WWI Military History Flashcards

module 7 : WWI part I

section 1 - the build up

1914-1918

all in the family

• Queen Victoria of England was the grandmother of:

  • Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II

  • Russia’s Czar Nicholas II

  • Great Britain’s George V 

King George V

• king of England from 1910-1936 

• saw importance of strong navy, and served in navy until unexpected death of older brother 

Kaiser Wilhelm II

• last German emperor and king of Prussia from 1888-1918 

• envious of cousin’s British fleet, and looked to build a navy that could compete 

• easily angered, hot tempered man 

• some cast blame on him for initiating WWI with his actions 

Czar Nicholas II

• last czar (emperor) of Russia from 1894-1917 

• last of Romanov dynasty 

• weak and incompetent leader 

• suffered embarrassing defeat in Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 

• Bloody Sunday 1905, Russian soldiers fired on unarmed protesters 

• great unrest and division within Russia 

long term causes of WWI (essay - 4 long term causes and how it contributed to start)

1. nationalism 

• nationalism - sense or devotion to one’s national group 

• had unified Germany and Italy into cohesive nations 

• desire to prove superiority over other nations 

2. imperialism 

• imperialism - seizure of a country tor territory by a stronger nation 

• Europe had fiercely competed for lands in Africa and Asia 

  • competition had led to brink of war

3. industrialization 

• industrialization had led to the need for resources and markets for goods, both of which colonies provided 

• Germany and Great Britain led Europe in industrialization, which gave them economic advantage 

  • also gave them military advantage 

• industrialization allowed for the mass production of weapons and vehicles 

4. militarism 

• militarism - policy of glorifying military power and keeping an army prepared for war 

• European nations believed to be great, they needed a powerful military 

• led to arms race 

• by 1914, all European powers had large standing army except for Great Britain 

5. defensive alliances 

• rivalry and mistrust leads to defensive pacts or alliances 

• designed to prevent wars and keep peace in Europe, will instead contribute to WWI beginning 

pre-war alliances

• Triple Alliance - Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy 

• Triple Entente - France, Great Britain, Russia 

Balkans 

• Balkans found in southeastern corner of Europe had been under control of Ottoman Empire 

Serbia/Bosnia 

• in 1908, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, which had large Slavic populations 

• Serbians were outraged, tensions grew 

• Serbs vowed to take back Bosnia from Austria-Hungary, and Austria-Hungary vowed to squash any attempt 

• situation leads to a powder keg waiting to explode 

assassination 

• archduke Franz Ferdinand is heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne 

• comes to visit Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia on June 28, 1914

the Black Hand 

• Serbian terrorist group 

• Serbian military officials in the Black Hand provided guns and grenades to terrorists and cyanide capsules to kill themselves after attack 

assassinated 

• driver makes a wrong turn, stopping the motorcade 

• assassin approaches stopped car and fires point blank into car 

• Ferdinand is shot in the neck, and Sophie in the abdomen 

• both die within an hour 

war

• Austria-Hungary blames Serbia for assassination 

• Austria-Hungary is afraid declaring war would bring Russia and possibly France into war due to alliances, so first seek support from Germany should that happen 

• with Germany’s backing, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia on July 28, 1914 

• Russia mobilizes towards Austria border 

section 2 - the great war begins

diplomacy 

• Austro-Hungarian ambassador gave an ultimatum to the Serbian government 

• Serbia gave into most demands but refused to allow Austria-Hungarian officials into their country 

  • Serbia felt emboldened by Russia’s backing 

• powerful leaders in the Austro-Hungarian military and government didn’t want diplomacy, they wanted to crush Serbia 

  • Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia 

mobilization 

• the Russians began to mobilize their military, avoiding its border with Germany

• German hawks saw the mobilization as an excuse and declared war on Russia 

• Germany declares war on France just 2 days later 

Schlieffen Plan 

• to escape a 2 front war, Germany planned to attack and defeat France before turning attention to Russia 

• a quick victory over France was critical to the plan 

• to do this, Germany needed to invade France through neutral Belgium

  • Belgium was protected by the British 

• when Germans invaded Belgium on August 3rd, the British declared war on Germany the following day

Belgium

• Belgium had great concrete fortresses that initially held against German artillery 

