How It All Began
World War I was slowly brewing through militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism from over the past few decades, but did not spark until the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by Serbian nationalists. Serbians, outraged by Ferdinand who attempted to expand the Austro-Hungarian monarchy into a triple monarchy that included a Slavic kingdom under Croatian leadership, felt compelled to do away with the Archduke. Serbia and Austria-Hungary went to war. Both sides believed that the battle would be decided quickly. Instead, the warfare spread, eventually involving more countries and lasting for four years.
Events After The Assassination
Here is a timeline to highlight the key events after the assassination.
June 28, 1914 Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
July 5, 1914 King Willian II promised German support for Austria against Serbia
July 28, 1914 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
August 1, 1914 Germany declares war on Russia
August 3, 1914 Germany declares war on France and invades Belgium. Germany implements the Schlieffen Plan
July 5, 1914 King Willian II promised German support for Austria against Serbia
July 28, 1914 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
August 1, 1914 Germany declares war on Russia
August 3, 1914 Germany declares war on France and invades Belgium. Germany implements the Schlieffen Plan
And So It Begins
After Germany declared war against France, Germany invaded Belgium in accordance with the Schilieffen plan. The Belgian government refused to pemit the passage of German troops and called on the signatories of the treaty of 1839, which guaranteed it's neutrality. The British, one of the signatories, sent an ultimatum to Germany demanding to leave Belgium alone, but they refused. Thus, Britain entered the war. A local conflict had become a general European war.
The Stalemate
Everyone expected a brief war, and many young men looked forward to glory, heroic charges, rapid promotions and a quick homecoming, believing God was on their side. These attitudes prevailed among political and military leaders of all nations, and the war strategies devised by the finest military thinkers of the time paid little attention to matters of defense.
Despite the quickly escalating and rapid events that erupted into a European War in a blink of an eye, it soon their after fell into a stalemate. The lack of competent strategy from all nations, trench warfare and new weapons were major factors for the stalemate.
Lack of Competent Strategy: Political leaders as well as military leaders failed to take into account the size of militaries. They consisted of thousands of men who formed armies that were sufficiently large to form a continuous front line literally hundreds of miles long, making it impossible to outflank the enemy. Thus, trying to wear down the enemy by inflicting continuous damage and casualties, only to have their own forces suffer heavy losses in return proved to be a weak and ineffective strategy.
The Trenches: Trench Warfare is a type of combat in which opposing troops fight from trenches facing each other. The German troops, in an attempt to defend their territory, dug a long line of fortified trenches. The trench line of the Western Front stretched from the North Sea to the French-Swiss border, through East France. The Allied troops dug in as well, their trench line barely 300 feet from the enemy trenches.
Life in the trenches were horrendous. The grim realities of trench warfare included the wet, cold, waist-deep mud, gluttonous lice and corpse-fed rats, were nothing close to what the soldiers had signed up for. Robert Gravs wrote about his experience:
"Trench stinks of shallow buried dead Where Tom stands at the periscope, Tired out. After nine months he's shed All fear, all faith, all hate, all hope"
Bruce Bairnsfather experienced trench life in the early stages of World War One:
“It was a long and weary night, that first one of mine in the trenches. Everything was strange, and wet and horrid. First of all I had to do and fix up my machine guns at various points, and find places for the gunners to sleep in. This was no easy matter, as many of the dugouts had fallen in and floated off downstream."
Trench Rats: The trenches were infested by millions of rats. The lack of proper waste disposal and unsanitary conditions, combined with a multitude of corpses to feed on made the trenches ideal breeding grounds for the rats. This also caused the outbreak of a number of diseases.
Body Lice and Trench Fever: Lice infestation was another scourge the soldiers had to contend with. Despite being deloused regularly, the infestations never seemed to diminish and caused trench fever. Severe pains and high fever took a toll on the health of the soldiers, and recovery took about twelve weeks. Lice were only identified as the cause of trench fever toward the end of the war.
Trench Foot: Soldiers in the trenches often suffered from trench foot, a condition caused by fungal infections. Standing long hours in the wet and unsanitary conditions of the trenches caused these infections, which quickly turned gangrenous and needed surgical amputation of the limb.
Dysentery: A lack of sanitation in the trenches and irregular supply of drinking water caused a condition known as dysentery. Soldiers often had to rely on melted snow and water from shell-holes. Unsanitary drinking water caused bacterial infections of the intestines. Diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and stomach aches were the main symptoms, and dehydration often turned fatal.
