The First World War

d) The unfolding of the war

d) The unfolding of the war• When war broke out in _____________,

people thought it would be short• Many even believed that the soldiers would

return to celebrate Christmas with their families

German soldiers in 1914

d) The unfolding of the war

• Fighters regrouped into two camps: the Allies and the Central Powers.

Allies Central PowersGreat Britain GermanyRussia Austria-HungaryFrance Turkey (Ottoman Empire)Members of the British Colony (Canada, Australia, Inda, South Africa)

Bulgaria

BelgiumSerbiaJapanItalieU.S.A (1917)

d) The unfolding of the war

d) The unfolding of the warThe Germans' Schlieffen Plan:Military Plan twofold:1. ________________________________________

(or so they thought!)

2. A major military campaign against Russian troops• The success of the plan depended on _______________

_____________________________________________

• In less than _________________, Germany had conquered Belgium, but the Belgian resistance had slowed the attack, which allows the British and the French to stop the Germans a few kilometers from Paris

d) The unfolding of the war

The Schlieffen Plan (p.81)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJXAcl8D51Y(The failure of the Schlieffen Plan)

Reflection:

Describe Alfred von Schlieffen’s plan for the invasion of France, and explain why the defeat of France was Germany’s primary objective.

d) The unfolding of the war

2. The _____________________:September 1914, a great battle between

________________________________broke out near the Marne River in France

d) The unfolding of the war– The ________________

____________________ ____________________ ___________________

– The German war plan had ________________

– The German armies had been held back, but not vanquished

– It now becomes clear that the war will be far from short ...

d) The unfolding of the war

3. Trench warfare:• After the Battle of the

Marne, how to wage war changed

• War "of movement" becomes __________ __________________

• Trench warfare is required

d) The unfolding of the war

3. Trench warfare:

The evolution of war:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZFRcuP3R4E

d) The unfolding of the war– Early trenches were simple ditches dug by soldiers to

protect themselves.

– But in a short time, two parallel trenches marked the division between the Allies and the Germans over 800 km long

– On the Eastern Front, a similar system existed between the Germans and Austro-Hungarians against the Russians

d) The unfolding of the war

d) The unfolding of the war4. The lives of soldiers

• Trench warfare was a nightmare for soldiers• Hundreds of soldiers lived and worked together in a

trench• There was no toilet and the air was the smell of stinking

corpses in the "no man's land“• Often the trenches were full of rats rummaging in the

garbage, the living and the dead• In addition, the enemy was often less than 100m

away ...

d) The unfolding of the war– The work of the soldiers was especially during the night,

that is to say, bring supplies and ammunition and repairing trenches

– In small groups, soldiers ventured into the "no man's land" to capture enemy wounded to inquire about their plans

– After 6 days at the front, the soldiers retreated to take a few days off

d) The unfolding of the war

5. Battles:• The most difficult moments for soldiers were

during the great battles• Some soldiers hid in their trenches or shelters

dug in the ground, but others were left outside to guard

• At the end of bombardment, the soldiers left their shelter and tried to cross through the "no man's land", very few succeeded

d) The unfolding of the war– During battles in the trenches, the soldiers served mainly

rifles, bayonets and grenades

– If our soldiers were pushing an opponent, the victory was ours

– If the enemy was too strong, our soldiers had to withdraw on the second line of trenches

d) The unfolding of the war

– The results for most of the battles was similar: a lot of dead and wounded and short gains on the ground

– For example, at the Battle of Verdun in 1916, the German forces lost 330,000 men without being able to chase the French soldiers from their trenches

– Similarly, the French forces lost about the same number of soldiers defending their trenches in this battle of six months

– The soldiers called the fighting “_____________"

Reading: p.105-108