World War I Begins

The German battle strategy was called the Schlieffen plan.

Germany attacks France from the North after first invading Belgium.

World War I Begins

As the Germans moved south, the French moved south too.

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German army is Red, French Army is Blue.

The Allies stayed between the Germans and Paris.

World War I: Trench Warfare

As each side moved south, they dug elaborate trench systems to escape enemy fire. Neither side could gain any advantage on the other. Definition:Trench Warfare- non moving battle lines dug into the ground facing each other.

In World War One, the opposing sides fought each other from trenches with neither side gaining any advantage until the end of the war.

World War I : Trench Warfare

On the Western Front, both sides had trenches that stretched for over 450 miles.

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World War I Trench Warfare

Aerial photo of German Trenches to the right and British trenches to the left.

The area between the trenches is called no mans land.Why are the trenches zig zagged?

World War I Trench Warfare

German army is Red, French Army is Blue.

World War I Trench Warfare

Diagram of a New Zealand Army Trench

World War I Trench Warfare

British Army in the Trenches1916

Trenchfoot

From having wet feet most of the time and nowhere to dry them out

Dead bodies….

Left to rot in the trenches because of the machine gun fire that kept the soldiers in the trenches

An easy food source for rats and a place to breed disease

In the trenches

Not all trenches were deep. Many nations fought together

Soldiers of all nations hunted the rats– sometimes rations were short and meat was added to their diet

World War I Trench Warfare

German trenches in a French Forest devastated by war.

World War I - Trench Warfare

Going over the top!

New Weapons in World War I

Machine Guns

Browning Machine Guns used by British and American forces - water cooled and fires 450 to 600 rounds a minute

New Weapons in World War I

Poison Gas was first used in 1914 by the French

Gas masks were needed for soldiers and horses

“Gas was one of a soldier’s greatest fearseven though only it killed only 3% of soldiers in the war.”

Poison Gas

A new weapon, hard to combat. Different gas mask styles were created by different countries. None were 100% effective.

Belgian Uniforms and masks Australian Gas mask

Japanese gas mask U. S. gas mask

New Weapons in World War I

Tanks were first used in 1916 by the British.

tanks frightened the Germans, but they were rather unreliable and broke down often.

New Weapons in World War I

U Boats – German submarines unrestricted submarine warfare

New Weapons in World War I

German U Boat attacking a US ship in 1915.

New Weapons in World War I

Airplanes First used for observation, Later pilots were dropping bombs and shooting at each other.

German Tri Plane

British Sopwith Camel