WW1

World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global conflict that
lasted from 1914 to 1918. It was fought between two opposing alliances: the Allies (Bri sh
Empire, France, and the Russian Empire) and the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-
Hungary). The war was sparked by a combina on of factors, including imperialism,
na onalism, military alliances, and interna onal anarchy.
The war was fought on mul ple fronts, including Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
The war saw the introduc on of new technologies and tac cs, such as tanks, aircra , and
trench warfare, which revolu onized the way wars were fought.

The war resulted in an es mated 9 million soldiers dead and 23 million wounded, plus
another 5 million civilian deaths from various causes. The war also had far-reaching
consequences, including the fall of four great imperial dynas es and the destabiliza on of
European society, which laid the groundwork for World War II.

Causes and Development

The First World War, also known as World War I, was a global war that lasted from 1914 to
1918. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an es mated 8.5 million military
and civilian deaths 1. The war was fought between two opposing alliances: the Allies
(Bri sh Empire, France, and the Russian Empire) and the Central Powers (Germany and
Austria-Hungary) 1. Here are some of the causes of the First World War:

 Conflict between Imperialist countries: The ambi on of Germany to become a

world power and the rivalry between old imperialist countries (e.g., Britain and
France) and new imperialist countries (e.g., Germany) led to tensions and suspicion
among European na ons 1.
 Ultra Na onalism: The Pan-Slav movement in Russia, Poland, Czechoslovakia,
Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece, and the Pan-German movement in Germany, fueled
na onalism and contributed to the outbreak of war 1.
 Military Alliance: The Triple Alliance or Central Powers (Germany, Italy, and Austria-
Hungary) and the Triple Entente or Allies (Britain, France, and Russia) formed
military alliances, which further increased tensions among European na ons 1.
 Interna onal Anarchy: Secret agreements between Britain and France to control
Egypt and Morocco, respec vely, and the failure of the Hague Conference of 1899
and 1907 to establish an interna onal organiza on contributed to the outbreak of
war 1.
 Balkan Wars: The Balkan na ons (Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, and
Montenegro) were under the control of Turkey. They defeated Turkey in the First
Balkan War, and the subsequent war was between the Balkan countries themselves
(e.g., Serbia vs. Bulgaria). Defeated countries like Turkey and Bulgaria sought
German help 1.
  Alsace-Lorraine: During German unifica on, Germany acquired Alsace-Lorraine
from France. France wanted to recapture Alsace-Lorraine from Germany.

Land warfare in first ww1

Land warfare during the First World War was characterized by a combina on of old and
new tac cs and technologies 1. The war sparked a revolu on in military tac cs and
technologies, rendering pre-war tac cs obsolete with the introduc on of automated
weapons, tanks, and aircra 1.
The war involved around 40 countries in the main coali ons: the Allies (or Entente Powers)
and the Central Powers 2. Early land warfare tac cs included the use of cover, charges, and
countera acks. Land ba les quickly led to trench warfare on the Western Front in Belgium
and France 2. The German Schlieffen plan, named a er a former chief of the general staff
between 1891 and 1906, had been predicated on the assump on of a two-front war. Rapid
mobiliza on would enable Germany to defeat one enemy and then turn upon the other.
Since it was assumed that France would mobilize more quickly than Russia, that
concentrated assault would have to be in the west. The French would not be able to
retreat far, at least not without losing their capital city. France could only be knocked out
in six weeks by an ou lanking movement – which would entail the invasion of Belgium.
Speed of assault and numerical superiority would bring success 1.
The Ba le of Hamel is an example of visionary combined arms tac cs that changed
warfare forever 1. Naval warfare during World War I depended on the types of vessels
engaged, and tac cs varied depending on the scale of the engagement 1

