The Western Front and Life in the Trenches - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

The Western Front and Life in the Trenches

Slide2

What was

the Western Front?

Slide3

The Western Front

Slide4

The two main fronts:

On your coloured and labeled map of the alliances in your workbook, mark the Western front and the Eastern front.

Slide5

Schlieffen Plan

3

rd

of Aug, 1914:

The aim of the Von Schlieffen plan was to knock France out of the war quickly so that Germany did not have to fight the French and the Russians (=Eastern front) at the same time.

The plan failed…

Slide6

Why did the plan fail?

See page 35.

Write down: The Schlieffen plan failed because:

(use short dot points)

Slide7

The result of the failed plan:

After the first Battle of the Marne (= one month later, 5 – 19 sept, 1914), both sides dug trenches; the war of attrition had begun.

The western front became a deadlocked region of battlefields in Northern France where war turned into a long and bloody stalemate.

Slide8

Why use trenches and how do they work?

Slide9

What

is in a Trench?

Barbed wire

: to make running at the trench difficult.

Sandbagged parapet

: to stop the trench collapsing.

Parados

: to stop ‘shrapnel’ getting into the trench.

Fire step

: to shoot from.

Duck Boards

: stopped the bottom of the trench getting very muddy and slippery.

Slide10

Trench

System

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWtrenchsystem.htm

Slide11

Tunneling

Slide12

Trench Warfare:

Trench Warfare: Armies fought each other in dugouts but it often led to long periods of stagnation and a high death toll.

Slide13

The theory and the reality…

Slide14

Fighting in Europe:

By 1915, opposing armies on the Western Front had dug miles of parallel trenches to protect themselves from enemy fire.

This type of warfare led to huge losses of human life for very small land gains.

Slide15

Trench Warfare

Attacks and Offensives- An attack usually involves a division (16,000) and an offensive was larger (at least one corps).

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWoffensive.htm

Slide16

Slide17

Weapons

and trench war fare

Slide18

Weapons in WW1

Tanks

Gas

Machine guns

Airplanes

Artillery (shells, mortars, bombs)

Slide19

Weapons in WW1

You tube video of different weapons:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I-VyjZk2a0&feature=PlayList&p=42281192E0B31876&playnext=1&index=4

Slide20

Weapons in WW1

Rapid technological innovation

Technology changed, but mindset of commanders did not….

Soldiers trained in old fashioned techniques (charging at enemy)

Slide21

Tanks

Tanks: introduced by British in 1916 at the Battle of the Somme.

Slide22

Tanks

Slide23

Tanks

Winston Churchill (lord of the admiralty and home secretary in WW1) saw importance of tanks

Germans were surprised by tanks but because of their initial failure, did not take them seriously.

Germans did not devote large amounts of money, research or time to tank-development.

But British and French continue to improve on initial flawed design.

By end of war, tanks were used strategically to force break throughs.

Slide24

Tanks

See page 52

Tanks not used effectively by commanders until 1918

Germans did not see importance of tanks

Slide25

Early tanks

Very slow

Chains ran off tracks

Got stuck in mud

Engines overheated

Strategically misused and underused until 1918

Slide26

Tanks

You tube video showing tanks in use:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHIp-hyXKWc

Slide27

Chemical warfare

See page 49

Slide28

Chemical Warfare

French started with tear gas grenades.

Germany used chemicals in artillery shells, bombs, and grenades.

Gas masks developed quickly, became more sophisticated by end of war.

(Another idea from British: Set up 100,000 fans.)

Many types of gases were used, i.e: tear gas, mustard gas, chlorine gas

Slide29

Chlorine Gas

Used by both allies and central powers.

Lung irritant.

First developed by IG Farben, a German chemical company.

Replaced by mustard gas and phosgene.

Used in the Second Battle of Ypres.

Distinctive smell – mixture of pineapple and pepper.

Distinctive taste – metallic taste.

Slide30

Phosgene

U.S. developed chemical.

Used by both Allies and Central powers.

Irritates mucous and skin.

Corrosive and toxic.

Successor to Chlorine Gas.

Slide31

Xylyl bromide (tear gas)

Tear gas impeded ability to fight; incapacitated soldiers.

Irritates eyes and lungs.

Used by French in the form of grenades.

Used by both sides

Put into T-Shells, a shell with an explosive tip that was filled with tear gas.

Easy to manufacture; was popular because of that.

Slide32

Mustard Gas

Causes blistering

Incapacitates soldiers.

Hard to counter, burns exposed skin.

Put into a variety of artillery, bombs, and other munitions.

