Battles and Fronts of WWI
Text, Maps, Text Dependent Questions
Standards Alignment
Text & Maps
Text Dependent Questions
Standards Alignment
California State Standards for Grade 10
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10.5 Students analyze the causes and course of the First World War.
– Analyze the arguments for entering into war presented by leaders from all sides of the Great
War and the role of political and economic rivalries, ethnic and ideological conflicts, domestic
discontent and disorder, and propaganda and nationalism in mobilizing the civilian population in
support of “total war.”
– Examine the principal theaters of battle, major turning points, and the importance of
geographic factors in military decisions and outcomes (e.g., topography, waterways, distance,
climate).
– Explain how the Russian Revolution and the entry of the United States affected the course and
outcome of the war.
– Understand the nature of the war and its human costs (military and civilian) on all sides of the
conflict, including how colonial peoples contributed to the war effort.
Common Core Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Science for Grades 9 & 10 Students:
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RH 1 - Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending
to such features as the date and origin of the information.
•
RH 3 - Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused
later ones or simply preceded them.
•
RH 4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary
describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social studies.
Common Core Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Science for Grades 9 & 10 Students:
•
WHST 2 - Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific
procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
– b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions,
concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s
knowledge of the topic.
– d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic
and convey a style appropriate to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely
readers.
Battles and Fronts of WWI
Gallipoli
On April 24th, 1915, an amphibious force of British, French, Australian, and New Zealand troops
began landing on the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli. Their aim, to knock Germany's ally, Turkey, out of the
war. Only a small Turkish force awaited them on the cliffs overlooking the shore. However, the Gallipoli
landing was a disaster caused by inadequate intelligence, insufficient attention to the terrain, an
underestimation of the enemy's strength and resilience in defense of their native soil. Nine months after
landing, the allies withdrew after incurring over 250,000 casualties, including over 46,000 dead.
The Battle of Verdun
German General Erich von Falkenhayn developed a battle plan for attacking Verdun, France, a city
protected by a ring of underground forts. Begun in mid-February 1916, and ending in December, the battle
of Verdun symbolized for the French the strength and fortitude of their armed forces and the solidarity of
the entire nation. After a few short weeks, the battle took on a life of its own, with small groups of men on
both sides fighting local battles in constant struggle for their lives, and protection of the territory they
occupied. Verdun is still considered by many military historians as the 'greatest' and most demanding battle
in history. In the end, the front lines were nearly the same as when the battles started while over 300,000
French and Germans were killed and over 750,000 were wounded.
The Battle of the Somme
One hundred and twenty-five miles northwest of Verdun, the British and French armies joined at the
Somme River. A Franco-British offensive was planned here for 1916 to relieve pressure on the French at
Verdun. British General Douglas Haig ordered a massive bombardment of the German lines that would last
a week and could be heard across the Channel in England. But the German troops were deeply dug in and
the bombardment did not reach them. Once the shelling was over, of the 100,000 British troops who
attacked the German lines July 1, 1916, 20,000 were killed and over 40,000 were wounded. It was the single
worst day in deaths and casualties in British military history. Eventually this battle, which did not change the
front line trenches much at all, involved over 2 million men along a 30 mile front. British and French losses
numbered nearly three-quarters of a million men.
Gallipoli
The Battle of Verdun
The Battle of the Somme
The Third Battle of Ypres
British General Douglas Haig often believed his army was on the verge of a breakthrough. His
optimism resulted in a plan in 1917 to attack the German lines just outside of Ypres, Belgium. This would be
the third battle at Ypres, the other two having taken place in 1914, and 1915. Once Haig's army broke
through, he envisioned it sweeping across the low plains and swinging north to the sea.
On the morning of June 7, 1917, the Allies set off a series of nineteen giant mines dug over eighteen
months under the German lines south-east of Ypres. Together with a sophisticated counter-battery
operation, this stroke completely disrupted and disorganized German defensive positions. The initial
advance ended successfully, but then weeks passed before the British troops were ordered to continue by
which time the wettest fall in years had set in. In this three-month battle, men, animals and equipment
were swallowed up in mud that was often like quicksand, Haig's ambitious plan became yet another failure.
The Western Front in 1918
Over a four-month period in 1918, the German army launched five major assaults at different parts
of the allied line. The new campaign was based on new tactics: squads of elite storm-troopers, armed with
automatic rifles, light machine guns and flame-throwers, were supported with a creeping barrage of
artillery fire. Initially the plan worked. The British Fifth Army collapsed. The allies gave ground. But for every
allied trench captured, there was always another for the Germans to take. Within a week the advance had
ground to a halt. Soon the elite German storm troopers were a spent force. The allies, having stemmed the
German advance, now reversed it. The whole front was ablaze. The climatic battles of September 1918 saw
the rupture of the Hindenburg Line, and on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the
armistice went into effect.
Battles and Fronts of World War I
Battle/Front
Description the Battle
When did British, French, Australian, and New Zealand
troops begin landing on the Turkish peninsula of
Gallipoli?
Gallipoli
1915
What was their aim?
List 3 reasons why the Gallipoli landing was a disaster.
How long did it take for the Allies to withdraw from
Gallipoli?
How big was the Turkish force that awaited them?
Battle of
Verdun
Battle of
Somme
Third
Battle
Of Ypres
Western
Front 1918
What is the name of the German general that developed
a battle plan for attacking Verdun?
What is Verdun still considered by many military
historians?
In what country is Verdun?
In the end, what were the front lines like?
Summarize in your own words what the Battle of Verdun
symbolized?
How many French and Germans were killed and
wounded?
In what country is Somme?
Why didn’t the bombardment reach the Germans?
What did British general Douglas Haig order at Somme?
Of the 100,000 British troops who attacked the German
lines, how many were killed and wounded?
Where could the bombardment be heard?
Did this battle change the front line trenches?
In what country is Ypres?
What did the Allies set off on the morning of June 7th,
1917?
When did the other two battles of Ypres take place?
In the three-month battle, men, animals, and equipment
were swallowed up in what?
Once British General Haig’s army broke through, what
did he envision?
Was Haig’s ambitions plan a success?
How many major assaults on the Allied lines did the
German army launch in 1918?
How many major assaults on the Allied lines did the
German army launch in 1918?
What was the new German campaign based on?
What were the allies able to do having stemmed the
German advance?
Did the plan initially work?
What happened on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the
11th month in 1918?