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N O T E B O O K G U I D E

The Course and Conduct of World War I

© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute 211The Course and Conduct of World War I

23C H A P T E R

How was World War I different from previous wars?

P R E V I E W

1. Listen to “Over There,” a song written during WorldWar I by George M. Cohan, an American composerand entertainer. Then answer these questions in yournotebook:

• What is the mood of this music? Does the moodmatch the lyrics? Explain.

• According to this song, why should young menfight in the war?

• What do you think Cohan’s purpose was in writ-ing this song?

2. Listen to “On Patrol in No-Man’s Land,” a song writ-ten by James Reese Europe in 1919 about his experi-ence as a lieutenant in the 369th Regiment of the U.S.Army. Then answer these questions in your notebook:

• What is the mood of this music? Does the moodmatch the lyrics? Explain.

• According to this song, what dangers do soldiershave to look out for?

• What do you think Europe’s purpose was in writ-ing this song?

3. What differences are there between “Over There” and“On Patrol in No-Man’s Land”? Which song gives amore realistic version of what the war was like forcombatants?

R E A D I N G N O T E S

Read Sections 23.2 to 23.4. After reading each section,follow the corresponding directions.

Section 23.2

Tape the map of Europe that your teacher provides ontoa page in your notebook. As you read the section, takenotes and use the map to help you understand andremember what you read. Be sure to record notes aboutthese topics: Selective Service Act, American Expedi -tionary Force, and 369th Regiment.

Section 23.3

Below the map, list the following military technologies:machine gun, flame thrower, artillery, tank, trench sys-tem, poison gas, airplane, battleship, and submarine.For each, write a brief explanation of how you think thistechnology might have changed the experience of war forcombatants. This can take up more than one page of yournotebook, if necessary

Section 23.4

Label the location of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive onyour map. In your notebook, write a brief description ofwhat happened there and why it was important.

K e y C o n t e n t T e r m s

As you complete the Reading Notes, use these Key Content Terms in your answers:

Selective Service Act

American ExpeditionaryForce (AEF)

369th Regiment

convoy

Meuse-ArgonneOffensive

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P R O C E S S I N G

Some of the most vivid accounts of World War I cometo us through poetry. Poets on both sides wrote abouttheir experiences in the war. American author ErnestHeming way volunteered to serve in the ambulance coreand then as a soldier once the United States entered thewar. He wrote the poem Champs d’Honneur (French for“fields of honor”) about a poison gas attack.

Champs d’Honneur

Soldiers never do die well;

Crosses mark the places—

Wooden crosses where they fell,

Stuck above their faces.

Soldiers pitch and cough and twitch—

All the world roars red and black;

Soldiers smother in a ditch,

Choking through the whole attack.

In your notebook, write your own poem that describesthe experience of war. Include these elements:

• a title

• at least eight lines

• three or more examples of how World War I was different from previous wars for combatants

• how these examples changed the war experience for combatants

212 Chapter 23 © Teachers’ Curriculum Institute

N o t e b o o k G u i d e 2 3

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N o t e b o o k H a n d o u t 2 3


Europe During World War I

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S t u d e n t H a n d o u t 2 3

Primary Source ExcerptsExcerpt 1

The enemy battle-cruisers came up very rapidly, and must have made a speed of atleast 26 knots . . . The enemy had separated and formed two groups, the leading onehaving three, and the other two ships. They were trying to keep at the farthest firingdistance . . . The enemy battlecruisers then turned at once to a northerly course to . . .turn on the Blücher . . . Very soon after her engines were damaged another shotcaused an explosion and a fire . . . the Blücher was sunk.

—Manfred von Richthofen, Der Rote Kampfflieger (The Red Fighter Pilot), 1917

Excerpt 2

We heard strange throbbing noises, and lumbering [moving] slowly towards us camethree huge mechanical monsters such as we had never seen before . . . Big metalthings they were, with two sets of caterpillar wheels that went right round the body.There was a bulge on each side with a door in the bulging part, and machine-guns onswivels poked out from either side . . . There they sat, squat [thick] monstrous things. . . crushing the sides of our trench . . . [and] with their machine-guns swivelingaround and firing like mad.