  • Germans bring in massive siege guns and pound them into submission 

• Germans were angered at Belgium’s resistance and carried out massacres on their civilians in response 

• news of this total war would stain the image of the brutal German “Huns” throughout the war 

• British and French troops arrived by the 3rd week in August 

the great retreat 

• The pouring of German troops through Belgium forced British and French troops to retreat 

  • the retreat would see British troops retreating 137 miles, 12 miles a day in the summer heat while low on food and supplies 

• they had to fight rearguard actions against the pursuing Germans 

home for Christmas

• in first months of war, 1000s of men across Europe rushed to join 

• countries were united under patriotism 

• many thought the war would be over by Christmas 

• instead the war is going to last 4 long and gruesome years and many millions will die (20 million estimated) 

Central Powers 

• Germany 

• Austria-Hungary 

• Ottoman Empire (Turks)

• Bulgaria 

Allies 

• Serbia 

• Russia 

• France

• Belgium 

• England

• Japan 

• Italy 

• ANZACS (Australia and New Zealand) 

• United States 

First Battle of the Marne 

• a counterattack was needed in order to stop the German advance 

• French reinforcements sent to the front by 600 Parisian taxis 

• on September 5-6, 1914 the French and British led a counteroffensive repelling the German attack 

• while the first major battle on the Western Front, some would argue the most important of war 

• German defeat ended Schlieffen Plan and guaranteed a long drawn out war 

• Germany was left to fight a 2 front war 

• retreating, Germans dig in defensive positions, beginning trench warfare 

fronts

• front - contested area of land between opposing forces 

  • Western Front - found in northeastern France 

  • Eastern Front - found along German-Russian border 

trench warfare

• been used in warfare before 

• machine guns and artillery made it essential 

• generally, the Germans had much better, dryer trenches, even sometimes with electricity for lights 

  • British and French spent less time on trenches believing they would only be in them temporarily 

trenches

• trenches were narrow and zigzagged to prevent mortar/artillery fire and shrapnel from traveling entire length of trench 

• they were fronted with American invention of barbed wire 

• barbed wire entangled attacking troops, making them easy target 

trench life

• trenches originally dug for temporary purposes but soon became home to soldiers for years 

• trenches consisted of mud, lice, flies, rats, decomposing bodies, and open latrines 

• standing in water led to “trench foot”, which could lead to gangrene and amputation 

no man’s land

• land between opposing armies’ trenches 

• land void of vegetation and covered in craters from artillery and mortar shells 

Christmas 1914

• on stretches of Western Front on Christmas Day, British and Germans call a truce 

• play soccer 

• trade tobacco, food, uniform buttons 

• generals on both sides become furious when they learn of this and make sure it never happens again 

module 8 : WWI part 2

section 1 - technology in the great war

1914-1918

machine guns

• early models were often heavy and required 4-6 operators 

  • used defensively 

• could fire 450-600 bullets a minute 

• cooling devices used to keep from overheating 

  • water and air systems used 

• by end of the war, smaller and more portable machine guns in use 

Maxim machine gun

• world’s 1st self powered machine gun (unlike Gatlin gun that required man power) 

artillery 

• greatly advances in WWI 

• field artillery, howitzers, and mortars all used 

• high explosive shells devastated 

Big Bertha 

• German siege howitzer 

• some of the largest artillery pieces ever made 

tanks 

• armored cars used in first years of war 

• tanks 1st introduced by the British in 1916 after being built in secret 

  • Germany is slow to adopt tanks due to believing they are ineffective 

• had limited range, very slow, would often break down 

airships (blimps / zeppelins)

• first created by German general Ferdinand von Zeppelin 

  • used as passenger liners before war 

  • during war used as bombers and scouts 

• used sacs filled with hydrogen gas and propellers to give it thrust 

• ultimately, they were too costly, too slow, and too easy of targets 

aircraft 

• 1st flight by airplane was in 1903 (Wright brothers) 

• first aircraft in WWI used for reconnaissance (spying)

