip’s assassination of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand triggered World
War I. World War I and the ensuing Treaty of
Versailles would create the conditions leading
to World War II. World War II would in turn
create the conditions leading to the Cold War.
Perhaps the world be a very different place today if
Princip had not carried out his assassination
of the Archduke. Millions of people have died
as a result of the 20th century events that
followed Princip’s assassination of the
Archduke. At very minimum, he triggered
World War I.
Many would argue that confrontation between the
world’s great powers was inevitable. Yet, the
Cold War did not lead to global warfare.
Photos: Photographers Unknown
Source: Yahoo Images Search
The Balkans 1914
1914 European Alliances
Note
The Ottoman Empire
joined the Central
Powers to form
the Triple Alliance
with the signing
of the August
1914 TurcoGerman Alliance.
Turkey formally
entered World
War I on 28
October 1914 with
the bombing of
Russian Black
Sea ports. The
Triple Entente, or
Allied Powers,
declared war on
the Ottoman
Empire on
November 4.
The Powers Prepare for War
July 23 – August 3, 1914
June 28, 1914
Assassination of Archduke Franz
Ferdinand
July 5-6, 1914
Germany supports Austria-Hungary
July 28, 1914
Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
July 31, 1914
German forces begin to mobilize
August 1, 1914
Germany declares war on Russia & France
With Russia mobilizing, Germany has
no choice but to demand an immediate
halt or to declare war before anyone
else can.
Russia refuses to stop it mobilization
and within hours on August 1, 1914
Germany is at war with Russia.
Kaiser Wilhelm II needs no excuse to
declare war on France and does so
two days later on August 3. This sets
up the first stage of the "Schlieffen
Plan".
The German Attack
August 4, 1914
August 4, 1914
German forces invade neutral
Belgium
August 26-30, 1914
Battle of Tannenberg
October-November, 1914
First Battle of Ypres
December 25, 1914
Unofficial Christmas Truce on the
Western Front
The French thought that Germany's
advance into Belgium was a
diversion. Most of the French
army moved northeast to attack
Germany through the lost
provinces of Alsace and
Lorraine.
The first major battle on the
Eastern front occurred when
German forces surrounded and
destroyed the Russian army at
the Battle of Tannenberg. This
August 1914 battle was
Germany's greatest victory of the
war.
First Battle of the Marne
September 5 -10, 1914
German plans for the
Western Front began to
fall apart in September
of 1914.
As the German right flank
drove deeper, it was
separated from the rest
of the invading German
force. This made it
vulnerable and forced
the Germans pulled up
twenty-five miles short
of Paris.
This was France’s chance
to attack. What
followed was the First
Battle of the Marne
where the German
advance was stopped
Gallipoli Campaign
The Gallipoli Campaign was an attempt to
gain control of the Dardanelles and
capture Constantinople. This would open
a Black Sea supply route to Russia. The
idea originated with Winston Churchill,
then First Lord of the Admiralty. After the
failure (March 1915) of a British naval
force to open the straits, British,
Australian, and New Zealand troops
landed (Apr. 25) at various points on the
east coast of the Gallipoli Peninsula,
while a French force landed on the Asian
side of the straits. The Turks were ready
and prevented the Allies from making any
important gains.
Churchill’s plan failed due to Allied
bureaucratic incompetence. Allied
cooperation was poor and there was lack
of coordination between land and naval
forces. The result was a premature naval
attack without sufficient support from the
army. The two-month delay between the
navy's arrival at Gallipoli (Feb., 1915) and
the arrival of land forces (Apr., 1915) gave
the Turkish army plenty of time to
reinforce its troops. The landing (Aug.,
1915) at Suvla on the west coast of the
peninsula was followed by months of
costly fighting. Eventually, the Allies
withdrew from the area on Jan. 9, 1916.
The evacuation, unlike the attack, has
been described by some as brilliantly
executed.
Trench Warfare
By the beginning of 1916 opposing
armies remained deadlocked in a
line of trenches which stretched
966 kilometres from the Belgian
coast through France to the
frontiers of Switzerland.
After two years of war, the battle
lines of the Western front had
barely changed from the first
days of stalemate (static
warfare). This was trench
warfare.
The Eastern front was more fluid
(moving) and was more similar to
the battles of the 19th century.
Second Battle of Ypres
April 22-May 31, 1915
The Second Battle of Ypres involved
four battles around Ypres. The first
of these four battles began on 22
April 1915 as a surprise offensive
by the German 4th Army on the
Allied front line.
This attack saw the first use of a new
German weapon on the Western
Front: poisonous gas. A breeze
moving towards French troops
carried the deadly gas. It had a
devastating effect on the French
and the German infantry made a
significant advance into Allied
territory.
