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submarine intro
in 1914, the germans introduced the submarine as an effective warship. german submarines, known as u-boats, eventually waged unresticted warfare on allied ships. the submarine's primary weapon was the torpedo, a self-propelled underwater missile. -
Period: to
World War 1
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central powers gain the advantage
germany counterattacked near the town of Tannenburg. during the 4-day battle that followed, the germans crushed the invading russian army and drove it into full retreat. germany regained east prussia and seized numerous guns and horses from the enemy. more than 30,000 russian soldiers were killed. -
the conflict grinds to a halt
German units were on the edge of Paris. a major German victory appeared just days away. the French military then came into possession of intelligence that told them the exact direction the German army was about to take. -
attacking the Germans
the allies attacked the Germans northeast of Paris, in the valley of the Marne River. every available soldier was hurled into the struggle. when reinforcements were needed, more than 600 taxicabs rushed soldiers from Paris to the front. after four days of fighting, the German generals gave the order to retreat. -
germans arent doing so great at war right now
the Germans had been driven back nearly 60 miles. although it was only the first major clash on the western front, the first battle of the marne was perhaps the single most important event of the war. the defeat of the germans left the Schlieffen Plan in ruins. a quick victory in the west no longer seemed possible. -
russian forces defeat others
russia fared somewhat better against the austrains. russian forces defeated the austrians twice in sept. 1914, driving them deep into austria. not until dec. of that year did the austrian army - w/ german assistance- manage to turn the tide. in a 17-day battle near Limanowa, austria defeated the russians & drove them eastward. -
war in the trenches
opposing armies on the western front had dug miles of parallel trenches to protect themselves from enemy fire. soldiers fought each other from trenches. armies traded huge losses for pitifully small land gains. life in the trenches was pure misery. the trenches swarmed with rats. fresh food & sleep was nonexistent. -
russia keeps weakening
the russian army had only one asset- its numbers. throughout the war the russian army suffered enormous battlefield losses. more than 2 million russian soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured in 1915 alone. and yet the army continually rebuilt its ranks from the country's enormous population. for more than 3 yrs., the battered russian army managed to tie up hundreds of thousands of german troops in the east. -
russia's war effort weakens
russia's war effort was near collapse. unlike the nations of western europe, russia had yet to become industrialized. as a result, the russian army was continually short on food, guns, ammunition, clothes, boots, and blankets. moreover, the allies were unable to ship supplies to russia's ports. in the north, a german naval fleet blocked the Baltic Sea. -
Bristish army
the british army tried to relieve the pressure of the french. british forces attacked the germans northwest of Verdun, in the valley of the Somme River. in the first day of battle alone, more than 20,000 british soldiers were killed. by the time the battle of the somme ended in Nov., each side had suffered over 1/2 a million casualties. -
late summer war
millions of soldiers marched happliy off to battle, convinced that the war would be short. only a few people foresaw the horror ahead. one of them was Britain's foreign minister, Sir Edward Grey. Grey said sadly to a friend, "the lamps are going out all over Europe. we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime." -
european nations take sides
the battle lines were clearly drawn. on one side were Germany & Austria-Hungary. they were known as the central powers because of their location in the heart of Europe. Bulgaria & the Ottoman Empire would later join the central powers in the hopes of regaining lost territories.