WW1 PDF
WW1 PDF
WW1 PDF
1914?
work?
The plan was created by Count Alfred von Schlieffen in 1905.
It was created because Germany wanted to avoid war on two fronts (France in the west
The plan was to attack and defeat France before Russia could mobilize.
10% of the German army was kept to defend against Russia on the Eastern front.
1.5 million men (90% of the army) were to move through neutral Belgium and invade
France, where they were to defeat the French army and encircle Paris in 6 weeks.
Von Schlieffen dies and plan altered by new Chief of Staff (von Moltke) in 1906.
The German army was smaller than when the plan was made.
This didn’t account for the changes and improvement in enemy machinery and tactics.
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How important was Belgium’s reaction to the
plan?
As Belgium was a neutral, Germany did not expect them to fight back.
Germans were slowed down by the Belgian army and did not reach Paris in the
It took 2 weeks to capture Brussels and the fortress town of Liège. This had a great
Belgian defence gave time for British forces (the BEF) to arrive to help.
Germany did not know about the Treaty of London, as it was a secret treaty; nor did
Belgium refused to let the German army through to attack France and slowed down the
Germans.
They did not expect this as Russia was going through a crisis and had poor
transportation.
Britain had signed treaty with Belgium to protect it as a neutral country therefore
Belgium asked Britain for help, Britain sent the BEF immediately to fight the Battle of
One of the reasons Britain helped is to protect themselves and their empire because if
The BEF was well trained and professional, albeit small compared to the large German
conscript army.
BEF led by Sir Jon French and the troops at Mons led by General Douglas Haig.
BEF slowed German army advance, making the Schlieffen Plan impossible to achieve.
Despite the BEF performing well, the Germans pushed the British to retreat south of
But when Moltke realized his forces were no longer strong enough to encircle Paris, he
sent troops South-east; where the Battle of Marne was fought when they encountered
The Germans had almost won when Parisian taxis brought in 6,000 reserve soldiers to
Allied troops managed to save Paris and forced Germans to pull back to the river Aisne.
This battle was a strategic victory for the allies, even-though it ended in stalemate, as
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up machine guns.
The Allied armies were unsuccessful in pushing the Germans back further.
Over time the trenches stretch for 470 km from the Belgian coast down to Switzerland.
Trench warfare was an indicator to all nations the war would not be ending soon.
The Germans wanted to capture the Channel Ports (Dunkirk, Calais and Boulogne) to
cut off supplies (reinforcements, ammunition and food supplies) for the BEF and
They advanced towards the coastline to stop the other side gaining control of it.
The Allied troops managed it with an immense loss of life on both sides.
This meant the BEF was almost wiped out and had to rely on volunteers.
Stalemate continues.
Why was There Stalemate on The
Western Front?
trenches?
The war of movement changed into a war of attrition.
Trench warfare developed as both sides dug trench to protect themselves from enemy
fire.
German trenches were deeper and stronger than allied trenches, as they had already
captured a lot of territory. Whereas the Allies dug shallow trenches as they needed to
British believed cavalry (soldiers on horseback) breakthroughs could win the war, but
climbing out of the trenches meant walking straight into enemy fire.
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Soldiers did not spend all their time fighting in trenches.
In theory, each platoon would spend 4 days in the front line then
Lice: tiny insects that lived in soldiers clothing and sucked their blood.
Disease: low hygiene levels, limited toilet facilities, little fresh water which meant
The weather: wet conditions brought trench foot and gangrene. Winter brought frost
bite. Summer made the stench of decaying bodies, and latrines (field toilets)
unbearable.
Shell Shock: Term used for those who suffered from mental breakdowns, caused PTSD
Boredom: During stalemate and waiting for battles, there was nothing much else to do.
Artillery bombardment was used to penetrate enemy trenches, but this was often
unsuccessful as shells did not explode. Barbed wire, and German bunkers which were
through.
Cavalry became less important. Trench Warfare marked the end of cavalry as a
weapon.
Even if they got into enemy trenches, reinforcements arrived slowly, so ground had to
be abandoned or recaptured.
Advantages
Was able to break through barbed wires and cleared the way for infantry.
Disadvantages:
They were unreliable and slow, becoming an easy target for German machine gunners.
Frequently got stuck
Not bulletproof.
Early models were large and heavy and needed 3-6 men to operate and were used as
defensive weapons.
Overtime they became more mobile and were used as offensive weapons.
(3) Aircrafts
Used mainly for reconnaissance and surveillance of enemy trench lines and
reinforcements, e.g. In the Somme, Germans were prepared as their aircraft reported
Soon after, Germans developed machine guns at the propeller of the biplane, aided
accuracy.
However, aircrafts were too small and lightly armed to damage major targets.
(4) Gas
Poisonous gas was first used in Ypres in April 1915 and proved itself as a deadly
weapon.
Gas would be released from canisters and allowed to drift towards the enemy, if the
Mustard gas: the most lethal. odourless and burned and blistered internally and
externally.
Disadvantages:
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General Falkenhayn chose to attack Verdun as he believed the French were close to
breaking point in early 1916; as the fortress city was a symbol of nationalist pride.
Although it was the strongest part of French defences before the war, generals removed
If Germans won, French would lose morale and surrender. It might have also led to
The French retook their forts and pushed back the line.
There was much public pressure from the people to save Verdun, although not a very
To relieve the French, the British launched the battle of Somme to divert the Germans
from Verdun.
His plan was to open a gap in German defences by artillery bombardment, then cavalry
This was to cut the Germans off from their supplies and would be forced to surrender.
The British army suffered 57,410 casualties in just the first day.
The British population were shown the battlefield for the first time, in the film, The
Somme.
Plan:
Heavy shelling for 7 days, to destroy German trenches and clear barbed wire. 5 large
mines beneath German trenches, so that 'not even a rat would be left alive'
On 1 July 1916, Allied forces walk slowly across no man's land to clear remaining
German trenches were well supplied and re-enforced and were not majorly affected by
Once the shelling had stopped the Germans knew the British were coming.
When Haig ended the attack only seven miles had been gained.
Battle claimed over 1 million casualties in total.
Haig’s mistakes
He allowed the Battle to continue even when defeat was evident adding to the
casualties.
He repeated his mistakes in 1917 with the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele).
He was stubborn and refused the idea of a unified army. He only gave way to Foch in
Thought cavalry would win the war, failed to appreciate new technology.
The war was won on the western front, not because of Haig’s attack tactics, but due to
surprise attacks without massive artillery bombardment — tactics learned from the
Germans.
Battle tactics were planned on short notice due to German attack on Verdun.
Changed tactics at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 1917. Tunnels were dug to allow
attackers to get closer to enemy lines, and soldiers had maps, so attack could continue
His private papers showed he was a caring man and felt deeply sorry for the loss of his
men.
Asked men to walk slowly so that they would not be blown up by the mines they planted
for Germans