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The Western Front

Explore the causes of World War I, the Western Front in France, key commanders like Ludendorff and Joffre, the 1914 game of maneuvers, static warfare in 1915, and the debate between Westerners and Easterners. Witness the chain reaction of events leading to the Great War and experience the changing tactics and technologies that shaped the conflict.

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The Western Front

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  1. The Western Front Kyle Anderson (Brooks 1).

  2. Starting World War I • Causes • Imperial Movement • Scramble for territory and power caused tension among the great powers: Britain, Germany, France, Austria-Hungary, and Russia (Wilde 2). • Nationalist Movement • The wishes of independence of small countries in the Balkans and the feelings of superiority of large powers created tension (Wilde 2). • The Assassination • Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary is assassinated by a Serbian Nationalist and Austria-Hungary blames Serbia (Wilde 2) • The Chain Reaction • June 28 – Archduke Ferdinand is Assassinated • July 28 – Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia • July 29– Russia mobilizes to help Serbia • August 1 – Germany declares war on Russia • August 3 – Germany declares war on France • August 4 – Germany invades Belgium; Britain declares war on Germany (Wilde 3).

  3. Commanders Erich Ludendorff (Binder). • Germany • Chiefs of Staff • Helmuth von Moltke; until Sep, 1914 (“Who’s Who – Helmuth Von Moltke”). • Erich von Falkenhayn; until Aug, 1916 (“Who’s Who – Erich Von Falkenhayn”). • Paul von Hindenburg (“Who’s Who – Paul Von Hindenburg”). • Quartermaster General Erich Ludendorff (“Who’s Who – Erich Ludendorff”). • France • Commander-in-Chiefs • Joseph Joffre; until Dec, 1916 (“Who’s Who – Joseph Joffre”). • Robert Nivelle; until May, 1917 (“Who’s Who – Robert Nivelle”). • Henri-Philippe Petain; until May, 1918 (“Who’s Who – Henri-Philippe Petain”). • Ferdinand Foch (“Who’s Who – Ferdinand Foch”). • Britain • Commander-in-Chiefs of B.E.F. • Sir John French; until Dec, 1915 (“Who’s Who – Sir Douglas Haig”). • Sir Douglas Haig (“Who’s Who – Sir Douglas Haig”). • United States • Commander of AEF • John Pershing (“Who’s Who – John Pershing”). • Chief of Staff of AEF • James Harbord (“Who’s Who – James Harbord”). Ferdinand Foch (Simonds). John J. Pershing (Harris & Erwing, Inc.). Douglas Haig (Douglas Haig).

  4. “Over by Christmas” • Expectations • A short and decisive war was expected • All other wars before then had been conducted with short spurts of decisive victories • However, new technologies lade the groundwork for the power to be in the hands of the defense (“Weapons of War – Machine Guns”). • Christmas of 1914 • Soldiers had a truce for Christmas in 1914 but this level of chivalry would not be shown in the remaining years of the war (RagLinen).

  5. The Western Front • War in France • The Western Front is the term given to the theatre of World War I in Northern France and Belgium • Combatants • Germany fought against Britain, France, Belgium (for a time) and later the United States Initial German Push into France and Belgium (Stabilization of Western Front).

  6. Plans for War • Germany • Schlieffen Plan • The German Plan was to sweep through Belgium, round southward into France, and cut off the French Army • It was to be implemented by Chief of Staff Moltke ("Animated Map: The Western Front, 1914 - 1918”). • Allies: France and the British Expeditionary Force) • Plan XVII • French Plan to sweep through Belgium • Plan is not implemented because the French government would not disrespect the Belgian Neutrality (Wilde 4). • The Actual Course • France ended up sending most of their troops South to recapture Alsace-Lorraine (Wilde 4).

  7. 1914 – Game of Maneuvers • German Advance • Moltke follows the Schlieffen Plan • Germans sweep through Belgium • Come within Artillery range of Paris • Advance stops when Moltke pulls troops out to the Eastern Front • French Advance • Joffre sends troops to attack Alsace-Lorraine • These troops are pulled up to defend Paris (Wilde 4). (German Advance).

  8. 1914 – Race to the Sea • Halt of Advance • The Germans could advance no further and were pushed back by French reinforcements from Alsace-Lorraine • The British Expeditionary Force ,BEF, and Germany started their “Race to the Sea” as they created battle lines which ended between Calais and Ostend (Wilde 4). (Race to the Sea).

  9. 1915 – Static Warfare • Trench Warfare • The exhausted Germans entrenched themselves at the end of 1914 and the allies created temporary trenches • New Techniques • Battle of Neuve-Chapelle • Teaches commanders that bombardments can break through enemy lines • Second Battle of Ypres • Germans use Chlorine Gas which is the first of the War (Wilde 4). Battle of Neuve-Chapelle (Indian Troops Charging German Positions at Neuve-Chapelle).

