TRENCH WARFARE AND NEW MACHINERY

World War One

THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN

German attack strategy developed before the war

2 front strategy Germany believed it

could fend off Russia in the East while it defeated France in the West with a lightning speed attack

Believed Russia would take a while to assemble troops

SCHLIEFFEN FAILED!

German officers pulled troops from the West to defend Eastern Boarder- Weakened the attack line in France

No fast victory for Germany

Now fighting a 2 front war

RESULT : TRENCH WARFARE

Germans dug in a defensive line along the river Somme and into Belgium

British and French Soldiers dug a trench line to face Germans

Trenches stretched from Swiss Boarder to English Channel

By Christmas 1914 stalemate!

NO MAN’S LAND

The area between enemy trenches

Wasteland of bodies, barbed wire, mud, mines

LIFE IN THE TRENCHES

Flooded by rain and filth

Overrun by rats Stinking cesspools Trapped for weeks Disease spread Lice infestations Mental exhaustion Trench Foot

WAR OF ATTRITION

Each side repeatedly attacking the other until one side completely exhausted and unable to continue

This old style cannot work due to new weapons

Old School Generals sent hundreds of thousands of men “over the top” into no man’s land to die by machine guns

MACHINE GUNS

Changed the way war is fought

Fires 400-500 rounds per minute

POISON GAS

Germany 1st to use poison gas in battle

Chlorine gas at Ypres 1915

Gas blinded soldiers and attacked respiratory systems

Early defense- rags soaked in water/urine

Later defense- gas masks

SUBMARINE WARFARE

The Scilent enemy

Used most by Germany

U-Boats Attacked ships

carrying supplies to Britain

Armed with torpedoes to sink ships

WAR IN THE AIR

Planes used to: Scout enemy

positions Drop bombs on

enemy planes or shoot with handguns

Later on planes had top mounted guns

THE ZEPPELIN

Called Dirigibles (inflatable airships)

Filled with light gases such as hydrogen and propelled by engine on bottom

Used for scouting and bombing