WW1 J F M A M J

1914
J A S O N D J F M A M J
1915
J A S O N D J F M A M J
1916
J A S O N D J F M A M J
1917
J A S O N D J F M A M J
1918
J A S O N D

FF Ass (28/6) BATTLES

M Pivotal (40k Paris), Joffre>Kluck retreat to 1w=2m fight, 500kCas<1w, 4yr stalemate
AH>S + G>Belg Aisne, trench race, S-Plan fails, est W-Front

All in (Fr,R+B) G Failed attempt to secure sea route to Russia, 200kAlliesD, abandoned, W beach (25/4,
Supplies, Churchill, Navy-only, Jihad, ANZAC 600/100 Lanc Reg), Sulva (20k Allies Cas)
Marne (Paris) M V Longest, NE France, Bleed Fr White, Petain, 23m shells(D1 = 2m shells in 8hrs),
B/R, successful defence 315kFrD/280kGD, 0km
Sea (Blockade,
Lusitania, Jut)
J J Largest Navy battle, bait into N.Sea but B lost more ships/men (14v11, 6kv2.5k) but G fail
decoded, Jellicoe/Beattie v Scheer/Hipper to break blockade
Gallipoli (Dard) GALLIPOLI
S Bloodiest, Haig, massive Allied offensive but G- D1=57kCas, 8-days prior = 1.7m shells,
prepped 620kBD/500kGD, 25km
Tech (Gas, Tanks)
P Muddiest, Haig, Allied offensive to capture 30kBD(1w), 310kBD/260kGD, 8km
strategic ridges around Ypres; prior battles inc. • N: 1.2m men, 187k Fr Cas, fired!
Verdun (NE Fr) VERDUN Nivelle/Arras (April/May) and Messines Ridge • A: CB fire, sound ranging, flash spotting, 8k in
Explosion (June) 2D but stalemate
Somme (N Fr) SOMME • M: 10k G dead, feel explosion in London!

Russia: riots, abdi,

Bolsh, B-L Treaty PRE-1914 EVENTS MOROCCO

Pass (Ypres) - 1870 Fr-Pru War (G capture Alsace) M • F>M, B support F, G support M (test Ent Cord, N A M PASS
NAM C assert G on world stage)
1871 G Unification 1 • Algeciras Conf – major world powers (inc US)
Spring Off support F – humiliating! SPRING
1882 Triple Alliance (A+G+It)
US M • Fez rebellion – F send 20k troops (sultan
1888 KWII C request); G send Panther/Berlin to Agadir
2 • G back down, F take full control of M, G get Af
100d Off 1904 Entente Cordiale (Fr+B) territory, huge tensions 100 D
1905 1st Moroccan Crisis
Abdication + BALKANS SPRING OFFENSIVE ETC
Armistice 1906 HMS Dreadnought
• Crisis: Ott Emp collapsing, AH take Bos (G support), angers Serbs (R ally) Lud Plan With R out and US not yet arrived, Lud launches Spring Off with
Suffrage 1907 Triple Entente (Fr+R+B) speed, stormtroopers and gas…
• BW1: Balk League (Serb + Bulg/Gr/Mont) > Turkey (withdraws)
• BW2: Infighting - Bulg attack Serb/Gre & lose – AH see Serb as threat • D1: broke stalemate - 1m shells in 5 hours, B’s dead (20k),
1908 Balkan Crisis
• Black Hand: nationalists, unite all Serb areas of Balk, Apis, 1911 plot to kill FJ fails wounded (35k), prison (21k)
• FF: heir visits Sarajevo, 7 students, bomb deflected, wrong turn (GavP@Cafe), 2 shots • Few weeks: 60km gain but 220k G dead, slowed by supplies
1911 2nd Moroccan Crisis
• July Crisis: AH sends demands, 48hrs, accepted except AH police, break off comms and (ran out at Albert on way to Amiens)
1912-3 Balkan Wars x 2 in just over a week (28/7-6/8) all at war… • Duration: 1m dead
• AH dec war Serb (bomb Belgrade), triggers Alliance, R preps (help Serb)
• G dec war R (Tsar rejects KWII request to back down), F prep (help R) Allied United command (Foch), salient exposed on 3-sides, US troops
• G dec war F, invading Belg, triggers 1839 B-Belg Treaty Response (50k pw), 15/7 final attack pushed back to River Marne/Aisne
• B dec war G (ignored B request to withdraw), F on G, AH on R
Hundred Attacks to achieve final victory:
Days • Aug: Amiens (8/8/18) – “Black Day of G Army” (27k Cas), 4th
Army, 14km gain
• Sept: 1917 Hind line (18/9/18), 3-prong attack, 80km gain, Lud
tells KWII can’t win (29/9/18)
• Oct: Full retreat (burn bridges, poison wells)
 WORLD POWERS OTHER STUFF

B • Huge Emp (25% world pop), industrial power (richest), navy (two power S-Plan Aim = avoid 2-Fronts by quickly defeat F before R can mobilise
standard) BUT wealth divide (no state support), declining versus G/US • Plan: March thro Belg (trick F with troops on F-G border), outflank, capture Paris in 40d
• Splendid Isolation ends as alliances form and G is aggressive; 1839 ToL • Failure: Belg resistance (Liege, held up 5 days), Br honour Treaty, R mobilise 10d not 6w (transfer 100k soldiers East)
(Belgium) • Changes: Not thro Netherlands (bottleneck), reduced troops, Von Moltke > S death

