Machine Gun
Machine guns needed around 4-6 men to work them and had to be on a flat sarea or surface. They had the fire-power of 100 bog standard guns.
Large field guns had a long range and could deliver devastating damage to the other side attacking them with great power but it needed up to 12 men to work them. They fired shells which exploded on impact.
Gas
The German army were the first to use chlorine gas at the battle of Ypres in 1915. Chlorine gas causes a burning sensation in the throat and develops chest pains. Death would be terribly painful - you would suffocate! The problem with chlorine gas is that the weather must be right. If the wind is in the wrong direction it could end up killing your own troops rather than the enemy
Mustard gas was the most deadly weapon used. It was fired into the trenches in shells. It is colourless and takes 12 hours to take effect. Effects include: blistering skin, vomiting, sore eyes, internal and external bleeding. Death can take up to 5 weeks! Very painful!!!!!!!!
Zeppelin
The Zeppelin, also known as blimp, was an airship that was used during the early part of the war, in bombing used by the Germans. They carried machine guns and bombs. However, they were abandoned because they were easy to shoot out of the sky!(as you could take it down with very few bullets)
Tank
Tanks were used for the first time in the First World War, at the Battle of the Somme. The first ever tank was called 'Little Willie' and needed a crew of 3. Its maximum speed was 3mph and it could not cross trenches.
The more modern tank was not developed until just before the end of the war. It could carry 10 men, had a revolving turret and could reach 4mph.(It was used in ww2 though )
Planes
Planes were also used for the first time. At first they were used to deliver bombs and for spying work, but became fighter aircraft armed with machine guns, bombs and sometimes cannons! :o Fights between two planes in the sky became known as 'dogfights'
Torpedoes
My favourite are Torpedoes. They were used by submarines. The Germans used torpedoes to blow up ships carrying supplies from America to Britain!-.-
The Germans torpedoed the passenger liner Lusitania on May 1st 1915 which sank with a loss of 1,195 lives(this clicked the Americans off). Americans were outraged and joined the war in 1917 on the side of the allies.
Diferance between the germans and british look
My questions
How did world war one begin?
The murder of the Archduke triggered the start of the war. The Archduke was the heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne. He and his wife visited Bosnia on 28 June 1914. In Bosnia, some Serbians shot the couple to death. The Serbians plotted against the Archduke because they hated Austria-Hungary for taking Bosnia away from Serbia.
During the beginning of the 20th century, the strongest country in Europe was Britain. ther empire was the largest, industries the richest and navy the biggest. The envious Germany soon built up her empire and challenged Britains position. At that time, Germany also conquered two French provinces. This made France a rival of Germany too.
Besides these two rivalries, other European countries were also unhappy with one another. Soon they took sides and two opposing groups emerged. The atmosphere was tense.
Triple Entente (Allies) : Britain / France / Russia / (later the US)
Central Powers: Germany / Austria-Hungary / Italy (did not fight, joined
Allies)
Austria-Hungary then accused the Serbian government of murder. Soon Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, with German support. Russia, which was friendly with Serbia, came to her help. Soon other European nations began to take sides. World War I thus started with two opposing factions, the Central Powers and the Allies. The war spread across Europe and engaged other nations such as the US. At first it was called the "Great War", and later "The First World War".(all of the tention was building up and it needed some reason tostart the war e.g. the assassination of the archduke franz Ferdinand.)
Why did it begin?
The first world war began in August 1914. It was directly triggered by the assassination of the Austrian archduke, Franz Ferdinand and his wife, on 28th June 1914 by Bosnian revolutionary, Gavrilo Princip.
This event was, however, simply the trigger that set off declarations of war. The actual causes of the war are more complicated and are still debated by historians today.
When did it begin?
World war one as a state of war started on the 28th July 1914
When did ww1 end?
World war one finally ended on the glorious day of the 11th November 1918(we have a minute of silence as people signed the armistice)
How many people died?
The total number of deaths was about 10 million military people and about 7 million civilians. The Entente Powers (also known as the Allies or our side which we were on ) lost about 6.0 million soldiers while the Central Powers lost about 4.0 million
Who was the prime minister at the time?
At the start of world War I, the Prime Minister was H.H. Asquith.
He was replaced on 7th December 1916 by David Lloyd George who remained Prime Minister until 19th October 1922.(after him Winston chirchil)
Who was the main general of ww1?
A saying about the generals is that the soldiers were lions and the generals were donkeys so lions led by donkeys)
What was our side on called?
Our side was called the triple entente and they were agenised the central powers
Did anyone swap sides?
Italy
They wanted more land.
Italy wanted the Austrian Territories of South Tyrol, Istria, and Dalmatia, and since 1902, Italy had a secret understanding with France effectively nullifying their previous alliance commitments from 1882. Italy refused to join Austria-Hungary and Germany at the start of the war and signed the London Pact in April 1915 joining the Triple Entente. Italy then declared war on Austria-Hungary and over a year later, Germany.
From my WW1bookThe First World War by John Keegan
Did they claim any land from it?