  10. Easterners versus Westerners • The Debate • After the stalemate of late 1914 and early 1915, allied commanders began to become divided over which theatre of war would win the war • Westerners • Believed that a breakthrough could be made on the Western Front • Easterners • Believed that the allies should invade through the “Soft Underbelly” of Southern Europe (Wilde 4).

  11. Life in the Trenches • “Trench Cycle” • Two weeks on the front lines • One week in support lines • Two weeks in reserve • One week of rest • Routine Living • Went through inspection at dawn • Mostly for the trench foot infection • Making repairs and digging fortifications • Death • Death by Artillery Shells • Death by a sniper • Death from battle • Death from Disease • Rats fed off of the rotting flesh and the troops supplies • Lice caused men to itch always and caused Trench Fever • Smell • Rotting Flesh • Human Waste • Smell of Disinfectants • Smell of battle smoke and poison-gas (“LIFE IN THE TRENCHES”). A British Trench (Brooks 2).

  12. 1916 – The War of Attrition • 1915 • This second year of the war was indecisive and led the commanders to rethink their strategy • The new German Chief of Staff Erich von Falkenhayn began the war attrition which would force the soldiers to loose heart in their cause; Falkenhayn said of France “Bleed it Dry” • Battle of Verdun • Germans lead an attack on the French fortress region of Verdun to inflict mass casualties • However, Germany cannot sustain the pressure when they are suddenly attacked at the Somme • Falkenhayn is replaced by Hindenburg after his failure at Verdun • Battle of the Somme • Allies mass a huge assault near the river Somme • The battle begins with a huge artillery barrage which mangles up the barb wire and sets the stage for one of the bloodiest battles of the war (Wilde 4). Map of Battle of the Somme (Battle of the Somme Progress).

  13. 1917 – New German Plan • Hindenburg Line • The German pull back to a newly built and heavily fortified line called the Hindenburg line and give 1000 square miles of land back to the allies • Nivelle Offensive • Joffre is replaced by Nivelle who had just come from victory at Verdun • The Offensive • Nivelle concentrates a great deal of artillery on the Hindenburg line but only creates a larger mess of the German Lines • There is early success but the troops loose heart and began to mutiny (Wilde 4).

  14. 1917 – Haig’s Offensive • Battle of Arras • Small gains tactics are used to large success here but the allied commanders want decisive victory • The Offensive • Third Battle of Ypres • Haig’s British forces attack the German lines but the conditions are stormy and the ground is muddy which leads to the deaths of 250,000 British for only 5 miles of land • First Battle of Cambrai • Haig’s British forces use 400 tanks to attack in the North and are extremely successful but there were not enough reinforcements to hold the territory which is lost 10 days later (Wilde 4). British Mark IV Tank (Mark IV Tank with Unditching Beam).

  15. 1918 – The March Offensive • Peace with Russia • Germans gain a peace treaty with Russia • This sends 1 Million men to the Western Front • Ludendorff’s Plan (Ludendorff was the real leader of the German army). • A new sense of desperation set over the Germans when the United States declared war on Germany • The Plan • Split French and British Lines • Have a short bombardment and then send elite soldiers to attack the trenches with reinforcements behind them • The Spring Offensive • Germans have rapid success but there was no plan to support the supply lines at Germans are halted just before Paris again • The French Commander-in-Chief Petain is replaced by Foch (Wilde 4). German Spring Offensive (German Offensives on Western Front).

  16. 1918 – The Hundred Days Offensive • The Hundred Days Offensive • The Allies counter attack • New Tactics – Artillery is used to pin down forces instead of blowing holes in lines • Battle of Amiens • The first battle of the final offensive was a great victory where under 20,000 Germans were taken prisoner and only 6,500 Allies were lost • Ludendorff called it the “Blackest Day of the German Army” – August 8th (“Hundred Days Offensive”). • Foch’s Pincer • Supreme Allied Commander Foch leads a pincer movement which overruns the Hindenburg Line and leads to a huge German retreat to almost the Belgian border (Wilde 4). • The Meuse-Argonne Offensive • The Americans led the battle in an relentless attack on the German lines which only ended on November 11, 1918, the Armistice (Hickman). Battle of Amiens and Later Allied Gains (Thor).

  17. The Armistice • Germany Defeated • Ludendorff admits defeat and the new civilian German government surrenders to the allies • November 11, 1918 • The fighting came to an end at 11:00 am (Wilde 4). Newspaper Article on the Armistice (The Chicago Daily Tribune).

  18. Effects and Casualties • Casualties (Wounded or Killed) • France – 5.7 Million • Britain – 2.4 Million • Germany – 6 Million • U.S.A. – 0.3 Million (Wilde 1). • Effects • Fragmentation of Austria-Hungary into Czechoslovakia • Fragmentation of the Ottoman Empire into Yugoslavia and the Republic of Turkey • Fall of Russian Empire into the Soviet Union (“Socio-Political Changes Following World War I”). • Fall of the German Empire into the Weimar Republic (Adams). World War I Verdun Memorial (Grandmont).

