Germany Declares War on Russia

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1 Warfare during WWI

2 Review

3 th July Austria Hungary declares war on Serbia. Russia thinks that this is a plan to occupy the Balkans. Russia wants to help Serbia so that they can use their port. Russia gives Serbia support their own blank cheque Russia starts to mobilize their troops against Austria Hungary.

4 Germany Declares War on Russia»Germany (Kaiser Wilhelm) demands that Russia stop mobilizing its soldiers (demobilize) Germany supports Austria Hungary by mobilizing their soldiers, and declaring war on Russia

5 France Supports Russia France is in an alliance with Russia so they are now at war with Germany too.

6 Germany Declares War on France Germany feels threatened by France and Russia. Germany tells Russia AND France to stop organizing their armies (mobilizing). When France refuses Germany declares war on France.

7 Schlieffen Plan Germany plans to attack France through the neutral country of Belgium. This was called the Schlieffen plan. (Alfred Von Schlieffen thought of it) Germany wanted to avoid a two front war. A two front war would mean that Germany would need to fight France on one side, and Russia on the other. The Schlieffen plan was that Germany would use most of their soldiers on one side, and defeat France in 6 weeks. Schlieffen thought that it would take 6 weeks for Russia to get ready for war. Schlieffen also thought that Britain would stay neutral, and that Germany could pass through Belgium on the way to France.

8 Avoid This!

9 Schlieffen Was Wrong Belgian was neutral because of Britain. When Germany invaded Belgium for the purposes of war, Britain would try to stop them. Britain declares war on Germany.

10 There were many fronts in WWI

11 Why are they doing this? Germany: Thinks they could win the war by acting quickly, but maybe not later. (When other countries are more prepared). Austria Hungary : They don t think their country could survive. There are too many people from different backgrounds. The Pan-Slav problem is that Austria Hungary dominated the Slav people who lived there. The Slav people want to be united with other Slavic people, especially in Russia. Then they could be their own country.

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13 Why Are They Doing This? Russia: Wants access to ports! France: France believes that being loyal to the alliance system is the only way to continue being a major power. Britain: Britain supports the independence of sovereign states (countries where people govern themselves) Britain wants to stop Germany from becoming more powerful.

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15 What does the War look like? Stalemate: Germany moved through Belgium quickly, and started invading France. Germany threw all of its forces against the French forces outside of Paris. They were stopped at the Battle of the Marne. Germany now has a two front war. They are at war with France, and Russia has their army together. Germany cannot go forward, the British and French can t drive Germany back. Both sides start to dig ditches or trenches. Nobody is going anywhere. This is a stalemate

16 Questions: Explain the reasons that Austria Hungary, Germany, Britain, France and Russia went to war with each other. What was the Schlieffen plan? Why did Germany not want to have a war on two fronts? Did the Schlieffen plan work? Why or Why Not?

17 Trench Warfare Is Terrible Video Airplanes are still being developed. There are no tanks. So Soldiers dug trenches about 400 meters apart. Trenches protected against enemy fire, but not artillery (bomb) attacks. Trenches were often muddy ditches, with rotting corpses, rats, lice and fungal diseases

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19 Trench Warfare is Terrible Video Soldiers had to fight, eat and sleep in the trenches. Soldiers froze in the snow and the sleet. Sometimes the trenches were filled with water up to the waist. Entire divisions could be killed by epidemics of fever and the flu because no one was able to wash. Trench foot caused men s feet to swell to three times their normal size.

20 Trench Warfare is Terrible Try to sleep with a belt full of ammunition around you, your rifle bolt biting into your ribs, entrenching tool handle sticking into the small of your back, with a tin hat for a pillow; and feeling very damp and cold, with cooties (lice and parasites) boring for oil in your armpits, and the air foul from the stench of grimy human bodies being whiffed into your nostrils Note from an unknown soldier

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22 Trench Warfare is Terrible No mans land: Between the trenches was a narrow strip of land where no soldiers went. Whenever soldiers saw movement they would fired their rifles and machine guns across No Mans Land. The Canadian made Ross Rifle was awful for trench warfare because it jammed in the dirt and the mud.

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24 Trench Warfare is Terrible Going over the top: When officers ordered an advance this meant that soldiers would have to go over the top of the trench. Both sides had machine guns which could fire rounds of bullets. Any entry into no mans land was usually futile most soldiers died. Canadian soldiers wrote home to say that the machine guns mowed down the soldiers like wheat falling before the cutter.

25 Trench Warfare is Terrible Sometimes troops would capture the enemys front line The enemy then moved back to a reserve trench. Barbed wire stretched across the new patch of no mans land This tactic usually resulted in a gain or a loss of only a few meters, with many soldiers dying in the process.

26 Trench Warfare is Terrible Because it was so difficult to progress in either direction, the Western Front became a 3 year stalemate.

27 Questions What is a stalemate? Why did soldiers build trenches? Why didn t trench warfare work? Why was it ineffective?

28 The Changing Face of War Battles of Attrition: Because of trench warfare, it was very difficult for either side to move anywhere. In the past one army would run at the other army and who ever won would run over the other one During the first 3 years of WWI each side tried to grind down the other side. This was because the defensive weapons were better than the weapons used for attack. Machine guns made frontal attacks suicidal.

29 The Changing Face of War Total War: During total war, all of the resources of a country are organized to win the war. This was called the home front the people at home were expected to help the battle front. The home front helped the battle front by producing food and supplies, enlisting troops, sending money and organizing. Modern warfare needed a lot of materials and supplies if a country could deliver supplies to their troops it became important in determining who would win the war.

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32 The Changing Face of War Industries stopped making things for regular people to buy, and produced war materials instead. Businessmen, engineers and math professors were put to work making and inventing things for the war. Women took on non traditional jobs to fill the jobs where men were missing. Children collected scrap metal to speed up production To pay for the war people could buy war bonds (loan money to the government for the war) Income taxes were also introduced for the first time.

33 The Changing Face of War Conscription: Most countries introduced conscription (you had to be a soldier = compulsory military service) Many countries had to have conscription because so many soldiers died.

34 Technology on the Battlefield Video (1:29-) Tanks: Tanks were used for the first time in the Battle of the Somme Tanks were developed because they could cross no-mans land they could run over the barbed wire, and deflect bullets. At first tanks were pretty useless, but by 1918 they were a reason for the Allied victory

35 Technology on the Battlefield Poison Gas: Used for the first time at the Battle of Ypres German troops pushed hoses into no-mans land and pumped out poisonous chlorine gas towards Canadian and French lines The gas caused blindness, stripped the lining of the lungs and caused people to choke. Before gas masks were available soldiers were told to pee on a piece of cloth and hold it over their nose and mouth. (the ammonia in urine neutralized the poison gas)

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37 Technology on the Battlefield Machine Guns: Machines guns killed most soldiers when they went through no-mans land Machine guns and artillery fire (bombs) accounted for most of the deaths during WWI

38 Technology on the Battlefield Submarines: Submarines were very small and inefficient, but their torpedoes could sink the largest ships Torpedoes could be fired underwater at a moving target. German submarines tried to destroy merchant ships supplying Britain with war materials and supplies. Germany hoped to starve Britain into submission.

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40 Technology on the Battlefield Airplanes: Airplanes were flown by a single pilot, and could only be in the air for an hour before they needed more fuel. Airplanes without weapons were used to scout enemy positions behind the lines. Both sides sent planes into the air sometimes they would meet and have a dogfight Airplanes would become a much bigger part of warfare during World War II

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42 Questions What does total war mean? What new technologies were invented during WWI? How were they used? What is conscription? Why did some countries need to conscript soldiers?