—Bert Cheney, An Account of the First Tanks in Action, 1916

Excerpt 3

I was awakened by a terrific crash . . . I could hardly breathe . . . I was put into anambulance and taken to the base . . . I suppose I resembled a kind of fish with mymouth open gasping for air. It seems as if my lungs were gradually shutting up andmy heart pounded away in my ears like the beat of a drum. On looking at the chapnext to me I felt sick, for green stuff was oozing from the side of his mouth . . . Idozed off for short periods . . . I was always surprised when I found myself awake,for I felt sure that I would die in my sleep. So little was known about treatment forvarious gases.

—William Pressey, Gassed at Messines Ridge, 1917

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Excerpt 4

There’s a zone

Wild and lone

None claim, none own,

That goes by the name of No-Man’s Land;

Its frontiers are bastioned [defended], and wired, and mined,

The rank [foul] grass shudders and shakes in the wind,

And never a roof nor a tree you find

In No-Man’s Land.

—Major “H. D.’A. B.,” No-Man’s Land,exact date unknown

Excerpt 5

I had taken the position of the three [enemy] ships before submerging, and I suc-ceeded in getting another flash [look] through my periscope before I began action.I soon reached what I regarded as a good shooting point. Then I loosed one ofmy torpedoes at the middle ship. I was then about twelve feet under water, andgot the shot off in good shape . . . I climbed to the surface to get a sight throughmy tube of the effect, and discovered that the shot had gone straight and true,striking the [enemy] ship . . . There were a fountain of water, a burst of smoke, aflash of fire . . . Then I heard a roar and felt reverberations [a boom] sent throughthe water by the detonation [explosion]. [The enemy ship] had been broken apart,and sank in a few minutes.

—Otto Weddigen, A Memoir of the Sinking of the Aboukir, Cressy, and Hogue by U-boat U-9, 1914

Excerpt 6

Our gun’s crew was busy mounting the . . . gun on the parapet [walls] and bring-ing up extra ammunition from the dugout . . . I trained my . . . gun on their [theenemy] trench and its bullets were raking the parapet [scraping the wall]. Thenover they [the Germans] came, bayonets glistening . . . they looked like somehorrible nightmare. All along our trench . . . guns spoke . . . They went down inheaps, but new ones took the place of the fallen. Nothing could stop that mad rush.

—Arthur Guy Empey, Over the Top, 1917

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Excerpt 7

It was yesterday evening, just as night fell, that it happened. The day had been fairly calm. . . and nothing forewarned us of a German attack. Suddenly one of my comrades shouted,“Hallo! what is this coming down on us? Any one would think it was petroleum [fuel].”At that time we could not believe the truth, but the liquid which began to spray on us wascertainly some kind of petroleum. The Germans were pumping it from hoses . . . A fewseconds later incendiary [fire-starting] bombs began to rain down on us and the wholetrench burst into flame . . . the men began to scream terribly, tearing off their clothes, try-ing to beat out the flames . . . We had our eyebrows and eyelashes burned off, and clotheswere burned in great patches and our flesh was sizzling like roasting meat.

—Philip Gibbs, “Story of the Evening of Liquid Flames,” in Soul of the War, 1915

Excerpt 8

Last night Fritz [the Germans] put on a whale of a bombardment [attack], and I don’tsee how any of us escaped to tell the story. In the thick of it our communications wereknocked out and I was detailed to repair the telephone line . . . Well, I thought of all themean things I’d done in my life, breathed a little prayer, climbed out of my foxhole, anddarted out . . . Flashes of exploding artillery at intervals lighted up the blackness of thenight. Explosions of enemy shells on every hand and the scream of big ones going over-head to back areas added to the thunderous uproar so that I could not have heard my ownvoice had I dared to speak . . . I was splicing [joining] the wire when—Shriek! Bang! A ton of steel came over me.

—Corporal Elmer Sherwood, diary entry, October 30, 1918

Excerpt 9

I turned from this extraordinary spectacle in midair to witness another which in all mylife at the front I have never seen equaled in horror and awfulness. The picture of it hashaunted my dreams during many nights since . . . I saw that a general fight was onbetween the remaining ten Fokkers and the eight Spads . . . Like a flash [Lieutenant]White zoomed up . . . and made a direct plunge for the enemy machine . . . without fir-ing a shot the heroic White rammed the Fokker head on while the two machines wereapproaching each other at the rate of 230 miles per hour! It was a horrible yet thrillingsight . . . Wings went through wings and at first glance both the Fokker and the Spadseemed to disintegrate. Fragments filled the air for a moment, then the two brokenfusilages, bound together by the terrific collision fell swiftly down and landed in oneheap on the bank of the Meuse [River]!

