EBOOK: World War I Causes
NEGATIVES
POSITIVES
ELEMENTS OF THE ANZAC LEGEND
From 'Discovering Australian History Stage 5, by Ken Webb, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, 2008.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Over the course of the campaign both sides fired artillery shells by the tons (the most destructive weapon on the Western Front eg Howitzer), unleashed streams of machine gun fire (German Spandau vs British Maxim), sprayed chemical weapons, fire flamethrowers, and British troops deployed tanks for the first time. Four days of heavy shelling preceded the British infantry assault in the Somme sector. A thousand artillery pieces targeted a 25,000-yard stretch of the German line, the weapons ranging from trench mortars to 60-pounders and huge, 15-inch howitzers. In all, the British artillery fired 1.5 million shells in just four days.
The Examiner UK: Why the Battle of the Somme was probably the worst ever British military disaster
The Imperial War Museum: What happened on the first day of the Battle of the Somme?
The Imperial War Museum: What happened during the Battle of the Somme?
Long Long Trail: British artillery bombardment before the infantry attack on the Somme
War is Boring: The Battle of the Somme Began With Britain’s Biggest Artillery Barrage
PRIMARY SOURCES
PRIMARY SOURCES
EBOOK
Fromelles 1916
CanDoWisdom: John Monash Battle of Hamel Case Study
Scroll through most of this psychological guide, but there is a useful section on Monash at Hamel.
PRIMARY SOURCES
The Battle of Cambrai was the first successful use of tanks in WWI, and the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux was the first time tank opposed tank in battle.
Gas! Gas! Quick, Boys!
5 Minute History: First World War Weapons
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weaponry
The Britannica Guide to Inventions That Changed the Modern WorldWhen you are away from the campus you will need to login using the appropriate username and password - these were sent to you in an email from the Head of Library which you should have saved for when you needed to access databases from home.
World War I began with immense, rapid, national mobilisations and classical offensive manoeuvres, but after mutual attempts at envelopment at and after the Battle of the Marne, stationary trench warfare ensued across a wide battlefront. A war of attrition set in that called for total national involvement in the war effort.