Do not know (please could you answer if known)
Why it took so long?
It was mostly due to the strategy of trench warfare used on the western front. Technology was not what we see today and the war was largely fought at a limited range, with limited air support and short supply lines. Troops moved very slowly and were usually digging in for long periods of time, preferring to hold a position rather than pressing forward.
wiki isn't always the most reliable source, its article on WW1 is good and it seems respectible.
Source wiki
Trench life
A trench it was basically a skinny and relatively deep pit surrounded with barbed wire that was used for fighting. The trench was like a barricade and protected the soldiers the trench would be the home for the soldiers for the unexpected long period of time and it would house them and the weapons and there food a tiny dug out was there home and the war zone.
Floods and diseases
Floods in the trenches were common and devastating. They would make the trench boggy and I the case of attack hard to move round in the trench it being boggy weapons would be clogged with mud and broken in water food would go soggy and horrid.
The foods in the trenches was awful, think of the item of food that you hate and times it by 10. But as the war was expected to only last a short time, the rations were short and small. But most of all the substitutes were vile (I got this idea from black adder and the spit)
Diseases spread easily with the horrid compact area infecting a lot of people making them unable to fight and protect there trench. With the use of trenches, disease was easily spread. Living in such an environment created many health risks for the soldiers. A common disease was trench foot. This was an infection caused by the feet being exposed to long period of dampness. There was also trench nephritis, an inflammation of the kidney, and dysentery, the inflammation of the lining of the large intestines. Living in trenches made it easier to spread and contract a disease. The soldiers being exposed to various diseases caused them to become weaker and sometimes led to death.
A severe case of trench foot!!!!------
Picture sources
it is a German helmet so the mad brute is the Germans.
Distressed woman make men want to keep there females safe and make sure the Germans don’t harm them
Says kultur which I think mean culture
Us army
Technically promoting the war trying to make sure that they keep there nation safe from the Germans and allies.
Why ww1 took so long?
One of the reasons for the length of the war is the fact that each side was pretty much sure to fight for more than a few regions or glory. They felt they were fighting for their way of life, their civilisation, actually for civilisation itself and finally for their survival.
For instance, the French had a very bad memory of the 1870-1 German occupation, they had also been hugely impressed by the brutal occupation of Belgium in the first weeks of the war..
For them, Kaiser Wilhem was little better than Attila himself. On the other side
theGermans saw the potential Russian invasion of their country as the end of all things they loved and knew. So basically each side saw the other one as barbarous and dangerous so hadno wish to give up the fight. This state of mind was of course due to over 30 years of intense nationalist propaganda in every country, each and every one convinced to represent civilisation and to be the last rampart against the barbarians. This also stimulate the civilian population which in Germany for instance went through almost four years of extreme hardship.
The destruction and part of the length came from the innovations on the battlefield. Defence position had become almost unbreakable (new rifles, machine guns, barbed wires, rapidly firing artillery) prevented any attack from being successful. The offensive weapons (tanks and planes, weren't ready yet).
On top of that industrial progress also allowed to send more men to the front and keep them fighting for longer. Indeed, factories (often with female workers) were able to follow the rhythm at which the army was using ammunitions. In earlier conflicts, the stock was limited and basically one would have to stop fighting at one point, this limit didn't exist any more in 1914. Similarly, the workers' (and peasants') productivity had increased so much that a few men in the rear were enough to keep the whole economy working, meanwhile the rest could fight. For example, say in Roman times, you would have needed 5 peasants to produce the food of one soldier, whereas in 1914 one peasant could produce enough food for say 5 soldiers (these are not actual figures).The will of a nation to devote all its ressources to a conflict iscaled total war, so WWI was so bloody and long because it was a total war.(im proud of that)
How the war finally ended?
The final Allied push towards the German border began on October 17, 1918. As the British, French and American armies advanced, the alliance between the Central Powers began to collapse. Turkey signed an armistice at the end of October, Austria-Hungary followed on November 3.
Germany began to crumble from within. Faced with the prospect of returning to sea, the sailors of the High Seas Fleet stationed at Kiel mutinied on October 29. Within a few days, the entire city was in their control and the revolution spread throughout the country. On November 9 the Kaiser abdicated; slipping across the border into the Netherlands and exile. A German Republic was declared and peace feelers extended to the Allies. At 5 AM on the morning of November 11 an armistice was signed in a railroad car parked in a French forest near the front lines.
The terms of the agreement called for the cessation of fighting along the entire Western Front to begin at precisely 11 AM that morning. After over four years of bloody conflict, the Great War was at an end.
Official Radio from Paris - 6:01 A.M., Nov. 11, 1918. Marshal Foch to the Commander-in-Chief.
1. Hostilities will be stopped on the entire front beginning at 11 o'clock, November 11th (French hour).
2. The Allied troops will not go beyond the line reached at that hour on that date until further orders. [signed]
MARSHAL FOCH 5:45 A.M.
'Well - fini la guerre!' said Colonel Greely.
This was no peace list it was an agreement to cease fire to each other and end the bloody war.
For now!!!