Shell-Shock: Shell shock was another condition soldiers at the front suffered. Over 80,000 soldiers from the British Army were identified as suffering from shell shock in World War I.
Causalities:Death was a common sight in the trenches. Be it the snipers’ bullets or poison gas, disease or suicide, the soldiers in the trenches were forever ready to face death. Over 200,000 soldiers died in the trenches of the Western Front in World War I.
Here are a few more quotes from real soldiers expressing their feelings about trench warfare.
-“It was 9 a.m. and the so-called trench was full of corpses and all sorts of equipment. We stood and sat on bodies as if they were stones or logs of wood. Nobody worried if one had its head stuck through or torn off, or a third had gory bones sticking out through its torn coat. And outside the trench one could see them lying in every kind of position. There was one quite young little chap, a Frenchman, sitting in a shell-hole, with his rifle on his arm and his head bent forward, but he was holding his hands as if to protect himself, in front of his chest in which there was a deep bayonet wound. And so they lay, in all their different positions, mostly Frenchman, with their heads battered in by blows from mallets and even spades, and all around rifles, equipment of all kinds and any number of kepis. The 154th had fought like furies in their attack, to revenge themselves for the shellfire. - August Hope
-Propped up against the wall were a dozen men, all gassed. Their colours were black, green and blue, tongues hanging out, eyes staring. One or two were dead and others beyond human aid; some were coughing up green froth from their lungs.
-Lance Sergeant Cotton, Northumberland Fusiliers, describing a gas attack
- We were always hungry. Many times we only got one slice of bread, often without butter or jam, for breakfast and hard biscuits for tea. These were so hard that you had to put them on a firm surface and smash them with a stone or something. Sometimes when drinking water did not arrive, we had to boil rainwater from shell holes.
-British soldier describing rations in the front line
New Weapons: New technological advancements favored defensive tactics, aiding the stalemate as well. Barbed wire, used to confine cattle on America's Great Plains, proved to be highly effective in frustrating the advance of soldiers across "no-man's-land", the deadly territory between opposing trenches. Once the opposing armies had dug in, modern belt fed machine guns and rapid fire breach loading artillery combined with extensive trench systems along side the barbed wire made attacks, which had to be made head on over open ground because of the continuos enemy line, quite literally suicidal. The most uncovential weapon that was first used by the Germans was poisonous gas (mustard gas), that caused internal rotting to the human body and after four to five weeks, lead to death. Yet the gas attacks failed to deliver the promised strategic breakthroughs and the anticipated return to more fluid battle lines never materialized. Other novel weapons tha developed during the war included tanks and airplanes, but neither broke the stalemate either.
Despite the quickly escalating and rapid events that erupted into a European War in a blink of an eye, it soon their after fell into a stalemate. The lack of competent strategy from all nations, trench warfare and new weapons were major factors for the stalemate.
Lack of Competent Strategy: Political leaders as well as military leaders failed to take into account the size of militaries. They consisted of thousands of men who formed armies that were sufficiently large to form a continuous front line literally hundreds of miles long, making it impossible to outflank the enemy. Thus, trying to wear down the enemy by inflicting continuous damage and casualties, only to have their own forces suffer heavy losses in return proved to be a weak and ineffective strategy.
The Trenches: Trench Warfare is a type of combat in which opposing troops fight from trenches facing each other. The German troops, in an attempt to defend their territory, dug a long line of fortified trenches. The trench line of the Western Front stretched from the North Sea to the French-Swiss border, through East France. The Allied troops dug in as well, their trench line barely 300 feet from the enemy trenches.
Life in the trenches were horrendous. The grim realities of trench warfare included the wet, cold, waist-deep mud, gluttonous lice and corpse-fed rats, were nothing close to what the soldiers had signed up for. Robert Gravs wrote about his experience:
"Trench stinks of shallow buried dead Where Tom stands at the periscope, Tired out. After nine months he's shed All fear, all faith, all hate, all hope"
Bruce Bairnsfather experienced trench life in the early stages of World War One:
“It was a long and weary night, that first one of mine in the trenches. Everything was strange, and wet and horrid. First of all I had to do and fix up my machine guns at various points, and find places for the gunners to sleep in. This was no easy matter, as many of the dugouts had fallen in and floated off downstream."