Fr • 2nd largest Emp (W/N.Africa) BUT 1870 G defeat, declining versus B/G E-Front Riga to Black Sea, like W-Front just bit more mobile
• Early R advances into G halted (better equip/leaders) – 1m R troops into G but lack supplies so pushed back at Tannenburg
R • Tsar rule, largest country (no colonies) BUT 85% in country-side harsh (125k R dead)
conditions • AH advances into R repelled (AH flee, R takes territory, AH stats – 100k dead, 220k injured, 100k captured) – R advanced
• Early success gave way to heavy losses (15m fight, 1m dead by 1916, 20m to Carpathians
food/fuel shortages, starvation at home) with poor equipment/leadership • Brest-Litovsk Treaty (3/18) led to R withdrawal and surrender rich agri territory, so G only fighting 1-Front (G moved all
• Riots 2/17 (soldiers mutiny), Abdication 3/17, Bolsheviks10/17 (Lenin troops) with better resources (eased blockade)
smuggled in by G), Brest-Litovsk Treaty 3/18 (R withdraw, giving up huge
territory to G/AH) Trenches • Complex networks: 3 lines (front/support/reserve), zig-zag, G trenches deeper/better (recognised long-term!)
• Life: boring (letters, Wipers Times), harsh (rats, trench foot, shell shock, basic food), switching (4d/4d/8d per line)
G • New (1871), small Emp BUT industrial rise & KWII autocratic rule and • Warfare: capture enemy trench by artillery shelling (weaken opposition, destroy barbed wire), then “over the top” with guns/
Weltpolitik ambitions grenades) and into trenches (armed combat) BUT break through was only occasional/short lived (war of attrition)
• Arms Race: 6 powers spend £400m by 1914, conscription (not B), made
plans (e.g. Schlieffen Plan – defeat F before R can mobilise), naval race (B Tech Trend of tech improvement as war develops…[game of TAAGGG]
Dreadnoughts, G-equiv, B Super-D!) • Tanks: B first (Somme in 1916 at FC), unreliable but improved (eg Cambrai 1917 = 400T=8km, Amiens 1918 = 600T=32km)
• Home: and G never caught up (only made 20 tanks!) though defences improved (wider trenches, powerful guns)
• Artillery: shelling before big attack, caused c.60% of all wounds; accuracy/range improved (130km by 1918 – W-Front to
AH • AH union 1867, Franz-Josef ruled BUT tensions (ethnic groups, aging Paris)
emperor, Emp in decline) • Aviation: reconnaissance (intelligence), fighters (machine gun tech), bombers (pilot drops, then bigger bombs), increased
range and radio communications, airships (zeppelins), Red Barron
US • Neutral (but supplies to Allies + $2bn loans), targeted by U-boats and calls to • Guns: machine gun (500rpm), rifles (standard issue, 600m range, 20/30rpm for skilled user), bayonet, grenades,
enter war following Lusitania (128 US civilians) flamethrowers
• WW refuses until 4/17 (more U-boat attacks plus G secret talks for Mexico to • Gas: G first (4/15, 2nd Ypres – 6k/10k F troops die), unreliable (wind dependent) but terrifying
attack US) and G launch huge W-Front attack before US troops arrive
• Resources: Troops (50k pw), Meat (90k ton), Horses (600k) Tactics • Infantry: tactic of bombardment followed by ground troops gave way to elite soldiers stealthily taking out machine guns first
• Creeping barrage / Bite and Hold (Plumer at Pass), Sound Ranging, CB fire, flash spotting (Arras)
• Sir Geddes: ships to railway (supplies)

PEOPLE War at Sea Control of seas vital (supplies troops/civilians)

• Anglo/G Naval Race: by 1914, warship count was 29B v 17G
German • Hindenburg • Blockade: 11/14 B dec N.Sea warzone (can sieze G cargo) – impact industry (coal/oil/steel), food (fertilizers – 420k starved,
• Ludendorff: General, leads Spring Off turnip winter), meds – all affecting support for war
• Schlieffen: General, architect of S-Plan • U-Boats: target B cargo ships (only 6w food left in 2/17), so B lay mines, Q-ships (disguise!), convoy system
• Kluck: General, led retreat at Marne (warship+aircraft) and develop floatplanes and hydrophone (detection)
• Scheer: Admiral, Jutland (bait to N.Sea) • Other: Jutland, Lusitania, Lowestoft/Gt Yarmouth attacks (Nov 1914), Prize Rules (stop/start, ended by Feb 1917)
• Fokker: invented machine gun for aircraft
• KWII: autocratic, ambitious ruler (ditched Bismark) End of War • Nov 1918: G on verve of defeat (food, flu) - 3 rd = Kiel Mutiny, 9th = Abdication/exile/Ebert
• Ebert: politician, signs Armistice after KWII exile • Armistice: End fighting (11/11/11), surrender land (inc. Alsace) and equipment, Allies occupy Rhineland, blockade continue,
pay reparations
Allies • Joffre: Marne • Reasons for G defeat: lots of reasons – in order of importance (arguably): US entry, blockade, failed Spring Off, German
• Haig: revolution (mutinies in ranks, workers inspired by Bolshevik revolution), tanks, Allied command (Foch/Haig)
• Foch: F General led unified command structure, quickly halt Spring
Offensive and counter-attack