GESCHICHTE 150 Wednesday October 16 2013 OUTLINE World War I The War Begins Events in the summer of 1914 The mood in Europe at the outbreak of war in August 1914 ideas about war in August 1914 World War I will be a new kind of war 1 weapons chemical warfare 2 new mode of fighting trench warfare 3 total war Germany began to implement its Schlieffen Plan constructed in 1905 to fight a two front war with France and Russia Sept 5 1914 the German army was closing in on its target Paris Sept 6 10 the Battle of the Marne Fall of 1914 both sides dug trenches and constructed what became known as the Western Front trenches NOTES Most defining moment in the 20th century Summer of 1914 June 28 Assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand by a member of a Serbian terrorist organization the Black Hand July 28 Austria declared war on Serbia The alliances in place and war plans turned the conflict between Austria and Serbia into a conflict between the major powers in Europe see textbook August 4 1914 World War has begun CENTRAL POWERS Austria and Germany vs ALLIED POWERS Russia France and Britain United States 1917 later joins the Allied Powers GESCHICHTE 150 Wednesday October 16 2013 Stefan Zweig described the scene in Vienna The first shock at the news of war had suddenly been transformed into enthusiasm There were parades in the street flags ribbons and music burst forth everywhere young recruits were marching triumphantly their faces lighting up at the cheering they the John Does and Richard Roes who usually go unnoticed and uncelebrated Image photograph Enthusiastic crowd in M nchen mass of people inlet Hitler is seen as part of the crowd cheering for war Image photograph Men walking off to war uniformed soldiers Women and men smiling riled up Adolf Hitler Overpowered by storming enthusiasm I fell down on my knees and thanked Heaven for granting me the good fortune of being permitted to live at this time Later described WWI as his most defining moment Ideas about War August 1914 Stefan Zweig We ll be home at Christmas the recruits shouted laughingly to their mothers in August of 1914 TQ A rapid excursion into the romantic a wild manly adventure that is how the war of 1914 was painted in the imagination of the simple man and the young people were honestly afraid that they might miss this most wonderful and exciting experience of their lives New Kind of War 1 Weapons Europe s first industrialized war a Chemical warfare roughly 69 different gases used i April 22 1915 5 30pm beginning of new age of warfare 1 Germans used chlorine gas against enemies death by asphyxiation 2 Bayer produced chemical weapons for the German army 3 Mid 1917 mustard gas used by Germans a Blistering agent attacked skin as well as the lungs b Inhaled men choked on blood as lungs burned c One man had nearly all of his skin removed by the gas b Mass produce a whole host of weapons on an unprecedented scale c Machine gun d Artillery weapons with shells i Field gun howitzers siege railway field ii 12 5lb 2 500lb shells 5 900 yards minimum e Airplanes used on a limited scale more for reconnaissance missions f Tanks introduced by the British i Not effective in WWI slow moving GESCHICHTE 150 Wednesday October 16 2013 Image photograph Soldiers sitting on and around a railway howitzer Massive gun built into the side of a railway car Big Bertha German howitzer name came from wife of one of the military arms owners A shell weighing about 1 ton could be fired Image photograph Image photograph April 1915 chlorine gas Soldiers wearing cloth masks soaked in urine to prevent inhaling chlorine gas ammonia in urine helped neutralize gas Image photograph from textbook Soldier sitting on a horse wearing an early gas mask War Old and New 2 New mode of fighting developed a Trench warfare 3 Total war a Nations will mobilize entire populations and resources to fight the war The War Begins Germany Image map Implements Schlieffen Plan of 1905 see Image details Part 1 Germany first attacks France target is Paris flank through Belgium Part 2 after they defeat the French they will go East to fight Russia September 5 1914 20 miles from Paris closing in on the city September 6 10 1914 Battle of the Marne France 1 012 000 soldiers British with France 70 000 soldiers Germany 900 000 soldiers The British and French are able to stop the German advance after the battle Schlieffen Plan effectively ruined Germans retreat both sides begin to dig trenches Fall of 1914 Western Front development Creation of massive trench system GESCHICHTE 150 Image map s Wednesday October 16 2013 Trench system Western Front stretches from the North Sea run primarily through France terminates around Switzerland Roughly 475 miles long Trench system Between trenches No man s land Elaborate villages men live in the trenches Trench types Support communications front barbed wire villages