During the next four weeks the Allied
Forces of Belgium, France and
Britain fought to hold off the
successful German advance and to
regain the ground that had been
lost north of Ypres. The fourth
battle ended on 25 May 1915.
The Battle of Verdun
February 21. 1916 – July 1916
The Allies had planned to launch a
joint French and British assault
in the region of the Somme. The
target date was the middle of
1916. However, in February the
Allied plan was upset when the
Germans began an assault on
the fortress-ringed city of
Verdun. The belief was that
Verdun was essential to the
French that France would fight
to the death. On February 21,
the German artillery barrage
began and, for the next several
months both sides unleashed
soldiers and shells at each By
Christmas, when the battle
finally ended, 800,000 men had
lost their lives.
One hundred and twenty-five miles
northwest of Verdun, the British
and French armies joined at the
Somme river. A French-British
offensive was planned here for
1916 to relieve pressure on the
French at Verdun.
The Battle of the Somme
July 1,1916 –November 1916
The Allies had planned to launch a joint
French and British assault in the
region of the Somme. The target date
was the middle of 1916. However, in
February the Allied plan was upset
when the Germans began an assault
on the fortress-ringed city of Verdun.
The belief was that Verdun was essential
to the French that France would fight
to the death. On February 21, the
German artillery barrage began and,
for the next several months both
sides unleashed soldiers and shells
at each By Christmas, when the battle
finally ended, 800,000 men had lost
their lives.
During this horrendous fighting, the
French sent frantic appeals to Sir
Douglas Haig, the new British
commander, to hasten the Somme
offensive and to take the pressure off
Verdun.
1918: The End Nears
Left: Over four months in 1918 the German
army launched five major assaults at
different parts of he allied line. Initially
the plan worked. But for every allied
trench captured, there was always
another for the Germans to take. Soon the
elite German storm troopers were a
depleted force. As desperation set in, the
Germans resorted to the tactic of mass
assault. Large numbers of casualties
resulted.
The Hindenburg Line- the last and strongest of
the German army's defence - consisted of
three well-defended trench systems
established in 1917. Throughout
September 1918, Australian forces had
helped the British army to secure
positions from which an attack on the
Hindenburg Line could be launched.
On 18 September 1918, an attack was
launched on the first part of the
Hindenburg Line.Troops, supported by
huge artillery barrages, attacked the
heavily fortified German defences and
machine-gun posts. Using only eight
tanks (as well as dummy tanks) to
distract the Germans 4,300 prisoners
were taken.
On 29 September, the line was finally broken..
The fighting lasted four days and resulted
in heavy losses. Eventually, the Allies
broke through the third and final stage of
the Hindenburg Line, and the Germans
were forced to fall back.
1918-1919
Influenza pandemic kills more people than the war did.
Timeline 1918
January 8, 1918
President Woodrow Wilson declares his 14 points as the path to world
peace.
March 21
Germans launch the first of five major offensives to win the war before
American troops appear in the trenches.
April 25
British and Australian troops stop the German advance near Amiens.
May 23
German shells land on Paris.
July 16-17
Former Tsar Nicholas II, his wife, children, and members of his entourage
are murdered by the Bolsheviks
August 8
Allied counteroffensives on the Somme push the German army back.
September 29
Allied troops break through the German fortifications at the Hindenberg
line.
October 28
Germany's sailors mutiny at port when asked to sail out to fight again.
November 9
Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates.
November 10
A German republic is founded.
November 11
At eleven o'clock on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the
war ends as Germany and Allies sign an Armistice.
Photo: Courtesy WW I Hospital- Queen’s University Archives
The Destruction
Left: These are typical battlefield scenes.
Right: This photograph is a before and after look at Menin Road,
located at Ypres. The top picture was taken in 1914, and
the bottom was taken in 1918 after the "Battle of Ypres".
Photos: Courtesy Queen’s University Archives
Canada’s Contribution
The Home Front
Left: Recruitment Poster-Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation
Right: Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden and some of his Cabinet Ministers at Valcartier training camp in Quebec. Photos: Courtesy Queen’s
University Archives Your Chums are Fighting Source: National Archives of Canada/First World War collection/C-029484/Accession 1983-28-896
Canada’s Contribution
Approximately 620,000 Canadians served
in the Canadian Expeditionary Force,
including 425,000 who served
overseas; more than 60,000 were
killed and 172,000 wounded, an
enormous number for a small nation.
Canadian military cemeteries
overseas, carefully maintained by the
Commonwealth War Graves
Commission, graphically convey the
scale of this loss.