Used by both sides.

Was persistent. It would remain for days, clothing and equipment that had been contaminated would spread the gas.

Slide33

Chemical warfare

Soldiers wore gas masks.

Photo of an early gas mask.

Slide34

Chemical Warfare, Quote

"[The] vapour settled to the ground like a swamp mist and drifted toward the French trenches on a brisk wind. Its effect on the French was a violent nausea and faintness, followed by an utter collapse. It is believed that the Germans, who charged in behind the vapour, met no resistance at all, the French at their front being virtually paralyzed."

The use of gas at Langemarck

ø as reported in the New York

Tribune

, April 27, 1915

Slide35

Poison Gas: effects

The gas eventually wore away.

Most dead men were left

Some died from the after-effects

Explosions left environment poisoned and destroyed

Slide36

Machine Guns

Slide37

Machine Gun

Fired ammunition automatically and could wipe out waves of attackers.

The machine gun made it very difficult for forces to advance across

No Mans Land

.

Slide38

Bombs

Bombs were very small in the beginning of the war.

Small arrows called Flechettes were also dropped on the enemy.

They were very inaccurate.

Bombing did not become effective until later in the war.

A bomber plane could carry one 1,650lb (=750 kg) bomb.

Only Zeppelins could carry big bombs.

Slide39

Mortars

lobbed a shell in a high arc over a relatively short distance

Widely used in trench fighting for harassing the forward trenches, for cutting wire in preparation for a raid or attack, and for destroying trenches.

In 1914, the British fired a total of 545 mortar shells; in 1916, they fired over 6,500,000.

lobbe

Slide40

Airplanes

Slide41

The Planes…

Low speed / low altitude

Most planes had

low horse power.

They were very flimsy

and unstable.

Hard to fly.

Many WW1 pilots died from accidents.

Slide42

The Aces

Manfred von Richthofen. (Germany)

Edward

"Eddie"

Rickenbacker. (US)

Von Richthofen had highest kill rate of any pilot.

He was shot down by ground fire.

Eddie had 27 kills.

Richthofen had 80.

Slide43

Zeppelins

Went on recon missions.

(reconnaissance = exploration)

Used as high flying bomb throwers

Heavily guarded by machine guns and anti aircraft guns.

Very dangerous to pilots.

Were as fast as airplanes

Sometimes tethered to ground.

Slide44

Submarines

Germans introduced the submarine (U-boats) in 1914 as an effective warship

its primary weapon was the torpedo = underwater missile.

German unrestricted submarine warfare would be a major factor in bringing the U.S. into war.

Slide45

Flame throwers

Flame throwers- First used on the Western Front in 1914 to clear enemy soldiers on front-line.

Germans used it more often than allied powers.

Dangerous to operator and depending on wind.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWflame.htm

Slide46

Infiltration tactics

Both sides used small groups of experienced soldiers to sneak up on enemy and cut barbed wire.

Then sent infantry across No Man’s Land.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWinfantry.htm

Slide47

Slide48

Casualties

World War I took the lives of about

8.5 million soldiers…

Statistics at a glance:

Germany= 1.8 million

Britain= 908,000

Russia= 1.7 million

France= 1.3 million

Austria-Hungary= 1.2 million

Slide49

But why so many casualties?

The new tools of war – machine guns, poison gas, armoured tanks, larger artillery - did not deliver the fast-moving war strategists had expected.

The new technology just killed greater numbers of people more effectively.

Slide50

Questions

What prolonged effect would this type of warfare have on soldiers?

How would trench warfare affect how countries felt at the end of the war?

Would trench warfare be a good tactic to use today? Why and why not?

How do you think you would feel as a WW1 trench soldier? Write down 10 adjectives.

Slide51

Daily life in the trenches

Slide52

This is an entry in the diary of Harold Saunders, a soldier during World War One. He describes trench life as he knows it.

When I made my debut in the line I had a cheerful conviction that nothing would hit me.  And I remember standing on the fire-step for the first time and saying to myself exultantly: "You're in it at last! You're in it! The greatest thing that's ever happened!"

Lice and wind-up came into my life about the same time.  At stand-to one morning a flight of whizz-bangs skimmed the top of the trench.  The man next to me went down with a scream and half his face gone.  The sand-bag in front of me was ripped open and I was blinded and half-choked with its contents.

Slide53

Days in the trenches

Soldiers spent 8 days in trenches

Trenches were about 3 metres deep

Patrols were sent into No Man’s Land

Fallen soldiers were often not buried.

Trenches were called dug outs

Slide54

The Trench Cycle

Typically, a battalion would be expected to serve some time at the front line. 