Trench Rats: The trenches were infested by millions of rats. The lack of proper waste disposal and unsanitary conditions, combined with a multitude of corpses to feed on made the trenches ideal breeding grounds for the rats. This also caused the outbreak of a number of diseases.
Body Lice and Trench Fever: Lice infestation was another scourge the soldiers had to contend with. Despite being deloused regularly, the infestations never seemed to diminish and caused trench fever. Severe pains and high fever took a toll on the health of the soldiers, and recovery took about twelve weeks. Lice were only identified as the cause of trench fever toward the end of the war.
Trench Foot: Soldiers in the trenches often suffered from trench foot, a condition caused by fungal infections. Standing long hours in the wet and unsanitary conditions of the trenches caused these infections, which quickly turned gangrenous and needed surgical amputation of the limb.
Dysentery: A lack of sanitation in the trenches and irregular supply of drinking water caused a condition known as dysentery. Soldiers often had to rely on melted snow and water from shell-holes. Unsanitary drinking water caused bacterial infections of the intestines. Diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and stomach aches were the main symptoms, and dehydration often turned fatal.
Shell-Shock: Shell shock was another condition soldiers at the front suffered. Over 80,000 soldiers from the British Army were identified as suffering from shell shock in World War I.
Causalities:Death was a common sight in the trenches. Be it the snipers’ bullets or poison gas, disease or suicide, the soldiers in the trenches were forever ready to face death. Over 200,000 soldiers died in the trenches of the Western Front in World War I.
Here are a few more quotes from real soldiers expressing their feelings about trench warfare.
-“It was 9 a.m. and the so-called trench was full of corpses and all sorts of equipment. We stood and sat on bodies as if they were stones or logs of wood. Nobody worried if one had its head stuck through or torn off, or a third had gory bones sticking out through its torn coat. And outside the trench one could see them lying in every kind of position. There was one quite young little chap, a Frenchman, sitting in a shell-hole, with his rifle on his arm and his head bent forward, but he was holding his hands as if to protect himself, in front of his chest in which there was a deep bayonet wound. And so they lay, in all their different positions, mostly Frenchman, with their heads battered in by blows from mallets and even spades, and all around rifles, equipment of all kinds and any number of kepis. The 154th had fought like furies in their attack, to revenge themselves for the shellfire. - August Hope
-Propped up against the wall were a dozen men, all gassed. Their colours were black, green and blue, tongues hanging out, eyes staring. One or two were dead and others beyond human aid; some were coughing up green froth from their lungs.
-Lance Sergeant Cotton, Northumberland Fusiliers, describing a gas attack
- We were always hungry. Many times we only got one slice of bread, often without butter or jam, for breakfast and hard biscuits for tea. These were so hard that you had to put them on a firm surface and smash them with a stone or something. Sometimes when drinking water did not arrive, we had to boil rainwater from shell holes.
-British soldier describing rations in the front line
New Weapons: New technological advancements favored defensive tactics, aiding the stalemate as well. Barbed wire, used to confine cattle on America's Great Plains, proved to be highly effective in frustrating the advance of soldiers across "no-man's-land", the deadly territory between opposing trenches. Once the opposing armies had dug in, modern belt fed machine guns and rapid fire breach loading artillery combined with extensive trench systems along side the barbed wire made attacks, which had to be made head on over open ground because of the continuos enemy line, quite literally suicidal. The most uncovential weapon that was first used by the Germans was poisonous gas (mustard gas), that caused internal rotting to the human body and after four to five weeks, lead to death. Yet the gas attacks failed to deliver the promised strategic breakthroughs and the anticipated return to more fluid battle lines never materialized. Other novel weapons tha developed during the war included tanks and airplanes, but neither broke the stalemate either.
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Click to englarge
Poisonous Gas
First used the Geman troops in January 1915, it was especially hated and much feared by troops in the trenches. The most postent one was mustard gas, a liquid agent that, when exposed to air, turned into a yellow color. It rots the body from within and out, blistering the skin and damaging the eyes and attacking the bronchial tubes and stripping off the mucous membrane. Death is met four to five weeks after contamination. Victims endure excruciating pain and were strapped to their beds. The causualty from poisonous gas totalsaround 1.2 million soldiers.
