World War I: Early Strategies, Battles, and Trench Warfare

Vocabulary flashcards covering strategic plans, major battles, trench life, and technological innovations of World War I as discussed in the lecture notes.

Schlieffen Plan

Germany’s pre-war strategy to avoid a two-front war by quickly defeating France via a sweep through Belgium before turning east against Russia.

Two-Front War

A conflict in which a country must fight simultaneous battles on two geographically separate fronts; Germany sought to avoid this in 1914.

Belgian Resistance

Unexpectedly strong defense by Belgian forces that slowed the German advance and disrupted the Schlieffen Plan.

British Expeditionary Force (BEF)

The professional British army sent to continental Europe in 1914 that helped defend Belgium and halt the German advance.

Battle of the Marne (September 1914)

Decisive battle near Paris where Allied forces stopped the German offensive, ending hopes of a quick victory in the west.

Stalemate

A deadlock in which neither side can secure decisive victory; characterized the Western Front after trench lines were established.

Eastern Front

The World War I theater of operations between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia, marked by more mobile warfare than the west.

Battle of Tannenberg (August 1914)

Major German victory over Russia that inflicted heavy losses and showcased Germany’s strategic mobility in the east.

Battle of the Masurian Lakes (September 1914)

Follow-up German triumph against Russia, further weakening Russian forces on the Eastern Front.

Trench Warfare

Form of combat in which opposing armies fight from extensive systems of trenches, leading to prolonged stalemate and harsh living conditions.

Trench System (Front-line, Support, Reserve)

Three-tiered arrangement of zigzag trenches providing sequential defensive positions and logistical support for troops.

No-Man’s-Land

The dangerous, open ground between opposing trench lines, often strewn with barbed wire and mines.

“Over the Top” Attacks

Infantry assaults that required soldiers to leave their trenches and charge across no-man’s-land, typically resulting in heavy casualties.

Trench Foot

Painful, sometimes gangrenous condition caused by prolonged exposure of feet to cold, wet, unsanitary trench environments.

Machine Gun

Rapid-fire weapon that dominated defensive positions, making frontal assaults extremely costly in World War I.

Poison Gas

Chemical weapons such as chlorine and mustard gas introduced to inflict casualties and sow fear, though dependent on weather and wind.

Tank

Armored, tracked vehicle first used in 1916 at the Somme; initially unreliable but later improved to break through trench lines.

Aircraft

Planes used first for reconnaissance, later for bombing and aerial combat (“dogfights”), adding a new dimension to warfare.