World War One 1914-1918 Definition of War/Countries Involved Background Information WWI 4 Causes of World War I (p. 275) Declaring War (p. 276) Canada & Newfoundland Join In (p 277) Regiments and Battles (p. 278) In The Trenches (p. 282-283) Into Battle (A Study of 3 Battles) Study Guide
What Is War? War is a state of prolonged large-scale violence/conflict involving two or more groups or countries.
Background Information Page 274 Countries started to form alliances. An alliance is like joining a team everyone on the team agrees to stick together if one is to get attacked or experiences problems. Nationalism was an important part of what led to the events that caused WWI. Nationalism - feeling that your country is better than others The larger countries wanted to get larger. Smaller countries wanted to protect themselves against being taken over. Other groups wanted independence so that they could form their own countries. (p.274-275)
The countries involved in WWI
Causes of World War I Page 275 1. The Arms Race In 1914 England and Germany were in an arms race. This means that the two countries were competing to see which could build the largest store of arms or weapons. Upon building this store of weapons countries will often want to use them against each other resulting in a war/battle.
Causes of World War I Page 275 2. Trouble in the Balkans The first trouble began in southeastern Europe known as the Balkans. In 1908 Austria-Hungary took control of a part of the Balkans called Bosnia and Herzegovina. Other countries (such as Serbia) were afraid that they too would soon be taken over.
Causes of World War I Page 275 3. The Black Hand A Serbian group known as the Black Hand wanted to keep Austria-Hungary from taking over their country. The Black hand also wanted to help free Bosnia and Herzegovia.
Causes of World War I Page 275 4. The Assassination The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife was yet another event that also caused WWI. The Black Hand killed them both after hearing that they were to visit Sarajevo. On June 28, 1914 Gavrilo Princip (a 19 yr. old) with the Black Hand shot and killed the duke and his wife.
Declaring War 1914 28 July Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. 1 August Germany declared war on Russia. 3 August Germany declared war on France. 4 August Britain declared war on Germany
World Map
Canada and Newfoundland Join In By Sept. 10 1914 30,000 Canadian soldiers and 8,000 horses joined training 1000 men from NL. Signed up for the war Over 4,000 members of Aboriginal nations joined Canada s forces.
Regiments and Battles The army that Canada sent to Europe was called the Canadian Expeditionary Force. (CEF) Volunteers from Newfoundland formed the Newfoundland Regiment. A Battalion is a group of about 1000 soldiers. Soldiers in battalions were loyal to each other because they were from the same area.
In The Trenches (p. 282-283)
In the Trenches WWI became a trench war Trench War - War between countries in which each side digs trenches Each side will attack and defend their trenches
What is a trench? Why would soldiers make them? Trenches are ditches that are about 2 meters deep that provided soldiers with a way to protect themselves from their enemies while fighting at the front lines.
In The Trenches (p. 282-283) Both Germany and Britain had established strategic locations areas where soldiers would attempt to stop the other side from passing through. (Ex: on a hill) Each side also had a front line or an edge of the land it had taken over. The space between the two front lines was called no man s land.
Cross Section of a Trench (p. 282)
Discussion: Conditions in the Trench Soldiers would often live in trenches for a few weeks or months. Trenches were very uncomfortable places to stay in Rats were everywhere. Soldiers would normally have to walk over rats while making their way through the trenches Soldiers had to try to prepare food, sleep and fight in the wet, cold, filthy and crowded trenches. Trenches were cold, wet, filthy, and crowded
Discussion: Conditions in the Trench Due to the filthy and crowded living conditions, soldiers were vulnerable to many diseases. Trench foot posed a major problem for many soldiers. This disease develops after a person s feet become wet and stay wet for a long period of time. Cold water also aggravates the problem. For this reason, trench foot was a common illness for soldiers during World War I, as they spent a great deal of time standing in trenches that were cold and wet. During 1916 to 1918, 80% of infected men were unfit for duty for 3 months. Winter of 1914-15 over 20,000 men in the British Army were treated for trench foot.
