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What does the First World War reveal? (What do the soldiers of the First…
What does the First World War reveal?
How likely was War?
Great Britain
Own 1/3 of planet. Strongest navy
Friendly with Germany
Afraid France and Russia will attack you and steal land
France
Second largest Empire. Strong
Hate Germany and afraid of Britain
Friendly with Russia, hope they will be your ally
Russia
Largest country/power. However the weakest. Poor
Friendly with German as leaders are cousins. Becoming friendly with France
Don't like Austria and are scared of Britain
Germany
Fearful of France as Germany attacked it in 1870
Friendly with Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Large empire. Rule of 11 nationalities. 500 years old
Afraid of Empire breaking up and of Russia
Very friendly with Germany. They are your best friends
The outbreak of War
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
June 28th 1914
Black Hand Gang
Sarajevo
Countries affected
Austria launches investigation
Reveals its Serbia and launches war on them
Russia panics gets army ready
Germany launches war on them
France panics gets army ready. Germany also launches war on them
Germany invade Belgium
Battles of the first World War
Weaponry
Cavalry had been main weapon use for 3000 years
First World War proved that the age of Cavalry was over. It was simply too dangerous for cavalry
In the battle of Mons German machine guns decimated British cavalry
Advanced weaponry was taking over eg. artillery guns and machine guns
Trenches
Were a way of keeping out of enemy fire
Horrible place to live and fight. Filled with water and waste.
No privacy. Rats. Dead bodies
Germany first ones who decided to build trenches. Built them after their defeat at the Battle of Marne
What do the soldiers of the First World War reveal
India
1.5 million men fought in WW1
Punjabi and Sikh troops recruited in large numbers
Indian troops arrived in France in 1914 and fought at the first Battle of Ypres.
Were present in the Battle of Somme and helped defeat Germany
Indian troops also fought the Germans in East Africa and against the Turks in the Middle East.
In total, 800,000 Indian troops fought in the war with 700,000 in support roles. I47,746 were classed as killed or missing with 65,000 wounded.
South Africa
South Africa raised a force of over 100,000 troops
By 1917 the South Africans had defeated the Germans and forced them out of British lands.
30,000 men were sent overseas who fought alongside the British in the trenches of Western Europe.
21,000 South Africans went to Europe to provide logistical support
Gurkhas (Nepal)
More than 200,000 Gurkhas volunteered to join the British Army during World War I.
Gurkhas fought alongside New Zealanders and Australians at Gallipoli in Turkey against the Turks in Iraq and Palestine.
The Gurkhas lost approximately 20,000
Canada
600,000 Canadians fought in World War One
60,000 killed and 170,000 wounded.
Canadian forces fought in Europe for almost the entire war. They first arrived in 1914 and fought in every major battle for the first two years.
Canada’s finest hour came in 1918 when they fought in the battle that turned the tide of the war in Britain’s favour, the Battle of Amiens.
Britain
At the start of the war the British army was relatively small- containing 250,000 men
By the end of the war around 6.5 million British men served in the army. Around 1 million men were killed.
During the early battles, the British army lost huge numbers of men, so the British government was forced to try and recruit large numbers of men.
British forces mainly fought in the trenches of the Western Front, where they fought battles like Somme, Ypres and Passchendaele. British forces were also sent to fight at Gallipoli in Turkey and in Iraq and Palestine.
New Zealand
120,000 men from New Zealand fought during the war.
5% of all men were killed during the war.
The first New Zealanders to be recruited were sent to Europe, where they fought in the trenches alongside British forces.