—Eddie Rickenbacker, Fighting the Flying Circus, 1919


I n f o r m a t i o n M a s t e r 2 3 A


Over Thereby George M. Cohan

Johnnie get your gun, get your gun, get your gun

Take it on the run, on the run, on the run,

Hear them calling you and me,

Every son of liberty.

Hurry right away, no delay, go today,

Make your daddy glad to have had such a lad,

Tell your sweetheart not to pine,

To be proud her boy’s in line.

Chorus

Over there, over there,

Send the word, send the word, over there,

That the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming,

The drums rum-tumming everywhere,

So prepare, say a prayer,

Send the word, send the word, to beware,

We’ll be over, we’re coming over,

And we won’t come back till it’s over,

Over there.

(Repeat)

Johnnie get your gun, get your gun, get your gun,

Johnnie show the Hun, you’re a son-of-a-gun,

Hoist the flag and let her fly,

Yankee doodle-doo or die.

Pack your little kit, show your grit, do your bit,

Yankees to the ranks from the towns and the tanks,

Make your mother proud of you,

And the old red white and blue.

Chorus

On Patrol in No-Man’s Landby James Reese Europe

What’s the time? Nine?

Fall in line

Alright, boys, now take it slow

Are you ready? Steady!

Very good, Eddie.

Over the top, let’s go

Quiet, lie it, else you’ll start a riot

Keep your proper distance, follow ’long

Cover, brother, and when you see me hover

Obey my orders and you won’t go wrong

There’s a Minenwerfer [German mortar] coming—look out

Hear that roar, there’s one more

Stand fast, there’s a Very light [flare]

Don’t gasp or they’ll find you all right

Don’t start to bombing with those hand grenades

There’s a machine gun, holy spades!

Alert, gas! Put on your mask

Adjust it correctly and hurry up fast

Drop! There’s a rocket from the Boche [German] barrage

Down, hug the ground, close as you can, don’t stand

Creep and crawl, follow me, that’s all

What do you hear? Nothing near

Don’t fear, all’s clear

That’s the life of a stroll

When you take a patrol

Out in No-Man’s Land

Ain’t it grand?

Out in No-Man’s Land

World War I Song Lyrics



I n f o r m a t i o n M a s t e r 2 3 B

Follow these steps to confirm your predictions about World War I military technologies:

1. Read the primary source excerpt your teacher gives you. Discuss withyour partner what type of technology you think the excerpt describes.

2. Locate the station that has a diagram of your technology. Check the primary source excerpt at the station to make sure you have located thecorrect technology.

3. Examine the diagram and information at the station. Discuss thesequestions with your partner:

• What adjectives would you use to describe this technology?

• What must it have been like for combatants to experience this tech-nology in battle?

• Do you think this technology affected the number of battle casualties?

4. Complete your Reading Notes.

• Sketch the technology next to its label on your map of Europe.

• Read the caption from your Reading Notes in which you predictedhow this technology might have changed the war experience for combatants. If necessary, revise your caption. Add one or more factsabout the technology that support your caption.

5. Get a new primary source excerpt from your teacher. Repeat Steps 1–4for your new excerpt.

Learning About World War I Military Technologies


S t a t i o n M a t e r i a l s 2 3 A

S t a t i o n M a t e r i a l s 2 3 B


AirplaneThe Battle of Tannenberg in 1914 was an important victory for the Germans. They stopped theRussian army from advancing into German-controlled territory. Prior to the outbreak of fighting,both sides sent airplanes to gather details about their enemy. The Russian commander made acostly mistake by ignoring the warnings provided by his pilots. After tremendous losses at Tannen -berg, the Russians did not make the same mistake again. Airplane missions were an importantsource of information for both sides throughout the war.

Estimated Casualty Statistics for the Battle of Tannenberg

Allied Powers: 267,000

Central Powers: 80,000

ArtilleryIsonzo was a series of battles that began in 1915 and took place along a river between Austria-Hungary and Italy. It seemed as if Italy, which had many more soldiers, would have an easy vic-tory. However, although Austria-Hungary had fewer men, it had more heavy artillery. Also knownas “big guns,” this artillery was loaded with highly explosive shells containing dozens of smalllead balls. With each battle, the Italians suffered more casualties from the artillery bombardment.After these early setbacks, the Italian commander realized that big guns were important bothbefore and during successful army advances.

