The First World War (WWI)

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World War I

Nothing was a bigger disaster than what happened in World War I. This was such a bad war because everyone in the world has allies, and the allies are in oath to help there ally when things get rough or that country is going to war. What I am here to inform you about is how one of the major countries and why one of the biggest powers in the world played a big part in World War I. This country is no other than France, a country who has a lot of say in Europe, and has many allies through out the world.

The war officially started when the assassination of Austria's Archduke Ferdinand on June 28 in Sarajevo. After this France came in on the side of the Russians and Serbians. As an ally of Russia they were forced to defend them, and after this other big powers got involved such as the Germans, Italians, Russians, Americans, and Japan. The true reason why France got involved was because Germany declared war on them. None of the states that went to war realized how long it would last or how terrible the cost might be. Most thought it would be over in a few short months and that peace would return in 1915.

After this the war got real nasty and the countries stood for no mercy. The French discharged 180,000 kg of chlorine gas from 5,730 cylinders on the line between Steenstraat on the Yser Canal, through Bixschoote and Langemark, to Poelcappelle. This was the beginning of Chemical warfare.

When the war starts the Germans are nearly wiping the French out of the war rapidly taking out there soldiers. But the French forces were successful in achieving their objective at the Battle of Mons and the Battle of the Marne. As each side tried to outthink the other, France began to try and take over the Swiss border apart of France. With this great positioning it would be hard for the Germans to attack them from different angles.

The French thought the war would end quick, because of the great advantage the allies thought they had over Germany and their other countries on there side. As soon as the Americans got involved in the war many people thought it would end even faster. Between the two armies in a ten month span, Bri...

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...ost many of their best troops.

At this time the French were doing well considering the Germans were fighting them face to face on one front, and the Germans had a better trained military than the French. On July 1, 1916, the British and French launched an offensive wave, which put an end to any German thoughts of continuing the Verdun Offensive, was launched against some of the heaviest German armies on the entire Western Front. The British commander, The French had a new campaign which gave the first use of tanks, and was preceded by the war's greatest artillery barrage. Despite these advantages, the general slaughter of allied troops which occurred is famous, with the British suffering 65,000 casualties on the first day alone.

When the October rains finally put an end to the prolonged carnage, 400,000 British, 200,000 French and 450,000 Germans had become casualties. The Allies only captured a few miles of ground, and the Germans soon withdrew to their new Line in early 1917. Then the great French commander Sir John wasted no time to continue with his offensive ideas and gave the Germans no time to retreat and rest.

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The First World War (WWI)

World War I Changed Combat Tactics