• later began arming with rifles and later machine guns 

  • interrupter gear allowed for machine gun to be placed in front of pilot without shooting off propeller 

bombers

• the first bombs were dropped by hand and aimed with the naked eye 

• bomb sights created to improve accuracy 

• strategic bombing was inventing and the Germans were the first to bomb cities 

• Air raid sirens, bomb shelters and anti-aircraft artillery were all inventions of WWI

ace of aces

• pilots with 5 confirmed kills given title of “ace”

• greatest ace of WWI was Germany’s the “Red Baron” (Manfred Baron von Richtohofen)

• he had 80 confirmed kills 

Hermann Goering 

• began war in infantry 

• transferred to air combat forces 

• after pilot school, started scoring many victories 

  • would finish war with 22 victories 

• became leader of the Flying Circus after death of Red Baron 

• will become 2nd in charge of Nazi Germany 

gas

• Hague Convention of 1899 prohibited projectiles whose sole purpose was asphyxiating gases 

• 1st use of gas was by the French when the Germans were pushing through Belgium, the gas used was tear gas, in order to slow their advance 

• first poison gas was Chlorine gas used by the Germans 

gas masks 

• in the first uses of gas, men had to use whatever they could to protect themselves from gas 

• soon gas masks were being issued to all troops 

most feared gases

• mustard gas greatly feared because of the skin burns it created 

  • odorless, wet, and sticky, it would get on skin so soldiers had to wear covering from head to toe 

  • mustard gas caused more casualties than any other gas of WWI, with its blistering capabilities, but was rarely deadly, and required heavy exposure to kill 

• (most deadly gas) phosgene gas killed more soldiers than chlorine and mustard gas combined (85% of gas deaths) 

  • colorless, smelled like cut hay, so very difficult to detect 

Hitler gassed

• on the evening if October 13, 1918, Adolf Hitler, serving in the German army, was the victim of a British mustard gas attack at the 5th Battle of Ypres 

• he was temporarily blinded by the attack and sent to a hospital to recover 

• it is said his WWI experience with poison gas is why he never used it in WWII on the battlefield 

battleships (dreadnoughts)

• most important ship to naval combat in WWI 

• better armed class of battleship 

• dreadnought arms race between Britain and Germany 

• contrary to predictions, few important naval battles in WWI 

u-boats 

• u-boat → German submarine 

• unterseeboat - undersea boat 

• Germans used unrestricted submarine warfare during WWI 

  • this meant they would sink without warning any enemy or neutral ship found in their enemy’s waters 

section 2 - America enters the war

Woodrow Wilson

• president during WWI 1913-1921

• America declared neutrality August 4, 1914 

• campaign slogan for 2nd term in 1916 was “he kept us out of war”

Gallipoli Campaign 

• allies hoped to capture Dardanelles and Constantinople, the capital of Ottoman Empire 

  • knock Ottomans out of the war 

• after 8 grueling months of fighting, Allies retreat 

  • campaign is Allied disaster 

• only major Ottoman victory of WWI 

• Winston Churchill, who oversaw the British navy, was heavily involved in the planning 

  • his reputation was greatly damaged, and he was demoted 

  • he later resigned and became an infantry officer on the Western Front 

Lusitania 

• passenger liner sunk by German U-boat off coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915 

• 1,198 people died, including 128 U.S. citizens 

• Germans suspend unrestricted submarine warfare until 1917 after strong protests from the U.S. 

Battle of Vurdun 

• largest and longest battle of WWI fought along Western Front 

• fought between French and Germans 

• French end up victorious 

Battle of the Somme 

• fought by French and British against the Germans on the Western Front 

• on 1st day, British suffered 57,000 casualties with over 19,000 killed 

• French forces were pulled to support the Battle of Verdun, leaving British to handle Allied assault 

• battle saw 1st use of tanks 

• British end up winning battle and securing 6 miles of territory 

Zimmerman Telegraphy (February 1917)

• U.S. intercepts telegram from Germany’s foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmerman, to Mexico 

  • stated Germany would help Mexico “reconquer” lands they lost to U.S. if they would ally with Germany 

  • proved to be last straw for many Americans 

• Wilson asks Congress for declaration of war on April 2, 1917 

John “Black Jack” Pershing 

• in charge of U.S. forces on Western Front

• believed in fast and pushing attack rather than trench warfare 

• refused to allow American forces to be integrated into British and French armies 