Estimated Casualty Statistics for the Battles of Isonzo

Allied Powers: 1,022,000




S t a t i o n M a t e r i a l s 2 3 C

S t a t i o n M a t e r i a l s 2 3 D

BattleshipThe Battle of Jutland in 1916 was one of the largest naval battles in history. The British had a fleetof 151 battleships, while the Germans had only 99 battleships. A battleship would speed around,trying to trick the enemy ship into coming closer. Once the enemy ship was close enough, the battleship would fire its big guns. If effective, the attack would cause the enemy ship to sink. At Jutland, the British lost more ships than the Germans did, but many of the remaining Germanships were seriously damaged.

Estimated Casualty Statistics for the Battle of Jutland



FlamethrowerThe Battle of Verdun, which began in February 1916 and lasted nearly ten months, is consideredto be the longest battle of World War I. Early in this battle, the Germans introduced a new kind offlamethrower that consisted of a gas canister strapped on the back of a soldier. Attached to the canister was a nozzle that was lit on fire and that sprayed burning fuel on its victims. The Germansused this weapon to clear the area of enemy soldiers before the main army advanced. This weaponwas dangerous not only to the enemy but also to the soldier operating it, because it was highlyexplosive. Even with this weapon, the Germans still suffered heavy casualties.

Estimated Casualty Statistics for the Battle of Verdun




S t a t i o n M a t e r i a l s 2 3 E


S t a t i o n M a t e r i a l s 2 3 F

Machine GunThe Battle of the Somme in 1916 was a disastrous attempt by the British to attack the Germans in their trenches. The British created a plan that relied on bombardment by large, heavy artilleryto weaken German defenses before the army advanced. Unfortunately, this plan did not go ashoped. The advancing British army was an easy target for the German machine guns, which couldfire 400 to 600 rounds per minute, spraying the approaching enemy with a massive amount of bullets. In the first day alone, the British lost an estimated 58,000 soldiers.

Estimated Casualty Statistics for the Battle of the Somme



Poison GasThe first notable use of poison gas was during the Second Battle at Ypres in 1915. One evening,the French and Algerian troops noticed a strange, yellow-green cloud moving their way. Theythought it was an attempt by the Germans to cover an advancing attack. Instead, the cloud was fullof chlorine gas, which caused severe choking. By the end of the war, both sides were experiment-ing with different types of poison gas and different ways of getting it into enemy trenches. At theThird Battle of Ypres (also known as Passchendaele), the Germans used mustard gas, which causedchemical burns that left lifelong injuries—both internal and external.

Estimated Casualty Statistics for the Battle of Passchendaele





S t a t i o n M a t e r i a l s 2 3 G

S t a t i o n M a t e r i a l s 2 3 H

SubmarineThe Germans used submarines, which they called U-boats, throughout the war. The sinking of theLusitania and other nonmilitary ships by German U-boats eventually brought the United Statesinto the war. The Allies also used submarines. During the campaign at Gallipoli that began in 1915,the Allies used submarines to stop Turkish sea traffic and to bombard the shore. This activity wasan important support to the land attack, though the Allies ultimately lost the campaign.

Estimated Casualty Statistics for Gallipoli



TankAlthough debuted by the British earlier in the war, the tank was first used effectively in combatduring the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. At Cambrai, British tanks were able to cross the areabetween the British and German trenches. The tank’s protective metal kept the men inside fromfalling victim to the onslaught of enemy machine guns. The heavy tank crushed everything insight, including the dangerous barbed wire guarding the trenches. Some 8,000 German prisonersand 100 guns were taken.

Estimated Casualty Statistics for the Battle of Cambrai




S t a t i o n M a t e r i a l s 2 3 I


Trench SystemThe German advance to Paris was stopped at the First Battle of the Marne in 1914. Casualties onboth sides were heavy. After retreating north for 40 miles, the Germans stopped near the RiverAisne, where they dug a series of trenches. This complex network created a new way of fighting.From the front line of the trenches, soldiers hurled grenades and fired machine guns at each other.For the next few years, a stalemate developed, because neither side wanted to face the dangers ofadvancing toward enemy trenches.

Estimated Casualty Statistics for the First Battle of the Marne




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