©
WW I: 1916 - Attrition Warfare
|
©
|
WW I: 1916 - Attrition Warfare |
|
"The Battle of Verdun exhausted our forces like a wound that never heals."
Field Marshall Paul von Hindenburg (1847-1934) Chief of the Imperial German General Staff, 1916 |
|
"Somme. The whole history of the world cannot contain a more ghastly word."
Friedrich Steinbrecher German Army Officer |
|
Lesson Objectives
• Understand the issues involved with the shift in prospects from a short war to a long war. • Attempt to undersatnd how and why each side became involved in a war of attrition. • Describe the outlooks for each of the Allied and Central powers as a consequences of the 1916 Western Front battles of attrition. • Understand the role of the US in the war to 1916. |
|
Study Guides
• Describe the character and conduct of the war on the Western front in 1916. • Which nation initiated the Battle of Verdun? What was the strategic objective of the battle? • Which nation initiated the Battle of the Somme? What was the strategic objective of the battle? How did this change? • What technical innovation was introduced in the Battle of the Somme? What was its impact? • What efforts were being made to end the war in 1916? What were the issues that impeded these efforts? • What strategic dilemma did Germany face at the end of 1916? • What were the magnitude of the losses to all combatants through the end of 1916? |
|
Assignment
Readings: "World War I: The First Three Years" American Military History, Chapter 17 Maurice Matloff (ed) Washington: US Army Center of Military History, 1989 • READ pp. 358-369, down to (but not including) "An End to N eutrality". Battle of Verdun Wikipedia Battle of the Somme Wikipedia Battle of the Somme Annimated Map World War One BBC Supplemental Resources: Peace Without Victory President Woodrow T. Wilson Address to the U.S. Senate, 22 January 1917 German Reichstag Peace Resolution, 19 July 1917 firtstworldwar.com "The Campaigns of 1916" Ronald G. Usher The Story of the Great War New York: The McMillan Company, 1919 NOTE: Overlooking its subtitle, this site provides a comprehensive contemporary summation of the Great War. |
|
Top
Lessons
Previous Lesson
Next Lesson
|
|
"The Circle of Modern War" and logo © Thomas D. Pilsch 2007-2013 |