Naval warfare in ww1

Naval warfare during World War I was mainly characterized by blockade. The Allied
Powers, with their larger fleets and surrounding posi on, largely succeeded in their
blockade of Germany and the other Central Powers, while the efforts of the Central
Powers to break that blockade, or to establish an effec ve counter blockade with
submarines and commerce raiders, were eventually unsuccessful 1.
The naval arms race between Britain and Germany to build dreadnought ba leships in the
early 20th century is the subject of a number of books. Germany’s a empt to build a
ba leship fleet to match that of the United Kingdom, the dominant naval power of the
20th-century and an island country that depended on seaborne trade for survival, is o en
listed as a major reason for the enmity between those two countries that led the UK to
enter World War I 1.
Naval tac cs varied depending on the types of vessels engaged and the scale of the
engagement. Large-scale engagements, such as the Ba le of Jutland between the Royal
Navy’s Grand Fleet and Imperial Germany’s High Seas Fleet in 1916, and single-ship
engagements, such as the Ba le of Cocos between HMAS Sydney and SMS Emden in 1914,
were common 2.

Air warfare in ww1

During World War I, aircra were used for the first me in a major conflict. Ini ally, they
were used mainly for reconnaissance, but they soon became involved in aerial combat to
shoot down enemy reconnaissance planes 1. The use of planes and zeppelins for strategic
bombing also emerged during the war 1.
The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the Bri sh Army and was very small in size
at the start of the war 2. Military avia on was s ll rela vely new in 1914, and its uses
were not yet clear 2. The war saw the appointment of high-ranking officers to direct the
belligerent na ons’ air war efforts 3.
Aircra technology developed rapidly during the war, and by its end, airplanes were
involved in reconnaissance, ar llery spo ng, air-to-air combat, strafing ground targets,
an -submarine warfare, tac cal and strategic bombing, and home defense 4. The war also
saw the development of many specialized types of aircra , including fighters, bombers,
and trench strafers 3. Ace fighter pilots were portrayed as modern knights, and many
became popular heroes 3.

Ba le of Somme 1916
The Ba le of the Somme was a major ba le of the First World War that took place
between 1 July and 18 November 1916 on both sides of the upper reaches of the river
Somme in France. The ba le was intended to hasten a victory for the Allies, but it resulted
in one of the deadliest ba les in human history, with more than one million casual es 1.
The ba le was fought by the armies of the Bri sh Empire and the French Third Republic
against the German Empire. The Bri sh and French had commi ed themselves to an
offensive on the Somme during the Chan lly Conference in December 1915, but they faced
many difficul es and delays due to logis cal problems, poor coordina on, and changing
tac cs 1.
The ba le began with a massive ar llery bombardment by both sides, followed by a series
of infantry a acks. The Bri sh suffered their worst day on 1 July, when they lost 57,470
men, including 19,240 killed 1. The French also made some gains on that day, but they
were unable to advance further due to strong German resistance and countera acks 2
The ba le con nued for five months, with both sides launching several offensives and
counter-offensives. The most notable ones were:

 The Ba le of Albert (21-25 September): The Bri sh Fourth Army launched a major
a ack on the German salient around Albert, hoping to break through and relieve
 pressure on their lines. However, they failed to achieve their objec ves and
suffered heavy casual es.
 The Ba le of Thiepval (26 August - 10 September): The Bri sh Second Army
launched a diversionary a ack on Thiepval village, which was held by the Germans
as part of their defensive system. They managed to capture some ground around
Thiepval Wood, but they could not advance further due to strong German fire 3.
 The Ba le of Flers-Courcele e (15 September - 2 October): The Bri sh Third Army
launched another diversionary a ack on Flers-Courcele e village, which was also
part of the German defensive system. They achieved some success at first, but they
were unable to exploit it due to bad weather and countera acks by the Germans 3.
 The Ba le of Le Transloy (13 October): The French Tenth Army launched a surprise
a ack on Le Transloy village, which was defended by the Germans as part of their
defensive system. They managed to capture some ground around Le Transloy Wood
and Hill 20, but they could not advance further due to strong German resistance 4.
 The Ba le of Morval (14 October): The French Tenth Army launched another a ack
on Morval village, which was also defended by the Germans as part of their
defensive system. They managed to capture some ground around Morval Wood
and Hill 20A, but they could not advance further due to strong German fire 4.
 The ba le finally ended in mid-November a er an agonising five-month struggle
that failed to secure a breakthrough. Both sides claimed victory over each other’s
defences or territory gained or lost during the ba le. However, neither side
achieved any significant strategic advantage or changed the overall course of the
war 1