• only general in American history (other than George Washington) to be given highest honor of General of the Armies of the United States 

draft 

• President Wilson signed the Selective Service  Act in May of 1917 

  • first national draft in American history 

  • Required all men 21 to 31 to  register fir the draft

  • men in curtain industries exempt from draft 

African Americans

• most black draftees assigned to supply units and being cooks and laborers 

• about 200,000 black soldiers serve in Europe during war 

• 2 black infantry divisions did end up seeing combat in France, but forced to serve under French commanders 

  • most famous was the Harlem Hellfighters 

Eugene Bullard 

• world’s first black fighter pilot 

• join French army in 1914 

• nickname was “the Black Swallow of Death” 

• had 2 kills 

• when America joined the war, his fellow American pilots join the U.S. army, but he was rejected on account of his race 

Eddie Rickenbacker

• was an accomplished American race car driver 

• when America enters WWI, he becomes a pilot 

• will win the Medal of Honor and be America’s greatest Ace of war with 26 victories 

Alvin York 

• deeply religious man 

• began war as a conscientious objector, but was denied and sent to France 

• the Germans in the area then surrendered to him, allowing him to capture 132 Germans after killing 20 singlehandedly 

• York was awarded the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, and several other citations for bravery 

section 3 - the Great War comes to an End 

home front 

• WWI became a total war, meaning countries devoted all their resources to the war effort

• governments took control of the economy and told factories what to produce and how much 

• unemployment was nearly obsolete as every person was put to work towards the war effort 

rationing 

• limited people to only buying small amounts of goods needed for the war effort 

  • sugar, meat, flour, butter, milk, and wheat 

  • people encouraged to grow their own food and can it 

propaganda 

• one-sided information designed to persuade, to keep up morale, and support for the war 

women 

• thousands of women took jobs in factories producing wartime weapons 

• some served on or near front lines as nurses 

• while most women leave workplace after war, they demonstrated they were capable of such work 

Russia withdraws

• by spring 1917 civil unrest over the war and food shortages forced Czar Nicholas II to step down 

• Russian Revolution breaks out and puts Vladimir Lenin in control over Russia in November 1917 

• Lenin offers Germany a truce and in March 1918 the countries sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, ending the war between the 2 and allowing Germany to only focus on Western Front 

Fourteen Points 

• written by President Wilson, outlined a plan for achieving a just and lasting peace 

the Spanish Flu 

• in spring of 1918 a flu epidemic spread across the world 

• will end up killing 20 million to 50 million people worldwide, more than will due from WWI 

Germany’s final push

• Germany knew it had to move quickly to seize victory before American troops arrived in full 

• aided by just arrived American troops, the Allies counterattack at the Second Battle of the Marne 

• the Allies gain the upper hand and began moving towards Germany 

collapse 

• Austria-Hungary calls for a ceasefire on November 4, 1918 

• in Germany soldiers mutinied, and public turned on Kaiser Wilhelm II, forcing him to step down on November 9, 1818 

• they sign an armistice, or agreement to stop fighting, on November 11, 1918 

Treaty of Versailles 

• negotiated by Allied powers, at the Palace of Versailles, with no German participation 

• France wanted to weaken Germany as much as possible 

• the “war guilt” clause said Germany was responsible for the war 

  • Germany was forced to pay reparations, payments to compensate for Allied countries war costs

  • Rhineland was turned into a demilitarized zone (DMZ) in western Germany 

  • Germany lost all African and Pacific territories

• in order to weaken Germany’s military and prevent them from beginning another war, Germany…

  • had army reduced to 100,000 men 

  • allowed no tanks 

  • not allowed an air force 

  • only allowed 6 capital naval ships 

  • allowed no u-boats (submarines) 

• Allies kept an army of occupation in Rhineland for next 15 years 

• Germans feel humiliated, war-guilt clause leaves bitterness and hatred 

• Japan and Italy given little voice and gained less land than they had hoped for 

• “War to End all Wars” has set stage for WWII

League of Nations

• Woodrow Wilson’s 14th point 

• designed to give countries a palace to resolve disputes to avoid war 

• Congress refused to ratify treaty so U.S. refused to take part in the League of Nations 

• saw limited success but ultimate failure in preventing another world war beginning in Europe