The Beginning of the War
The war began with a series of ultimatums from many countries on their competition. In addition, the mobilization of armies in attempt to protect their allies sparked rage within competing countries, as shown in the following timeline.
The Beginning of the War Timeline
28 June 1914- The assassination of archduke Francis Ferdinand
23 July 1914- Austrians issued an ultimatum to the government of Serbia, all terms were accepted except one: Austrian officials take part in any Serbian investigation of people connected to Ferdinand's assassination.
28 July 1914- After Serbia did not want to take part in all of the terms, Austria- Hungary declared war on them.
29 July 1914- Russia mobilized their troops to protect themselves and their Serbian ally from Austria- Hungary and then, Germany.
31 July 1914- German ultimatum to Russia that demanded that they cease mobilization.
1 August 1914- German government declared war on Russia and France began to mobilize.
3 August 1914- Germany declared war on France.
23 July 1914- Austrians issued an ultimatum to the government of Serbia, all terms were accepted except one: Austrian officials take part in any Serbian investigation of people connected to Ferdinand's assassination.
28 July 1914- After Serbia did not want to take part in all of the terms, Austria- Hungary declared war on them.
29 July 1914- Russia mobilized their troops to protect themselves and their Serbian ally from Austria- Hungary and then, Germany.
31 July 1914- German ultimatum to Russia that demanded that they cease mobilization.
1 August 1914- German government declared war on Russia and France began to mobilize.
3 August 1914- Germany declared war on France.
Stalemate and Trench Warfare
A stalemate is a situation in which no one can win. This was promoted by the use of trench warfare in which trenches were dug with machine guns continuously shooting. The area between opposing trenches was known as "no man's-land." Infantry charges across these trenches became suicide missions, and it greatly frustrated the advances of soldiers. In addition, the stalemate was also caused by the similar amount of ammunition owned by the different countries in the war and strength of the armies, that made it harder for one country to get the upper hand.
Life in the Trenches: Quotes from the soldiers
"To give a recipe for getting a rough idea, in case you want to, I recommend the following procedure. Select a flat ten-acre ploughed field, so sited that all the surface water of the surrounding country drains into it. Now cut a zig-zag slot about four feet deep and three feet wide diagonally across, dam off as much water as you can so as to leave about one hundred yards of squelchy mud; delve out a hole at one side of the slot, then endeavour to live there for a month on bully beef and damp biscuits, whilst a friend has instructions to fire at you with his Winchester every time you put your head above the surface."
-Bruce Bairnsfather
“It was 9 a.m. and the so-called trench was full of corpses and all sorts of equipment. We stood and sat on bodies as if they were stones or logs of wood. Nobody worried if one had its head stuck through or torn off, or a third had gory bones sticking out through its torn coat. And outside the trench one could see them lying in every kind of position. There was one quite young little chap, a Frenchman, sitting in a shell-hole, with his rifle on his arm and his head bent forward, but he was holding his hands as if to protect himself, in front of his chest in which there was a deep bayonet wound. And so they lay, in all their different positions, mostly Frenchman, with their heads battered in by blows from mallets and even spades, and all around rifles, equipment of all kinds and any number of kepis. The 154th had fought like furies in their attack, to revenge themselves for the shellfire."
-August Hope
The duckboard track was constantly shelled, and in places a hundred yards of it had been blown to smithereens. It was better to keep off the track when walking back and forth, but then a man had to make his way sometimes through very heavy mud…..wet snow had begun to fall, which turned into rain and some parts of the land were soon a bog of mud to get drowned in.”
-Frank Richards
“A good standing trench was about six foot deep, so that a man could walk upright during the day in safety from rifle-fire. In each bay of the trench we constructed fire-steps about two feet higher than the bottom of the trench, which enabled us to stand head and shoulders above the parapet. During the day we were working in reliefs, and we would snatch an hour’s sleep, when we could, on a wet and muddy fire-step, wet through to the skin ourselves."
-Bruce Bairnsfather
"A heap of five corpses lay just this side of the barrier; we were constantly having to tread on them to try to squash them down in the mud, because, in consequence of the gunfire, we couldn’t get them out of the trench. Our feelings gradually became quite blunted.”
-Frank Richards
-Bruce Bairnsfather
“It was 9 a.m. and the so-called trench was full of corpses and all sorts of equipment. We stood and sat on bodies as if they were stones or logs of wood. Nobody worried if one had its head stuck through or torn off, or a third had gory bones sticking out through its torn coat. And outside the trench one could see them lying in every kind of position. There was one quite young little chap, a Frenchman, sitting in a shell-hole, with his rifle on his arm and his head bent forward, but he was holding his hands as if to protect himself, in front of his chest in which there was a deep bayonet wound. And so they lay, in all their different positions, mostly Frenchman, with their heads battered in by blows from mallets and even spades, and all around rifles, equipment of all kinds and any number of kepis. The 154th had fought like furies in their attack, to revenge themselves for the shellfire."
-August Hope
The duckboard track was constantly shelled, and in places a hundred yards of it had been blown to smithereens. It was better to keep off the track when walking back and forth, but then a man had to make his way sometimes through very heavy mud…..wet snow had begun to fall, which turned into rain and some parts of the land were soon a bog of mud to get drowned in.”
-Frank Richards
“A good standing trench was about six foot deep, so that a man could walk upright during the day in safety from rifle-fire. In each bay of the trench we constructed fire-steps about two feet higher than the bottom of the trench, which enabled us to stand head and shoulders above the parapet. During the day we were working in reliefs, and we would snatch an hour’s sleep, when we could, on a wet and muddy fire-step, wet through to the skin ourselves."
-Bruce Bairnsfather
"A heap of five corpses lay just this side of the barrier; we were constantly having to tread on them to try to squash them down in the mud, because, in consequence of the gunfire, we couldn’t get them out of the trench. Our feelings gradually became quite blunted.”
-Frank Richards
The Battle of Ypres
The battle of Ypres began on June 7, 1917, just outside of Ypres, Belgium. The British general, Douglas Haig, envisioned the war as an easy battle against German forces, but it turned out to be just the opposite. Three months later, men, equipment and animals were swallowed up into the mud.
The Battle of Verdun
The battle of Verdun was fought in the city of Verdun in France. The war began in mid-February of 1916 and ended in December. It was fought in a series of small, local battles. The battle killed about 300,000 French and Germans and wounded 750,000.
Weapons
Mustard gas- Mustard gas was known as the most unconventional weapon used by German forces. It was a liquid agent that turned into a yellow gas when it mixes with air. The gruesome effects set in after several hours. The gas rotted the body inside and out. It blistered the skin, damaged the eyes, stripped the mucous membrane and attacked the bronchial tubes. The victims usually died within four to five weeks, were found in excruciating pain, and had to be strapped down to their beds.
Tanks- The British introduced tanks to the war in 1915. These tanks were used by the allies to break down defensive trenches and restore fighting. The tank had short- term success, but it did not produce a long- term advantage.
Airplanes- Airplanes entered the war in 1914. It could not carry the heavy weapons that needed to be used. It was used as an attempt to prevent the enemy from performing aerial reconnaissance, that led to highly glamorized aerial combat.