3. August 1914 major powers fought
Not prepared
Horse and carriage were the main source of
transportation
Some uniforms were red
Lack of ammunition and supplies
No one would be able to last for more than 6 months
5. Schlieffen Plan
The invasion of Belgium had been a part of it
Created by Alfred von Schlieffen in 1905
Plan assumed Russia would be slow to mobilize so they
would concentrate on France
Didn’t work: troops were already in place
Also assumed Belgium would not retaliate
Heroically defended their towns and homes
Eventually defeated by Germans
British were forced to retreat and the Germans
eventually defeated the French
6. Trench Warfare
Death was constant
Disease
Gas
New weapon
Gas masks
Rats
Trench foot
Fungal disease caused by cold, wet, unsanitary conditions
that generally lead to gangrene and amputation
13. Trench Warfare
“Stand to”
Rum, rifles and breakfast truce
Inspection and chores
Daily boredom
“stand to” supplies and maintenance
Absolutely horrid smell
By the end each side had dug over 12,000 miles of
trenches
14. I’ve a little wet home in the trench
I’ve a little wet home in the trench
where the rainstorms continually drench
there’s a dead cow close by
with her feet in towards the sky
and she gives off a terrible stench
Underneath, in the place of a floor
There’s a mass of wet mud and some straw
But with shells dropping there,
There’s no place to compare,
With my little wet home in the trench.
