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Europe Plunges Into War (3. The Battle on the Eastern Front (Russia…

- - - - The war on the east was more mobile than the war on the west side.
        
        Why might the war on the Eastern Front have been more mobile than that on a Western Front?
        
        A: The Eastern Front was more mobile because it was a greater stretch of land and stretched across the Russian-German border
      - Why was the Western Front the main point for most battles?
  - - - A: Russia was not industrialized, therefor they suffered from food shortage, guns, ammunition, clothes.
    - - As the war raged on, fighting spread beyond Europe and Africa, as well as to Southwest and Southeast Asia.
        
        The Russian army suffered a staggering number of battlefield losses, But the army continually rebuilt its ranks from the country's enormous population.
        
        The allied supply shipments to Russia were limited by German control of the Baltic Sea, combines with Germany's relentless submarine campaign.
        
        Russian forces defeated the Austrians twice in September 1914. As they drove deep into their country.
        
        How did the Russian army defeat Austria with little to no supplies?
        
        Russia was yet to be industrialized, they were short on food, guns, ammunition, clothes, boots and blankets.
        
        Read about rationing
        
        Continuity
        
        Austria came back and managed to turn the tide. Austria defeated the Russians and eventually pushed them out of Austria-Hungary.
        
        Asian Conflicts
      - War
  - - - More then 3,000 Russian soldiers were killed.
      - While that four day battle occurred, the Germans crushed the invading Russian army and drove it into full retreat.
      - Battle of Tannenberg
- - - - The plan included attacking and defeating France in the west then heading east to Russia. They could easily do this because of their great railroad system.
        
        Question: Why did Germany attack France first? Answer: France would supply the lines faster than Russia because of the advanced railroad system
        
        Invasion
      - Schlieffen Plan
      - Conflict
    - - After 4 days of fighting, the German army ordered a retreat. This battle was the most important of the war because they ruined the Schlieffen plan.
        
        After the battle of the Marne, German generals turned their soldiers to the west to fight the Russians.
        
        Question: After expending troops, how will they defeat the Russians?
        
        Self-interest
        
        "Taxis saving the Germans"
        
        Question: If the Schlieffen plan succeeded, where would we have been today? How would this have changed WW2?
  - - - Western Front
      - Question: Why couldn't Russia have pushed in sooner to crush the Germans?
  - - - In early 1915, opposing armies on the Western front started to dig miles of parallel trenches to protect themselves. This was the start of Trench Warfare.
        
        Trench Warfare = A type of warfare where soldiers would fight one another from trenches. It would bring a high death count and small land gains.
        
        Continuity
        
        Living in a trench was very difficult.
        
        Men slept in mud
        
        Trenches were full of rats
        
        Sleep was nearly impossible and fresh food was nonexistant
        
        Question: Do you think you could survive life in the trenches? Why?
        
        Life in a WW1 Trench
        
        Patterns
        
        "No mans land" = The space between the trenches that was named 'no mans land' because no one owned it.
        
        When generals ordered an attack, men went over the top of the trenches and were met by murderous rounds of machine gun fire.
        
        If you stayed in the trenches, you would be attacked by artillery fire that would be aimed toward the trenches.
        
        More about "No Mans Land"
        
        Question: Why do you think generals would send soldiers over "No Mans Land" knowing that they would be shot at by machine guns?
        
        Invasion
        
        The Western Front had become a "terrain of death" and stretched 500 miles from the North Sea to the Swiss Border.
        
        Many new weapons were being developed and would kill greater numbers of people more effectively
        
        Machine gun: fires ammunition automatically and could wipe out waves of attackers
        
        Poison Gas: Caused blindness, severe blisters, and death by choking. Started the development of the gas mask.
        
        Armored tanks: Armored vehicle that could cross many types of terrain
        
        Larger Artillery: Killed large amounts of people in the trenches
        
        Question: Do you think WW1 would've been different without all of the new technology developed? How so?
        
        Weapons of WW1
        
        In 1916, the slaughter reached a peak.
        
        In February 1916, the Germans launched a huge attack on the French near Verdun. Each side lost 300,000+ men.
        
        In July 1916, the British tried to relieve the pressure on the British and attacked the Germans NW of Verdun, in the valley of the Somme River.
        
        4 more items...
        
        More about the Western Front WW1
        
        Question: Why were land gains so small? Answer: Land gains with trench warfare were very small because they would be fighting closer together.