First used the Geman troops in January 1915, it was especially hated and much feared by troops in the trenches. The most postent one was mustard gas, a liquid agent that, when exposed to air, turned into a yellow color. It rots the body from within and out, blistering the skin and damaging the eyes and attacking the bronchial tubes and stripping off the mucous membrane. Death is met four to five weeks after contamination. Victims endure excruciating pain and were strapped to their beds. The causualty from poisonous gas totalsaround 1.2 million soldiers.
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Click to enlarge
Tanks
The British first introduced tanks in the late 1915, and the Allies deployed them to break down defensive trenches and to restore fighting. Despite its proven short-term effectiveness during the final offenses of the war, the tank did not produce the strategic advantage. The tank would become more useful in the second world war.
The British first introduced tanks in the late 1915, and the Allies deployed them to break down defensive trenches and to restore fighting. Despite its proven short-term effectiveness during the final offenses of the war, the tank did not produce the strategic advantage. The tank would become more useful in the second world war.
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Click to enlarge
Airplanes
The airplane was still in infancy during the 1914's but was constantly being redefined and improved as the war progressed. The satisfactory finished product showed greater speed, range and altitude. However, there were drawbacks. Airplanes could not carry enough weapons to do serious damage to troops or installations on the ground. Their real asset during the Great War was aerial reconnaissance. It was aerial reconnaissance that led to the much publicized and glamorized aerial combat of the Great War, featuring "acefighters" and "dogfights". Like the tank, it also became more useful in the second world war.
The airplane was still in infancy during the 1914's but was constantly being redefined and improved as the war progressed. The satisfactory finished product showed greater speed, range and altitude. However, there were drawbacks. Airplanes could not carry enough weapons to do serious damage to troops or installations on the ground. Their real asset during the Great War was aerial reconnaissance. It was aerial reconnaissance that led to the much publicized and glamorized aerial combat of the Great War, featuring "acefighters" and "dogfights". Like the tank, it also became more useful in the second world war.
Two Key Battles
Battle of Somme
The Battle of Somme
The Battle of the Somme was planned by French General Joseph Joffre as a joint offensive of the British and French troops to drain the German Army of troops and arms. Sir Douglas Haig, the commander of the BEF, agreed to launch the offensive in 1916.
In 1916, the Germans launched an attack on Verdun, an important French town, forcing Joffre to direct most of the French Army towards the protection of Verdun. Consequently, General Haig took over the planning and execution of the Battle of the Somme from Joffre. On June 24, 1916, over 3,000 Allied guns were deployed at Somme to commence an eight day bombardment of German lines.
The plan was for General Rawlinson and the British Fourth Army to advance under the cover of a creeping barrage, to be followed by the infantry to cause a breach in the German trench line. Reinforcements in the form of the British Third Army cavalry and the French Sixth Army were kept armed and ready. The breach of the German line was planned at Cambrai. The Germans facing the attack belonged to the German Second Army.
The Allied forces had expected to find many of the German soldiers dead and bunkers destroyed by the initial bombardment. Much to their surprise, the German concrete bunkers were very well constructed and had sheltered the troops from the heavy bombardment. The barbed-wire fences and other defenses had suffered very little damage.
The Allied attack was launched on July 1, 1916. Seventeen mines laid by the Allies were set off at 7.30 a.m. The failure of the bombardment to have the desired effect resulted in the poor progress of the Allied forces. Some success was achieved by the French troops to the southern end of the attacking line. The German machine guns were very effective in repelling the BEF attack. The British forces lost over 58,000 soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
General Max von Gallwitz took charge of the German First Army on July 19, 1916. He restructured the defense positions. The BEF persisted in a series of offensives through November that year. The Battle of Flers-Courcelette was fought by the BEF in September 1916 with very little success. The BEF launched tanks in this battle. Through October and November, the BEF and the French troops made small advances through the front. By November 13, 1916, winter had set in and the snow made battles difficult. Though the BEF won Beaumont-Hamel, Haig decided to call off the offensive. By November 18, the Battle of the Somme ended with the BEF having lost 420,000 men, the French 200,000 soldiers, and the German army 500,000 soldiers.
Battle of Tannenberg
In August 1914, with France under attack on the Western Front, Russia agreed to engage Germany on the Eastern Front by invading the German territory of East Prussia. Prior to the battle, the Russian First Army, led by Paul von Rennenkampf, had defeated eight divisions of the German army. Upon taking charge of the German Eighth Army, General von Hindenburg instructed Erich Ludendorff to launch an attack on the Russian Second Army, led by Alexander Samsonov. Having tapped a Russian message, Ludendorff centered all his might on the Russian Second Army. The attack commenced on August 26, 1914, and saw the Russians retreat to Neidenburg. The German troops pursued and captured thousands of Russian soldiers. By August 29, 1914, Germany had won one of the most decisive victories won by the Central Powers in World War I.