Canada was still a colony in 1914, but
battlefield successes stimulated a
desire among Canadians for greater
national autonomy and international
recognition. In 1919, Canada signed
the Treaty of Versailles, which
formally ended the war, and joined
the newly-created League of Nations
as a member state in its own right.
Canada had come of age.
Photos and Text: Courtesy Canadian
Museum of Civilization Corporation
Changing
Technology
This photo shows horses being loaded
onto a transport ship to be sent
overseas to join the war effort.
Horses were still being used in great
numbers during World War I. High
ranking army officers commonly
rode horses during World War I.
Horses and mules were also used
to carry heavy equipment to and
from the front during the war.
Unfortunately, many of these horses
and mules died before they got to
the front because of the harsh
journey overseas. Horses and
mules also died in WWI because of
their inability to free themselves
from the thick mud. Many others
were wounded and killed during
battle. There was a tremendous
shortage of horses in Canada
during the latter stages of WWI.
Photo: Courtesy Queen’s University Archives
Changing Technology
This photo shows some of the early
experimental submarines that were
developed during World War I. The
submarine was part of the modern
style of warfare that was introduced
in World War I.
The German navy had approximately 100
submarines in service during WWI.
Initially the Germans used
submarines to threaten the Allies'
economic blockade. In 1917 the
German Kaiser declared unrestricted
U-boat warfare against the allies,
including neutral ships in British
waters. In response, the Allies
established armed convoys to
protect merchant ships and
increased production of mines and
depth charges.
The sinking of neutral ships, like the
Lusitania in 1915, polarized public
opinion (against the Germans) about
the war, and was a major factor in
the decision of the United States to
join the Allied caused.
Photo: Courtesy Queen’s University Archives
Changing
Technology
Above is an official postcard issued during World War I. It depicts soldiers
firing a heavy howitzer in France. The weaponry of the war is more
advanced at this stage.
Weapons like the heavy howitzer allowed armies to accurately bomb enemy
trenches from great distances away. These long-range heavy artillery
weapons led to new battle strategies. One strategy was to continuously
bomb the enemy trench line, night and day, in hopes unnerving the
enemy and to prevent troops from resting. An offensive usually
followed, in hopes of catching a tired and shell-shocked enemy asleep
or undermanned.
The photo on the left is a picture of the H.M.S. "Olympic“. It was used to
transport Canadian troops and equipment overseas during World War
I. Prime Minister Borden pleaded with Great Britain to help Canada
build a navy but Britain refused.
During the early years of the war, Canadian troops trained while aboard
these transport ships. Fitness exercises and shooting drills were done
on the crowded decks of the ship. Some troops were tragically killed in
accidents during this training. Others died on these ships because of
the poor living conditions on these ships
Photos: Courtesy Queen’s University Archives
Changing Technology
Tank warfare was first
introduced by France and
Britain in 1916. Its role in
the war gradually increased
as the war progressed.
Early heavy tanks proved to be
ineffective and were soon
replaced by lighter versions
that soon revolutionized the
war. By 1917 the British and
French were using 1500
tanks each. Tanks became a
regular feature in all
offensives and were
credited with Allied
successes after 1916.
Photo:Courtesy Queen’s University Archives
Changing
Technology
The first picture is of a German plane that was used during
World War I. The plane was part of the modern style of
warfare that evolved during World War I. Initially, the
airplane was used primarily for reconnaissance
purposes, to spy on the enemy. The airplane did
develop into an offensive weapon by the end of World
War I.
The Second picture is a painting of a British airplane that is
engaged in air combat. This airplane has a machine
gun mounted on its top wing.
In 1914 the Allies had 220 airplanes, the Central Powers
258. The Germans also used Zeppelins and by 1918
had over 100 of these airships capable of bombing
missions. The German Folker aircraft was an early
example of a successful fighter plane. At first pilots
used rifles and pistols in air battles, although machine
guns were soon introduced.
By 1916 the Allied production of aircrafts equalled the
Germans and air battles between "aces" like German
Richthofen "The Red Baron" (80 victories) and Bishop
the Canadian (72 victories) were becoming legendary.
Photo:Courtesy Queen’s University Archives
Chemical Warfare
The horror and disgust at the wartime use
of poison gases was so great that its use
was outlawed in 1925 - a ban that, at least
in theory, is still in force today.
Photos: Courtesy Unites States Air Force Air War College
Table Source: First World War.com
Casualties
Country from Gas
AustriaHungary
British
Empire
France
Germany
Italy
Russia
USA
Others
Death
100,000
3,000
188,706
190,000
200,000
60,000
419,340
72,807
10,000
8,109
8,000
9,000
4,627
56,000
1,462
1,000