WORLD WAR ITHREE MAJOR BATTLES

THE BATTLE OF THE MARNETHE BATTLE OF VERDUN

THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME

GERMANY’S TWO FRONT PROBLEM

• GERMANY HAD ALWAYS FEARED HAVING TO FIGHT A TWO FRONT WAR, ON BOTH ITS WESTERN BORDER WITH FRANCE AND ITS EASTERN BORDER WITH RUSSIA

• TWO DEAL WITH THIS SCENARIO, FROM 1897-1905, THE GERMANY ARMY WORKED ON A PLAN.

• THE PLAN BECAME KNOWN AS THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN

THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN

• WWI WAS THE EXACT SCENARIO THE GERMANS HAD FEARED – WAR WITH BOTH FRANCE AND RUSSIA AT THE SAME TIME.

• THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN CALLED FOR THE GERMANS TO DEFEAT FRANCE FIRST, IN 42 DAYS, AND THEN TURN EVERYTHING AGAINST RUSSIA.

HOW THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN WOULD WORK

• THE GERMANS WOULD ATTACK FRANCE ALONG A LONG EXTENDED FRONT RUNNING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH ALONG THE FRENCH AND GERMAN BORDER.

• THE NORTHERN SECTION, OR RIGHT FLANK OF THE GERMAN ARMY, WOULD BE THE STRONGEST.

• THE RIGHT FLANK WOULD CUT THROUGH NEUTRAL BELGIUM, WHICH WOULD NOT BE DEFENDED.

HOW THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN WOULD WORK

• THE STRONG RIGHT FLANK WOULD HEAD WEST, TOWARD THE COAST, THEN TURN SOUTH, IN A GIANT WHEEL MOTION, AND ENVELOPE PARIS AND THE BULK OF THE FRENCH ARMY FROM BEHIND.

FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE

• SEPT. 5 – SEPT. 12, 1914• FRENCH AND BRITISH FOUGHT THE GERMANS• 2,000,000 MEN TOTAL ON BOTH SIDES• GERMANS WERE ONLY A DAY’S MARCH AWAY

FROM PARIS, BUT DEVIATED FROM THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN.

• THE GERMAN COMMANDER TURNED HIS RIGHT FLANK TO THE SOUTHEAST HOPING TO CAPTURE THE BULK OF THE RETREATING FRENCH ARMY.

FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE

• WHEN THE GERMANS TURNED SOUTHEAST, THEY NOW EXPOSED THEIR RIGHT FLANK TO FRENCH COUNTERATTACK.

• FRENCH RESERVE TROOPS WERE RUSHED UP OVERNIGHT FROM PARIS IN TAXI CABS.

• THE FRENCH COUNTER ATTACK AGAINST THE GERMANS DROVE THEM BACK, AND SAVED PARIS FROM GERMAN CAPTURE.

FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE

FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE

FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE

FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE

FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE

• IT WAS A HUGE VICTORY AND GAVE MORAL SUPPORT TO THE FRENCH.

• IT LEAD TO 4 YEARS OF STALEMATE AND TRENCH WARFARE.

• 250,000 FRENCH CASUALTIES• 17,000 BRITISH CASUALTIES• 220,000 GERMAN CASUALTIES

THE BATTLE OF VERDUN

• FEB. 21 – 18 DEC. 1916 • BIGGEST BATTLE IN HISTORY• THE GERMAN PLAN WAS TO “BLEED THE

FRENCH, WHITE.”• THE GERMANS ATTACKED THE FORTIFIED

CITY OF VERDUN ON THE MEUSE RIVER.• VERDUN WAS SURROUNDED BY A SERIES OF

LARGE AND SMALL UNDERGROUND FORTS.

THE BATTLE OF VERDUN

• GERMANS TOOK MOST OF THE FORTS, BUT COULD NOT BREAK THE FRENCH LINE AND TAKE THE CITY.

• THE FRENCH FINALLY TOOK BACK ALL THE GROUND THE GERMANS HAD SEIZED.

• 1,100,000 FRENCH SOLDIERS – 362,000 KILLED• 1,200,000 GERMANS SOLDIERS – 336,000 KILLED• 976,000 TOTAL CASUALTIES

THE BATTLE OF VERDUN

THE BATTLE OF VERDUN

THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME

• JULY 1 TO NOV. 18 1916.• BIGGEST BATTLE IN BRITISH HISTORY• BRITISH ATTACKED GERMAN TRENCHES

NEAR THE SOMME RIVER IN NORTHERN FRANCE

• MORE THAN 60,000 BRITISH CASUALTIES ON THE FIRST DAY!

THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME

• 15TH OF SEPT. THE DEBUT OF THE NEW BRITISH WEAPON – THE TANK

• WHEN THE BATTLE WAS OVER, THE BRITISH HAD CAPTURED 7 MILES OF GROUND.

• 1,200,000 BRITISH SOLDIERS – 623,907 CASUALTIES• 1,375,000 GERMANS SOLDIERS – 465,000

CASUALTIES• 2 CASUALTIES FOR EVERY CENTIMETER OF

GROUND TAKEN

THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME

THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME

THE GREATEST WEAPON OF WWI?

BRITISH RIFLE – SHORT MAGAZINE LEE ENFIELD SMLE FOR SHORT – NICKNAMED “SMELLY”.

British soldiers were trained to shoot 20-30 rounds andhit a target at 300 yds. in less than one minute. This was known

as the, “Mad Minute.” The record was 37 hits in one minute. The gun only held10 bullets, so this meant the British soldier had to reload 2-3 times. The British could firethe SMLE so rapidly, that when the Germans first encountered it, they thought the British

had machine guns!