War Begins on the Western and Eastern

FrontsWorld WarsMs. Hamer

September 15, 2009

BBC – Volunteering and Recruitment

• Chapter 1 – Volunteering and Recruitment

Race to the Sea

• After the Battle of the Frontiers, the Allies and Central Powers struggled to create a front line in their favor

• The goal of each side was to secure a good port on the English Channel– Germany got Antwerp on October 11,

1914• From this point on, there were

battles on the Western Front, but the line remained fairly stagnant

The Western Front

Animated Map of the Western Front

• Animated Map of the Western Front

Germans Digging Trenches 1914

• http://www.firstworldwar.com/video/germantrenches.htm

Trench Warfare

World War I - Trenches• Not only were the trenches the

cause of mass destruction on the battlefield, but they were also havens for disease.

• Rats and lice were infected with disease, which spread quickly to the men.

• Trench foot was a rotting disease that happened when the soldiers’ feet were wet for days on end from the mud in the bottom of the trenches.

Wikipedia on Trench FootCharacteristics

• Affected feet become numb and then turn red or blue. As the condition worsens, they may swell. Advanced immersion foot often involves blisters and open sores, which lead to fungal infections; this is sometimes called tropical ulcer (jungle rot).

• If left untreated, immersion foot usually results in gangrene, which can require amputation. If immersion foot is treated properly, complete recovery is normal, though it is marked by severe short-term pain when feeling returns. Like other cold injuries, immersion foot leaves sufferers more susceptible to it in the future.

Causes• Immersion foot occurs when feet are cold and damp while wearing constricting

footwear. Unlike frostbite, immersion foot does not require freezing temperatures and can occur in temperatures up to 60° Fahrenheit (about 16° Celsius). The condition can occur with as little as eleven hours' exposure. The mechanism of tissue damage is not fully understood.

Prevention• Immersion foot is easily prevented by keeping the feet warm and dry, and

changing socks frequently when the feet cannot be kept dry. During World War I, trench soldiers were provided with whale grease and told to apply it to their feet, to reduce the prevalence of this condition; the idea was to make the feet waterproof. It was found, however, that this made the condition worse as it made the feet perspire and absorb even more water. It was also discovered that a key measure was regular foot inspections by officers.

Trenches

Aerial View German SE; British

NW 1917

Periscope Rifle

Mining Trenches• Trenches could be

attacked by digging underground tunnels beneath enemy trenches and mining underneath them

• 1915- Remnants of a German mined trench with British captors and German prisoners and dead

World War I - Trenches• This harsh warfare and the terrible living

conditions that accompanied it led many soldiers to mutiny or mental illness. Commanding officers often held their troops at gunpoint and forced them to leave the trenches and attempt an attack on the enemy across no man’s land.

Trenches

Chapter 2- Night PatrolChapter 3 – Life in the TrenchesChapter 4 – Over the Top

First Use of Gas• French were the first

to use tear gas in August 1914, Germans used it against French and Russians in 1914 and early 1915. – All of these quantities

were too small to be noticed or froze (Russia – duh)

– Combatants did not see this as a violation of the Hague Treaty because tear gas is not poisonous

British victims of tear gas

Chlorine Gas

• Germans use poisonous chlorine gas launched from cylinders so it was wind carried in the Spring of 1915

Gas Attack

• Chapter 5 – Gas Attack

Eastern Front 1914

Tannenberg

German victory at Tannenberg• Even though Russian

troops mobilized against Germany and A-H faster than the Central Powers expected, Germany was able to win a large victory against the Russians at the Battle of Tannenberg – August 26-30, 1914

• At great cost to themselves, Russia was able to draw German troops from the Western Front by engaging so quickly

Russian prisoners at Tannenberg