chapter_11_section_2_notes.ppt | |
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The Selective Service Act
https://www.pbs.org/video/stories-service-draft-wwi/
This 2 minute video summarizes how Woodrow Wilson and Congress got the men needed to fight the war in Europe
Weapons Used During World War I
The main weapon used by British soldiers in the trenches was the bolt-action rifle. 15 rounds could be fired in a minute and a person 3 quarters of a mile away could be killed with an accurate shot.
Machine guns needed 3-6 men to work them and had to be on a flat surface. They had the fire-power of 100 guns, but were expensive.
The word artillery is used to describe larger firearms. Artillery is divided into 2 categories (light and heavy) depending on the weight of shot fired and the diameter of the barrel. The Allies and Central Powers used different types of artillery throughout the war. Two major types that were used involved howitzers and mortars.
Howitzers (an example is pictured above) were developed to be used under cover or against hidden targets. These fired heavy shells on a high trajectory through a short barrel and were the best type of artillery gun to use against fortifications. In the early part of the war, they were very stationary. Eventually, they were placed on wheels (or train tracks) to make them more mobile. By the end of the war, howitzers were able to fire heavy projectiles over 10 miles away. The downside is that they were extremely inaccurate.
Another high-trajectory gun was the mortar. The projectile was dropped into its broad, stubby barrel and was fired by a pre-loaded explosive charge. They were much more mobile and smaller than howitzers, but didn't have the same range. By the end of the war some of these guns were capable of firing shells up to about a mile.
Howitzers (an example is pictured above) were developed to be used under cover or against hidden targets. These fired heavy shells on a high trajectory through a short barrel and were the best type of artillery gun to use against fortifications. In the early part of the war, they were very stationary. Eventually, they were placed on wheels (or train tracks) to make them more mobile. By the end of the war, howitzers were able to fire heavy projectiles over 10 miles away. The downside is that they were extremely inaccurate.
Another high-trajectory gun was the mortar. The projectile was dropped into its broad, stubby barrel and was fired by a pre-loaded explosive charge. They were much more mobile and smaller than howitzers, but didn't have the same range. By the end of the war some of these guns were capable of firing shells up to about a mile.
The German army were the first to use poisonous gas during warfare (1915). Two main kinds were used.
Chlorine gas causes a burning sensation in the throat and chest pains. Death is painful - you suffocate! The problem with chlorine gas is that the weather must be right. If the wind is in the wrong direction it could end up killing your own troops rather than the enemy.
Mustard gas was the more deadly. It was fired into the trenches in shells. It is colourless and takes 12 hours to take effect. Effects include blistering skin, vomiting, sore eyes, internal and external bleeding. Death can take up to 5 weeks.
Chlorine gas causes a burning sensation in the throat and chest pains. Death is painful - you suffocate! The problem with chlorine gas is that the weather must be right. If the wind is in the wrong direction it could end up killing your own troops rather than the enemy.
Mustard gas was the more deadly. It was fired into the trenches in shells. It is colourless and takes 12 hours to take effect. Effects include blistering skin, vomiting, sore eyes, internal and external bleeding. Death can take up to 5 weeks.
The Zeppelin, also known as a blimp, was an airship that was used during the early part of the war in bombing raids by the Germans. They carried machine guns and bombs. They weren't used for very long because they were easy to shoot out of the sky.
Tanks were used for the first time in World War I. They were developed to cope with the conditions on the Western Front. The first tank was called 'Little Willie' and needed a crew of 3. Its maximum speed was 3mph and it could not cross trenches. These limitations made it pretty impractical to use in most battles, but its mere presence was imposing for the enemy.
The more modern tank was not developed until just before the end of the war. It could carry 10 men, had a revolving turret and could reach around 6 mph. The speed limitation of the tank was greatly improved upon during the period between World War I and World War II.
The more modern tank was not developed until just before the end of the war. It could carry 10 men, had a revolving turret and could reach around 6 mph. The speed limitation of the tank was greatly improved upon during the period between World War I and World War II.
Torpedoes were used by Gernam submarines, better known as U-Boats. At first, Germans used torpedoes to blow up ships carrying supplies from other countries (mainly the U.S.) to the Allies of France and Britain.
The Germans torpedoed the passenger liner Lusitania on May 1st 1915, causing the loss of over around 1,200 lives including about 100 Americans. Continued incidents like this cause American public opinion to gradually shift towards going to war. Shortly after Germany breaks the Sussex Pledge (a promise to not sink any more U.S. ships) the U.S. military joins the war in on the side of the allies and begins to develop ways to counter Gernmany's superior submarine technology. The main ways that this was done involved using primitive sonar equipment to detect the location of the U-Boats underwater, laying and mapping out mines in the Atlantic and off the coast of Europe, and using a convoy system that had supplies and troops be accompanied to their intended destination with a military escort.
The Germans torpedoed the passenger liner Lusitania on May 1st 1915, causing the loss of over around 1,200 lives including about 100 Americans. Continued incidents like this cause American public opinion to gradually shift towards going to war. Shortly after Germany breaks the Sussex Pledge (a promise to not sink any more U.S. ships) the U.S. military joins the war in on the side of the allies and begins to develop ways to counter Gernmany's superior submarine technology. The main ways that this was done involved using primitive sonar equipment to detect the location of the U-Boats underwater, laying and mapping out mines in the Atlantic and off the coast of Europe, and using a convoy system that had supplies and troops be accompanied to their intended destination with a military escort.
Short range aircraft were used for the first time in World War I. The ways planes were used at the start of the war was for pilots to drop bombs (by hand) out of the planes in an attempt to hit targets on the ground and for spying work. By the end of World War I, planes became armed with machine guns and allowed bombs to be dropped automatically by releasing them from the bottom of the planes. Fights between two planes in the sky became known as 'dogfights'. The most famous pilots of World War I were Eddie Rickenbacker (for the Allies) and Manfried von Richthoven (for the Central Powers... better known as the Red Baron). Their successes in the air (especially von Richtoven's) made them famous.
How Warfare Changed during WWI
This 3 minute video does a great job of describing exactly what it says in its title.
The Biggest Killer of All = The Flu
Roughly 30 million people around the world died from the flu between 1918 - 1919. The War helped spread the illness all around the world due to troop movements and increased shipping. The medical profession had no vaccine for it. Every person was affected differently, but around 1 in 5 people around the world caught the flu and 2.5% of those people died from it... which is a ridiculously high % for the flu. For a more detailed account of the flu outbreak at this time and how it contributed to the end of the war, click here
One thing you should know...
3 and a half minutes long. It has a lot of different information about WWI. One part in the middle focuses on the flu.
Examples of Shell Shock and Amputees
Many survivors had to deal with the horrors of war for the rest of their lives. The minute long video below documents some of this.
Summary of WWI
Did WWI lead to WW2?
This 2 minute video does a great job explaining why the answer is YES!
At the 38 second mark... a political cartoon from the Treaty of Versailles signing PREDICTS war 20 years later! CREEPY!
At the 38 second mark... a political cartoon from the Treaty of Versailles signing PREDICTS war 20 years later! CREEPY!