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Europe Plunges Into War

Europe Plunges Into War. Introduction.

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Europe Plunges Into War

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  1. Europe Plunges Into War

  2. Introduction • Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war against Serbia set off a chain reaction within the alliance system. The countries of Europe followed through on their pledges to support one another. As a result, nearly all of Europe soon joined what would be the largest, most destructive war the world had yet seen.

  3. Four Steps to WarJune-Aug 1914 • Austria Declares War • Russia Mobilizes • Schlieffen Plan – Guarantees War! • England Joins In!!!

  4. Germany’s Plan to Avoid a “Zweifrontkrieg”

  5. The Great War Begins • Nations Take Sides • By mid-August 1914, there are two sides at war throughout Europe: • Central Powers—Germany, Austria-Hungary; later joined by Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire • Allies—Great Britain, France, Russia; later joined by Japan, Italy

  6. 1st Battle of the Marne – Sept. 5-12, 1914 • 2.5 Million engaged • Germans stopped

  7. Results of Battle • Cost 80,000 French lives • Schlieffen Plan Fails • Russia attacks and is crushed at Tannenberg Forest • Would lead to long bloody stalemate on the Western Front

  8. Formation of a Trench System • The Germans began digging trenches to protect against advancing French and British troops. • Race to the Sea!!!

  9. The Western Front

  10. Trench System

  11. Waterlogged Trenches • Many Trenches were dug on land only a few feet above sea level.

  12. Trench Foot • These gruesome pictures are examples of "trench foot," a common side effect caused by cold, wet and unsanitary conditions while battling in the trenches.

  13. Over the Top “Over the top” was a term used when soldiers left their trench to attack opposing trenches. Men fixing their bayonets before going “over the top”.

  14. No Man’s Land • The territory between two opposing trenches.

  15. Weapons of World War I Mechanized Warfare

  16. Bolt Action Rifle The main weapon used by British soldiers in the trenches was the bolt-action rifle. 15 rounds could be fired in a minute and a person 4,500 feet away could be killed.

  17. Machine Gun 1. Hiram Maxim invented the Machine Gun in 1885. 2. By WWI a machine gun could fire 500 rounds a minute. 3. In the first 12 days of fighting the French lost nearly 210,000 men, mostly through machine gun fire.

  18. Early Machine Guns Maxim Machine Gun Hiram Maxim Vickers Machine Gun

  19. Heavy Artillery • Big Bertha: • Built by the German Gustav Krupp in 1914 • Weight of Gun 43 tons • 2000 pound Shells (traveling 9 miles) • Took up to 1000 men to assemble Skoda 30.5 British Mark I Howitzer The Germans had the most powerful guns and most powerful army in WWI

  20. Tanks The idea of an armored tracked vehicle that would provide protection from machinegun fire was first built in 1914.

  21. Little Willie (the first tank) Tracks: 12 feet long Weight: 14 tons Speed: 3 MPH Could Not Cross The Trenches Fastest Tank was the “Whippet” with a maximum speed of 8mph. British Tank Stuck in Mud

  22. Powerful Navies • The British had the most powerful navy during World War I. • The Germans were eager to compete against the British for Naval superiority.

  23. Dreadnoughts - the largest and fastest ship in WWI • Ten 15 inch guns (fired shell 1920 lbs 35,000 yards) • 24 3 inch guns • 8 torpedo tubes below water • Britain - 19 Dreadnoughts (13 under construction) • Germany - 12 Dreadnoughts (7 under construction)

  24. Submarines • 1913 Germany produces the first submarine. • The Germany submarine was known as an Unterseeboot (U-Boat). • Britain soon developed the submarine too. • German U-Boats sank 3 million tons of ships between February and June of 1917.

  25. Aircrafts Airplanes were used for reconnaissance missions, small bomb raids, and dog fighting.

  26. Zeppelin • Initially carried machine guns and bombs but they were soon abandoned because they could be easily shot down.

  27. Poison Gas 1. The different types of gasses included Mustard and Chlorine Gas. 2. Effects of Mustard Gas include: blistering skin, vomiting, sore eyes, internal and external bleeding. Death can take up to 5 weeks

  28. An Inglorious War • Weather • Boredom • Disease • Trench Rats • Death • Amputation • Shell Shock

  29. The Futility of Warfare • Battle of Verdun – Feb. 1916 • Over 700,000 men lost • Battle of the Somme • Over one million casualties • Verdun – Germans gain 4 miles • Somme – British gain 5 miles

  30. War on the Eastern Front • German/Russian Border • More mobile then the West • Just as deadly • Russia struggles because:

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