The Battle of Tannenberg ended in a crushing defeat for the Russian army. Most of the Russian Second Army was killed and over 92,000 Russians were taken prisoner by Germany. General Alexander Samsonov who had commanded the Russian Second Army committed suicide. The German Army displayed remarkable mobility and excellent strategy. The battle displayed Germany's strength in moving troops by train to the war front. The Battle of Tannenberg resulted in further battles between Germany and Russia on the Eastern Front in September 1914. More damage was inflicted on Russia, and the Russian First Army suffered huge damages. The campaign’s only success from the Allied standpoint was the distraction it caused Germany from the battles on the Western Front.
The Battle of the Somme was planned by French General Joseph Joffre as a joint offensive of the British and French troops to drain the German Army of troops and arms. Sir Douglas Haig, the commander of the BEF, agreed to launch the offensive in 1916.
In 1916, the Germans launched an attack on Verdun, an important French town, forcing Joffre to direct most of the French Army towards the protection of Verdun. Consequently, General Haig took over the planning and execution of the Battle of the Somme from Joffre. On June 24, 1916, over 3,000 Allied guns were deployed at Somme to commence an eight day bombardment of German lines.
The plan was for General Rawlinson and the British Fourth Army to advance under the cover of a creeping barrage, to be followed by the infantry to cause a breach in the German trench line. Reinforcements in the form of the British Third Army cavalry and the French Sixth Army were kept armed and ready. The breach of the German line was planned at Cambrai. The Germans facing the attack belonged to the German Second Army.
The Allied forces had expected to find many of the German soldiers dead and bunkers destroyed by the initial bombardment. Much to their surprise, the German concrete bunkers were very well constructed and had sheltered the troops from the heavy bombardment. The barbed-wire fences and other defenses had suffered very little damage.
The Allied attack was launched on July 1, 1916. Seventeen mines laid by the Allies were set off at 7.30 a.m. The failure of the bombardment to have the desired effect resulted in the poor progress of the Allied forces. Some success was achieved by the French troops to the southern end of the attacking line. The German machine guns were very effective in repelling the BEF attack. The British forces lost over 58,000 soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
General Max von Gallwitz took charge of the German First Army on July 19, 1916. He restructured the defense positions. The BEF persisted in a series of offensives through November that year. The Battle of Flers-Courcelette was fought by the BEF in September 1916 with very little success. The BEF launched tanks in this battle. Through October and November, the BEF and the French troops made small advances through the front. By November 13, 1916, winter had set in and the snow made battles difficult. Though the BEF won Beaumont-Hamel, Haig decided to call off the offensive. By November 18, the Battle of the Somme ended with the BEF having lost 420,000 men, the French 200,000 soldiers, and the German army 500,000 soldiers.
Battle of Tannenberg
In August 1914, with France under attack on the Western Front, Russia agreed to engage Germany on the Eastern Front by invading the German territory of East Prussia. Prior to the battle, the Russian First Army, led by Paul von Rennenkampf, had defeated eight divisions of the German army. Upon taking charge of the German Eighth Army, General von Hindenburg instructed Erich Ludendorff to launch an attack on the Russian Second Army, led by Alexander Samsonov. Having tapped a Russian message, Ludendorff centered all his might on the Russian Second Army. The attack commenced on August 26, 1914, and saw the Russians retreat to Neidenburg. The German troops pursued and captured thousands of Russian soldiers. By August 29, 1914, Germany had won one of the most decisive victories won by the Central Powers in World War I.
The Battle of Tannenberg ended in a crushing defeat for the Russian army. Most of the Russian Second Army was killed and over 92,000 Russians were taken prisoner by Germany. General Alexander Samsonov who had commanded the Russian Second Army committed suicide. The German Army displayed remarkable mobility and excellent strategy. The battle displayed Germany's strength in moving troops by train to the war front. The Battle of Tannenberg resulted in further battles between Germany and Russia on the Eastern Front in September 1914. More damage was inflicted on Russia, and the Russian First Army suffered huge damages. The campaign’s only success from the Allied standpoint was the distraction it caused Germany from the battles on the Western Front.