The Great War 19141918

1

• The Great War 1914-1918

• By Randy B

2

• World War 1 Causes

• World War I was immediately precipitated by the
  assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of
  Austria-Hungary by a Serbian nationalist in 1914.
  Germany invades Belgium then England declared war
  on Germany because England was allied with
  Belgium. Germany declared war on Russia because
  Russia was allied with Serbia. Then Germany
  declared war on France because France was allied
  with England.

3

• The Battle Of The Marne

• In the first battle (Sept. 6-9, 1914) the German
  advance on Paris was halted at the Marne by the
  Allies. The German retreat that followed
  signified the abandonment of the Schlieffen plan.
  According to the plan, Germany could solve the
  problem of war on two fronts by first defeating
  France in a lightning campaign and then throwing
  its full weight against Russia.

4

• THE BATTLE OF YPRES

• The second battle began on Apr. 22, 1915, when
  the Germans, using poison gas for the first time
  in the war, launched another massive assault on
  the salient at Ypres. The attack was unsuccessful
  and was broken off in May.

5

• The Lusitania

• The Lusitania was a British cargo and passenger
  ship that was torpedoed and sank due to German
  submarine activity in May of 1915. The Lusitania
  shows evidence that she may have been torpedoed a
  second or even a third time - but the second,
  most destructive. The ship sank within twenty
  minutes of when she was hit and took with her
  1,201 people - and left only 764 to be saved by
  those who responded to her SOS. This was
  considered most dramatic incident in the
  conflicts over German submarine warfare.

6

• The Battle Of Verdun

• The German attack on Verdun started on 21st
  February 1916. A million German troops, led by
  Crown Prince Wilhelm, faced only about 200,000
  French defenders. The following day the French
  was forced to retreat to their second line of
  trenches. Of the 330 infantry regiments of the
  French Army, 259 eventually fought at Verdun.

7
The German Advance On Verdun

• The German advance was brought to a halt at the
  end of February .The Germans advanced 3km before
  they were stopped in front of the area around
  Mort Homme Hill. The French held this strategic
  point until it was finally secured by the Germans
  on 29th May, and Fort Vaux fell on 7th June,
  after a long siege. Further attacks continued
  throughout the summer and early autumn.

8
The French Counter-Attack Of Verdun

• The French now counter-attacked and General
  Charles Mangin became a national hero when the
  forts at Douaumont and Vaux were recaptured by
  2nd November, 1916. Over the next six weeks the
  French infantry gained another 2km at Verdun.
• Verdun, the longest battle of the First
  World War, ended on the 18th December. The French
  Army lost about 550,000 men at Verdun. It is
  estimated that the German Army suffered 434,000
  casualties. About half of all casualties at
  Verdun were killed.

9

• The Battle Of Somme

• July 1 - November 28, 1916 .The Battle of the
  Somme was planned as a joint French and British
  operation. The idea originally came from the
  French Commander-in-Chief, Joseph Joffre and was
  accepted by General Sir Douglas Haig, the British
  Expeditionary Force. Haig used 750,000 men (27
  divisions) against the German front-line (16
  divisions).

10
The Somme Offensive

• Germans were able to exploit their good defensive
  positions on higher ground when the British and
  French troops attacked at 7.30 on the morning of
  the 1st July. The BEF suffered 58,000 casualties
  (a third of them killed), therefore making it the
  worse day in the history of the British Army.
  With the winter weather deteriorating Haig now
  brought an end to the Somme offensive. Since the
  1st July, the British had suffered 420,000
  casualties. The French lost nearly 200,000 and it
  is estimated that German casualties were in the
  region of 500,000.

11

• The Battle Of Jutland

• The Battle of Jutland fought between the British
  Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet in
  1916, was the largest surface naval battle of all
  time, the only major fleet action of World War 1.
  In May 1916 Scheer decided that he would take on
  the might of the British Navy. As a bait, Scheer
  ordered Admiral Franz von Hipper and 40 ships to
  begin a sweep along the Danish coast. When he
  heard the news, Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, who
  was at Rosyth, gave instructions for the Grand
  Fleet to put to sea.

12
English Joining up

• Meanwhile, Admiral Sir David Beatty, and 52 ships
  had left Scarpa Flow in the Orkneys and were on
  the way to join Admiral Jellicoe and the Grand
  Fleet. Beatty came into contact with Admiral
  Franz von Hipper and his 40 ships. The two fleets
  opened fire at a range of 15 kilometers. The hazy
  visibility created problems for both sides but
  the position of the sun gave a significant
  advantage to the German captains.
•  

13
Losses Of The Battle Of Jutland

• The British Navy lost 3 battle cruisers, 3
  cruisers and 8 destroyers (6,100 casualties).
• The German Navy lost 1 battleship, 1 battle
  cruiser, 4 light cruisers and 3 destroyers (2,550
  casualties).

14
The Zimmerman Note

• The Zimmerman note was a agreement with Mexico in
  their involvement in WW1. On the first of
  February we intend to begin submarine warfare
  unrestricted. In spite of this, it is our
  intention to endeavor to keep neutral the United
  States of America. If this attempt is not
  successful, we propose an alliance on the
  following basis with Mexico That we shall make
  war together and together make peace. We shall
  give general financial support, and it is
  understood that Mexico is to reconquer the lost
  territory in New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona.

15
The U.S. Entrance In WW1

• When war erupted in 1914, the United States
  attempted to remain neutral and was a proponent
  for the rights of neutral states. In 1916
  President Wilson took a stronger stance toward
  foreign affairs by increasing the size of the
  military and issuing a warning to the Germans.
  The Germans responded by temporally ceasing
  submarine warfare until 1917.

16
Why Did The U.S. Enter

• In an attempt to eliminate the threat of American
  involvement in Europe, Foreign Minister Alfred
  Zimmerman attempted to provoke Mexico and Japan
  into attacking the United States with the promise
  of German assistance after the European front was
  conquered. Due primarily to submarine warfare and
  the Zimmerman note, President Wilson asked
  Congress for permission to go to war, and on
  April 6, 1917, Congress officially declared it.

17

• The Battle Of Ypres Again

• The battle of Ypres, began on July 31, 1917, and
  continued until November. The British sought to
  break the German line, but, bogged down by mud
  and rain, they advanced only 5 mi at a cost of
  310,000 lives. The British and the French was
  attacked by mustard gas and chlorine gas during
  this battle.

18

• Its Finally over

• November 11, 1918 World War I ends. Central
  Powers are forced to annul the Brest-Litovsk
  Treaty. Which means terms of the armistice
  between Germany and the Allied powers. Russia
  suffered massive land loss due to this treaty.

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• Aftermath of World War 1

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• THE END