War in Europe

CEF

• Canadians served overseas as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF)

• In 1915 Julian Byng, a British General, commanded the Canadian Corps

• In 1917 Arthur Currie (Canadian Lieutenant-General) became commander of the Corps

CEF

• This was the first time that the British gave up command to a Canadian

• Byng and Currie made sure that the Canadians would fight together as one unit

• The creation of the CEF strengthened the unity of Canadian soldiers, and gave Canadians at home a feeling of pride

Stalemate

• Germany moved into Belgium and then invaded France

• Germany attacked with all it forces against the French east of Paris, but was stopped at the Battle of Marne

• Because Germany was stopped here, a two-front war was about to begin

Stalemate

Germany is heading towards Paris

German Troops pushed back by Britain and France

Stalemate

• Germany could not advance, and the British and French could not push the Germans back

• As a result both sides dug trenches (ditches) to protect their troops

• They had reached a stalemate

• In most areas of the Western Front the lines of trenches moved very little over the next 3 years

Stalemate

Stalemate

Trench Warfare

• Because planes were not modern enough, and tanks had not been developed at the start of the war, trench warfare was the main war tactic

• Trenches were usually 400 metres apart

• Gave soldiers protection from enemy fire, but were not safe from bomb (artillery) attacks

Trench Warfare

Trench Warfare

• Some were very elaborate and complicated

• Others were just muddy ditches, filled with rotting victims of the war

• Rats, lice, and many diseases were common

Trench Warfare

Trench System

Trench System

Trench Warfare

• Between the enemy trenches was an area called ‘no man’s land’

• Wasteland of corpses, barbed wire, and mud.

Trench Warfare

• Whenever soldiers detected movement in enemy territory, they fired rifles and machine guns across no man’s land

• The Canadian Ross Rifle was not very useful during trench warfare, since it jammed easily in the dirt and mud

Trench Warfare

• When officers ordered an advance, this meant “going over the top” of the trench and into no man’s land, fully exposed to enemy fire

• Machine guns could fire 500 to 1000 shots per minute and made defense easy

• Both side had hundreds of these guns set up in defensive positions, making entry into ‘no man’s land’ almost guaranteed death

“Going over the top”

• When infantry climbed over the top of the trench and entered into no man’s land Going Over the Top

Trench Warfare

• The use of the machine gun was the main reason why the Western Front became a 3 year long stalemate

• Sometimes troops managed to capture the enemy’s front line

• But each side had a reserve trench (further back) that they could move back into

Trench Warfare

• When pushed back, barbed wire was stretched across the new area of ‘no mans land’

• This tactic lead to a gain or loss of only a few metres of land, but thousands of soldiers would be killed during the process

Trench Warfare

• Soldiers fought, ate, and slept in the trenches

• They froze in the snow, and sometimes trenches were filled waist-deep with icy water

• Entire units of troops were killed by epidemics of fever or the flu because men could go weeks and even months without washing

Trench Warfare

Trench Warfare

• Sometimes men came down with trench foot, which caused their feet to swell to three times their normal size

• Trench Foot

Battles of Attrition

• As a result of trench warfare, it was impossible for one side to dominate or win a battle

• Battles became known as Battles of Attrition (grinding or wearing down)

• For the first 3 years, both sides tried to wear each other down and outlast the other

Battles of Attrition

• The reason WW1 became a series of battles of attrition, was that the defensive weapons were superior to the weapons used for attack

• Machine guns firing hundreds of rounds (bullets) per minute made frontal attack suicidal

Total War

• In total war all of the resources of a nation are organized for one purpose – to win the war

• Some people now believed that the home front was just as important as the front lines

• The home front was responsible for production, enlisting troops, finance, and organization

Total War• A nation’s ability to pay for and produce goods

for such a huge war was very important

• A nation was now responsible for providing for the troops so they could win the war

• Most countries introduced conscription (compulsory military service) when casualty lists became huge

Total War

• Industries were changed to mass produce war materials, instead of consumer and domestic goods

• War bonds (a method for citizens to loan money to their government) were sold to the public and income tax was first introduced

Total War• Women took non-traditional jobs to fill jobs

vacated by men as they enlisted or were conscripted

• Even children were used to collect scrap metal to help production

Total War

New Technology for WW1

• Machine guns - troops could fire more shots in much shorter amount of time

• Airplanes - could fly over battlefields to spy on enemy lines and fire with machine guns

• Armoured tanks - break through barbed wire and protective walls in front of trenches

New Technology for WW1

Impact of Technology on the Battlefield

• Tanks– Used for the first time in the Battle of Somme– Could cross no-man’s land because they were

heavily armoured and machine guns could not cause damage

– Could roll over barbed wire– Many historians agree that tanks were a major

reason for the Allied victory in 1918

Impact of Technology on the Battlefield

• Poison Gas– Used for the first time in the Battle of Ypres– German troops pushed hoses into no man’s land

and pushed out poisonous chlorine gas towards Canadians and French troops

– Chlorine gas caused blindness, destroyed soldiers lungs, and eventually troops choked to death

– Before gas masks were available soldiers were told to urinate on a cloth and hold it over their noses

Gas Attacks

Impact of Technology on the Battlefield

• Machine Guns– Most efficient way of killing troops who went into

no-man’s land– Machine guns and artillery fire killed the most

people during the war

Impact of Technology on the Battlefield

• Submarines– Torpedoes from submarines could sink large ships– Torpedoes were fired underwater at enemy ships– Main role of German ships was destroying

merchant ships supplying Britain with war materials

– Germany wanted to starve Britain into submission

Submarine

Impact of Technology on the Battlefield

• Airplanes– WW1 planes were usually flown by one pilot and

could only stay airborne for an hour (needed gas)– Unarmed airplanes were sent behind enemy lines

to look at positioning– When both sides sent airplanes into the air,

‘dogfights’ happened between rival pilots