  19. Work Cited Adams, Matthew. "The Fall of the German Empire." Helium. Helium, 14 Sept. 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http:// www.helium.com/items/1951910-the-fall-of-the-german-empire>. "Animated Map: The Western Front, 1914 - 1918." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http:// www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/western_front/index_embed.shtml>. Battle of the Somme Progress. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 21 Oct. 2005. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme>. Binder, Alexander. Erich Ludendorff. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 10 Oct. 2007. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Ludendorff>. Brooks, Ernest. Cheshire Regiment Trench Somme. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 14 Jan. 2006. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Front_(World_War_I)>. Brooks, Ernest. Lancashire Fusiliers Fixing Bayonetes. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 11 Feb. 2006. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trench_warfare>. The Chicago Daily Tribune. Great War Ends - Newspaper Article. Digital image. Common Bread. WordPress.com, 11 Nov. 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://jimblazsik.wordpress.com/2010/11/11/ todayin-history-11111918-armistice-day-the-end-of-world-war-i/>. Douglas Haig. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 27 Mar. 2005. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_Marshal_Haig>. German Advance. Digital image. BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ interactive/animations/western_front/index_embed.shtml>.

  20. German Offensives on Western Front. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 11 Jan. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Offensive>. Grandmont, Jean-Pol. Douaumont Cemetery (Verdun). Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 5 Sept. 2011. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ World_War_I_memorials>. Harris & Erwing, Inc. John J. Pershing. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 4 Aug. 2006. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Pershing>. Hickman, Kennedy. "World War I: Meuse-Argonne Offensive." About.com Military History. About.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwari/p/ meuseargonne.htm>. "Hundred Days Offensive." Maps of the World. Compare Infobase Ltd., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http:// www.mapsofworld.com/world-war-i/hundred-days-offensive.html>. Indian Troops Charging German Positions at Neuve-Chapelle. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 15 Aug. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Battle_of_Neuve_Chapelle>. "LIFE IN THE TRENCHES." In the Footsteps. Inthefootsteps.org, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http:// inthefootsteps.org.uk/Articles/1914-18GreatWar/LifeInTheTrenches.htm>. Mark IV Tank with Unditching Beam. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 26 Jan. 2008. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_IV_tank>. Race to the Sea. Digital image. BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ interactive/animations/western_front/index_embed.shtml>. RagLinen. Christmas Truce in Newspaper. Digital image. Rag Linen - Online Museum of Historic Newspapers. Rag Linen - Online Museum of Historic Newspapers, 14 Mar. 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://raglinen.com/2010/03/14/1915-january-2-daily-mirror/>. Simonds, Frank H. Ferdinand Foch. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 17 Sept. 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Foch>.

  21. "Socio-Political Changes Following World War I." Maps of the World. Compare Infobase Ltd., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-war-i/socio-political-changes.html>. Stabilization of Western Front. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 23 June 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ File:Stabilization_of_Western_Front_WWI.PNG>. Thor. Battle of Amiens. Digital image. History War Weapons. History War Weapons, 16 Nov. 2008. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://historywarsweapons.com/the-hundred-days-offensive/>. "Weapons of War - Machine Guns." First World War.com. First World War.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/machineguns.htm>. "Who's Who - Erich Ludendorff." First World War.com. First World War.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/ludendorff.htm>. "Who's Who - Erich Von Falkenhayn." First World War.com. First World War.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/falkenhayn.htm>. "Who's Who - Ferdinand Foch." First World War.com. First World War.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http:// www.firstworldwar.com/bio/foch.htm>. "Who's Who - Helmuth Von Moltke." First World War.com. First World War.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/moltke.htm>. "Who's Who - Henri-Philippe Petain." First World War.com. First World War.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/petain.htm>. "Who's Who - James Harbord." First World War.com. First World War.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http:// www.firstworldwar.com/bio/harbord.htm>. "Who's Who - John Pershing." First World War.com. First World War.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http:// www.firstworldwar.com/bio/pershing.htm>.

  22. "Who's Who - Joseph Joffre." First World War.com. First World War.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/joffre.htm>. "Who's Who - Paul Von Hindenburg." First World War.com. First World War.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/hindenburg.htm>. "Who's Who - Robert Nivelle." First World War.com. First World War.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/nivelle.htm>. "Who's Who - Sir Douglas Haig." First World War.com. First World War.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/haig.htm>. Wilde, Robert. "Casualties of World War 1." About.com European History. About.com, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://europeanhistory.about.com/cs/worldwar1/a/blww1casualties.htm>. Wilde, Robert. "The Causes and War Aims of World War One." About.com European History. About.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/worldwar1/a/ The-Causes-And-War-Aims-Of-World-War-One.htm>. Wilde, Robert. "World War 1: A Short Timeline 1914." About.com European History. About.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/worldwar1/a/ ww1stimeline3.htm>. Wilde, Robert. "World War One: The Western Front." About.com European History. About.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/worldwar1/a/World-War-One-The- Western-Front.htm>.

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