Discussion: Conditions in the Trench Trench Fever was another illness that many soldiers suffered from while living in the trenches. Trench Fever refers to a sudden onset with headache and dizzyness; sometimes soldier s legs would become so weak and the pain so severe that they fell down. Body lice were identified as the cause of this disease. It has been estimated that 800,000 cases of trench fever were reported during the war. This greatly reduced the numbers of soldiers available to fight. The disease was later brought under control as men were removed from the trenches. Shell Shock - the constant sounds of explosions and gunshots affected their mental health. Many suffered from extreme stress during and after the war
Advancing on the Enemy Going Over the Top (p. 283)
Going Over the Top The only way to take ground from an enemy was for soldiers to go over the top. This means that they have to come out of their trenches and go across no man s land. No man s land was very dangerous, soldiers had to be cautious as to gunfire, landmines and barbed wire.
Going Over the Top Soldiers on attack could only carry light weapons such as rifles, such as the Ross Rifle. Soldiers defending the trench cold use large guns also called artillery.
Into Battle We will study three main Battles: 1. The Second Battle of Ypres (p. 288) 2. The Battle of the Somme (p. 290) 3. The Battle of Vimy Ridge (p. 292)
Battle Fronts Front Line - Part of an army that is closest to the enemy
Battle of Ypres (p. 288) February-April 1916 Ypres is a town in Belgium. Canadian troops were sent to Ypres to fight the Germans and push them back. Fought alongside France and Britain France to the left of them Britain to the right of them They remained at a stalemate from February to April 1915. Stalemate - no one was making any progress
Battle of Ypres In April the Germans waited for the wind to blow toward the Canadian troops trenches and released tonnes of chlorine gas into the air. Clouds of thick, green, deadly gas choked the soldiers. The Germans attacked the trenches. The troops struggled to stay alive. French side of line opened up (either died or ran to safety) Germans advanced but didn t realize how well it worked They dug in much sooner than they could have
Battle of Ypres The next day the Germans released more gas Canadian troops used handkerchiefs soaked in mud or urine to avoid the gas while fighting. Over 6035 Canadians died while they held the line for 16 days until reinforcements arrived The battle was considered a victory for the Allies (Canadian troops).
Beaumont Hamel July 1, 1916
Beaumont Hamel Early morning of July 1, 1916 After setting off a huge explosion, supposed to stun the Germans, 801 men of the Nfld Regiment went out of their trenches and moves towards the German lines. Many were shot down by machine guns, trapped in barbed wire, or blown up by artillery shells.
Beaumont Hamel The mine exploded at Hawthorne Ridge created this crater just before the attack at Beaumont Hamel. (click on image) Many men crawled across No Man s Land only to become tangled in barbed wire, where they were shot by German soldiers
Beaumont Hamel When the battle was over, the wounded were gathered off of the battlefield, brought in to hospitals if wounded, and returned to their regiments if they were still able to fight. Only 68 men of the Newfoundland Regiment were available for roll call the next morning, out of the 801 who had gone over the top the morning before. That would be like having only 23 students in our entire school of 263 show up. THINK ABOUT THAT!
Battle of Vimy Ridge April 9, 1917
Battle of Vimy Ridge (P. 292) 1917 troops tried to push through the Western front The Canadians were supposed to take over Vimy Ridge a hill that Germans had built up to be well protected and well supplied. Canadians built a model of Vimy Ridge and practiced their attack for weeks
Battle of Vimy Ridge Normally attacks happened like this Bomb enemies with artillery for days before the attack End artillery attack so soldiers could cross no mans land and attack The plan here was different They began attack with artillery Then soldiers began a surprise attack They began to sneak to the German trenches in the middle of their own attack
Battle of Vimy Ridge They surprised the Germans in their trenches and took the hill in a couple hours This was a huge victory for the Allied forces It came at a massive cost Over 10,000 casualties 3598 Canadian soldiers were killed Over 6000 were wounded
Why is Vimy Ridge Important? It was the first time all four divisions of Canadian Army fought together Soldiers displayed unimaginable courage for attacking during an artillery attack This had never been done before France and Britain had tried and failed to take Vimy Ridge before The victory helped turn the war in the Allies favor Many people see Vimy Ridge as the birth of Canada. For the first time, Canada was seen as a powerful force in the eye of other countries