This would be followed by a stint spent in support, and then in reserve lines. 

A period of rest would follow - generally short in duration - before the whole cycle of trench duty would start anew.

Slide55

Inspection and Chores

After breakfast, men would be inspected by either the company or platoon commander (This was called “Stand-to”). After that the soldiers were assigned daily chores.

Daily chores included refilling of sandbags, repair of the duckboards and the draining of trenches.

Particularly following heavy rainfall, trenches fill up with muddy water, making life more miserable for its occupants as the walls of the trench rapidly became misshapen and were prone to collapse.

Slide56

Duckboards in no man’s land

Slide57

Daily Boredom

The front lines were constantly under watch by snipers and look-outs during daylight so movement was restricted until night fell. 

Thus, once men had concluded their chores, they were free to attend to more personal matters, such as the reading and writing of letters home.

Meals were also prepared.  Sleep was snatched wherever possible - although it was seldom that men were allowed sufficient time to grab more than a few minutes rest before they were assigned another task.

Slide58

Dusk

At nightfall, the morning ritual of stand-to was repeated, to guard against a surprise attack as light fell.

After this, the trenches became a hive of activity.  Supply and maintenance activities could be undertaken.  Men would be sent to the rear lines to fetch rations and water.

Other men would be assigned sentry duty (lookout, guarding) on the fire step. 

Generally men would be expected to provide sentry duty for up to two hours. 

Any longer and there was a real risk of men falling asleep on duty - for which the penalty was death by firing squad.

Slide59

Slide60

Patrolling No Man’s Land

Patrols would often be sent out into No Mans Land. 

Some men were sent to add barbed wire to the front line. 

Others however would go out to assigned listening posts, hoping to pick up valuable information from the enemy lines.

Sometimes enemy patrols would meet in No Man's Land.  They were then faced with the option of hurrying on their separate ways or else engaging in hand to hand fighting.

They could not afford to use their handguns while patrolling in No Man's Land, for fear of the machine gun fire it would inevitably attract, deadly to all members of the patrol.

Slide61

Rat Infestation

Millions of rats infested trenches. 

Two main types: the brown and the black rat. 

The brown rat was especially feared, they ate human remains (grotesquely disfiguring them by eating their eyes and liver).

Could grow to the size of a cat.

One male + female rat can produce up to 900 offspring in a year, spreading infection and contaminating food. 

Slide62

Slide63

Slide64

Frogs, lice and worse

Lice were also never-ending problem causing men to itch unceasingly.

Even when clothing was periodically washed and deloused, lice eggs invariably remained hidden in the seams.

Lice caused Trench Fever, a particularly painful disease that began suddenly with severe pain followed by high fever.  Recovery - away from the trenches - took up to twelve weeks. 

Frogs infested shell holes covered in water; they were also found in the base of trenches. 

Many men chose to shave their heads entirely to avoid nits.

Slide65

Trench Foot

A fungal infection of the feet caused by cold, wet and unsanitary trench conditions.  It could turn gangrenous and result in amputation. 

Slide66

Slide67

Slide68

Relieving Men at the Front

Men were relieved from front-line duty at night-time too. 

Units which were just relieved had to wind their weary way through numerous lines of communications trenches, weighed down with equipment and trench stores (such as shovels, picks, corrugated iron, duckboards, etc.). 

Slide69

And the Smell

Finally, no overview of trench life can avoid the aspect that instantly struck visitors to the lines: the appalling reek given off by numerous conflicting sources.

Rotting carcasses lay around in their thousands. 

Overflowing latrines would give off a most offensive stench.

Men who had not been afforded the luxury of a bath in weeks or months would offer the pervading odor of dried sweat.  The feet were generally accepted to give off the worst odor.

Slide70

In class writing task:

You are a young soldier on the Western Front. You have just been relieved from an 8 day stint at the front lines, and you now have time to write a letter home.

Use the information from this PPT, your text book and, if need be, info from the internet, to describe a typical day. Make sure it you use descriptive and evocative language.

Make it realistic by including historically accurate details.

Slide71

Discussion

Which weapon do you think was most feared by World War One soldiers? Why?

Why do you think the Western Front became a bloody stalemate?

How did fighting on the Western Front differ from Europe’s expectations before the war?

Did pre-war plans match what actually occurred along the Western Front? Why or why not?

Slide72

The Eastern Front

This area was a stretch of battlefields along the German and Russian border.

Russians & Serbs battled Germans & Austro-Hungarians.

It was much more mobile than the West but stalemates and slaughter were just as common.