FOR MORE THAN FOUR year, the world was engaged in a war of a ferocity and scale never seen before. The conflict, known then as the Great War and today as World War I, arose out of the economic, colonial, and military rivalry of the European empires. The assassination in 1914 of the heir to one of those empires - Austria - Hungary - was the spark that set the rivalries alight. Within months, fighting had broken out in Europe, Africa, and Asia. By the time the war ended in 1918, the old empires were in ruins, their place taken by a new world power - the USA.
Western Front :
The German plan was to sweep through belgium and northern France to caputre Pairs and knock the French out of the war within weeks. This plan was thwarted by the French army at the River Marne. Both sides then dug lines of defensive trenches, which stretched from the English Channel to the Swiss border, to protect their positions.
The Somme
On 1st July 1916, Allied troops (Those on the British and French side) tried to break trough German lines near the River Somme, France. By the end of the four-month battle, the Allies had advanced 8km (5 miles). One million men were killed.
Passchendaele
In July 1917, the Allies tried again to get through German lines, this time near the village of Passchendaele, Belgium. Bad weather turned the area into a sea of mud, over 3,00,000 Allied troops lost their lives, and hardly any advance was made.
Recruitment
At first, regular troops were reinforced by thousands of volunteers. But as casualty rates soared, governments had to bring in conscription (compulsory military service) to keep up the strength of their armies.
Outbreak of war
On 28th June 1914, the heir to the Austrian chrone was killed in Serbia. Austria invaded Serbia, Russia came to Serbia's aid, and Germany supported Austria. Fearing war on two fronts, Germany invaded Belgium and France. Britain then declared war on Germany.
Eastern Fronts :
The war in eastern Europe, between Germany and Austria - Hungary on one side, and Russia on the other, was more fluid than in the west. Most battles were held in open country, across what is now Poland and in the eastern Mediterranean. The war expanded into Asia when Turkey attacked Russia at the end of 1914 and the Allies launched the iff-fated Gallipoli campaign. turkey also posed a threat in Syria and Palestine and so Allied troops were sent from Egypt to defend the region.
Uniform of British Private
Scottish Battalion was khaki-coloured to blend with the mud.
French infantryman's equipment
included spare ammunition and food supplies.
The civilian war
The huge armies of World War I needed a massive force of back-up workers to provide them with weapons, food, and other supplies. The entire civilian workforce was directed towards war work, producing arms and ammunition, growing food, and keeping industry and commerce going at home while millions of soldiers fought at the front.
Women at war
Before 1914, women traditionally worked in jobs men did not want. During the war, women were required to do jobs normally done by the men fighting at the front. Across Europe, women worked in factories and offices, drove buses and trams, dug fields, and even joined the police forces.
Propaganda
To stiffen morale and weaken the enemy's resistance, both sides used propaganda. People were made to believe the worst of the other side, whith leaflets, posters, and radio broadcasts all used for propaganda. Those who refused to fight were given white feathers, a sign of "Cowardiece".
World War
World War I was the first truly international war in history. People from every continent took part in the fighting. In Africa and Asia, the Turkish Empire and former German colonies were overrun by British Empire troops. There was also fighting in the Middle East and in the Pacific. The entry of the USA into the war in 1917 marked the end of Euopean dominance of world affairs.
Weapons
The main weapons used in the war were the rifle (with its bayonet), the machine gun, and the artillery shell. In April 1915 the German army introduced a new Weapon - gas - which both sides later used to deadly effect. The British first used tanks at the Somme in September 1916, and both sides made more and more use of aircraft - at first for reconnaissance, later for bombing
End of the War
In mid-1918, fresh US troops arrived to fight on the Allied side, and there was increasing hunger and discontent among the German soldiers. The Allies broke through the German lines in August 1918. Austria Hungary and Turkey collapsed in October, and the Allies finally forced Germany to make peace on 11th November 1918.
The Treaty of Versailles
The peace treaty was signed on 28th June 1919 in the palace of Versailles, France. Germany lost territory, and had to limit the size of its army, as well as pay compensation to the Allies. Subsequent treaties redrew the map of eastern Europe.
Manfred von Richthofen
The most famous pilot of the war was the German airman Manfred von Richthofen (1892 - 1918). He is said to have destroyed 80 Allied aircraft before he was killed when his aircraft was shot down over France. He was known as the Red Baron because of his bright red Fokker triplane.
Timeline
1. June 1914 Archduke Franz Feridnand, heir to the throne of Austria Hungary, is assassinated; Serbia is blamed.
2. July 1914 Austria Hungary invades Serbia in retaliation; France, Germany, and Russia mobilize their armies in preparation for war.
3. August 1914 Germany declares war on Russia and France and invades Belgium; this brings Britain into the war; Germany pushes back Britain at Mons, Belgium; germany defeats Russia at Tannenberg.
4. September 1914 German advance halted by the British and French at the River Marne.
5. October 1914 Turkey enters the war on the German side; in France a line of defensive trenches is dug, stretching along the Western Front.
6. April 1915 Germans use poison gas for first time at Ypres, Belgium; Allies try to force Turkey out of war by invading Gallipoli peninsula.
7. May 1915 Italy joins the war on the Allied side.
8. February 1916 German forces try to capture French fortress of Verdun in a 10-month battle.
9. May 1916 British and German fleets fight inconclusive Battle of jutland, off denmark.
10. July - november 1916 Battle of the Somme; tanks used for first time.
11. April 1917 USA enters war on Allied side.
12. July - November 1917 Battle of Passchendaele.
13. March 1918 Germany and Russia make peace at Brest-Litovsk. German forces make massive advances on the Western Front.
14. July 1918 German advance halted.
15. August 1918 With the help of American forces, Allied troops make the decisive break through German lines.
16. October 1918 Italy defeats AustriaHungary; both Austria - Hungary and Turkey ask for peace.
17. November 1918 Armistice signed between Germany and the Allies.
18. June 1919 Peace treaty signed at Versailles, France. The conditions impossed on Germany were later to become a major cause
of World War II
