Canada in WWI

Our role in “The Great War”

The Origins of WWI

• Important events in history usually have underlying and immediate causes:

–Underlying: factors that go back over time and combine to create a tense situation

–Immediate: a ‘spark’ that brings all the factors to a head and triggers the main event

Causes of WWI• Underlying: a combination of

–Nationalism

–Arms race

–Military alliances

– Economic rivalry (Imperialism)

*Use NAME to remember the causes

1. Nationalism

• Fierce pride in one’s country

• Usually a good thing but can be bad if it leads to wanting to hurt others and create hostility

• Most European countries such as Britain, France & Germany were very nationalistic.

2. Arms Race• Military competition or build-up of arms

between countries

• Each country expanded their armies and navies to try to be bigger than the others

• Britain had the biggest navy. Germany started to build more ships

… so …During the 1900s, for every

warship Germany built, G.B.

built 2!

3. Military Alliances• Agreement between countries: if one goes to

war, the other(s) will join and help their ally

• Two alliances were formed:

Triple Alliance

Germany Austria-

Hungary

Italy

Triple EntenteFrance

Britain

Russia

• This meant if onecountry went to war, ALL of Europe would be at war!

• Including ALL of Britain’s Empire!

4. Economic Rivalry• Competition between countries to gain more

wealth

• Most countries got wealthier by taking over other, weaker countries, this is called....

......IMPERIALISM!

• This causes a problem if two countries want to take over the same place!

• Both Russia and Austria-Hungary wanted to take over places in the Balkans

• This could lead to all out war because of the alliance system!

• Austria-Hungary annexed Serbia’s neighbor, Bosnia!

• But Serbia wanted Austria-Hungary to leave Bosnia because many Serbs lived there

• And Serbia had a close alliance with Russia

• Uh, oh...

SARAJEVO – JUNE 1914•Against good

advice, the

Archduke Franz

Ferdinand (heir to

the Austria throne)

arrived in Sarajevo,

Bosnia.

•He was there with

his wife Sophia.

•BUT! The Black

Hand was also

there – an Anti-

Austrian

TERRORIST GROUP

from Serbia.

•They were both

assassinated

• Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia

• Serbia’s close ally Russia backed Serbia, and declared war on Austria-Hungary

• Austria-Hungary got ready for war, Germany declared war on Russia

• Germany declared war on France and then Britain declared war on Germany!

• Because of the alliance system, ALL of Europe was suddenly at war!

• See fig 3.1.c on page 65...

The Schlieffen Plan• Schlieffen Plan—German

plan of attack for WWI

• Called for quick invasion of France through Belgium

• Then turn around and fight Russia

• Russia should take 2 months to mobilize (get your troops and weapons, etc. Ready for war)

• But, Russia took only 2 weeks to mobilize

• Britain jumped in tohelp France

• So, Germany had to fight a war on 2 fronts (and split her resources) PLAN FAIL!!!!!

• The idea of the plan was to avoid war on 2 fronts!

• This led to a war of attrition—both sides tried to wear down the enemy until they would run out of supplies

Canada in the war• When Britain

declared war, Canada and other members of the British Empire were automatically in the war too. Newfoundland too!

• Initially, there was much support for the war in Canada among English Canadians and French-Canadians

• Everyone believed that the war would be a short, exciting adventure!

• Thousands of young men volunteered.

• After the first two months, more than 30,000 Canadian soldiers had crossed the Atlantic.

• The war began in September .... Many believed it would be over before Christmas !!!

Canada in 1914• A very young nation (only 47 years old)

• Our total population was approx 8 million

• Mainly agricultural country with increased

urbanization & industry

• We were in the midst

of a two-year economic

downturn with many

young men unemployed

in 1914 following the

end of the western real

estate boom

Canada & World War I 24

Canada’s Military• Limited military experience (1885 North-West

Rebellion, 1899-1903 South African War)

• Limited military forces (Approx 3000 soldiers &

little military equipment)

• Lack of trained officers

• 2 ships with 350 men…(Britain had assumed

responsibility for and defended the sea approaches

to Canada)

25

Canada: The Outbreak of War• Britain controlled Canada’s

foreign affairs / defense including our decision to go to war

• Britain’s entry into the First World War against Germany legally brought Canada into the conflict as well

• In addition to Canada, other dominions of the British Empire immediately entered the war to support Britain

Canada’s Response to War• The announcement of war brought great excitement &

celebration across our country

• A great adventure & an escape from daily routines & unemployment

• Thousands of young men rushed to recruiting offices

• Unlike the professional armies of Europe, our army was a volunteer army initially comprised of over 70% British born recruits

• They eagerly volunteered hoping for a free trip to visit relatives or areas they lived in prior to their arrival in Canada

Sam Hughes• He was the Canadian minister

of militia in 1914 responsible

for raising Canada’s new

army

• Nationalistic / patriotic, but

very controversial

• He scrapped the training

grounds at Petawawa, Ont. &

moved it to Valcartier, Quebec

• Gave military contracts to

political supporters

Sam Hughes

• He infuriated French Canada

–Placed a Baptist minister in

charge of recruiting in

Quebec

–All instructions were

provided in English

–Placed all French recruits

into English speaking

regiments

Sam Hughes• He promoted inferior Canadian-made

equipment produced by political cronies who were more interested in profit than quality

– Boots turned to mush in heavy rains

– MacAdam Spade (Canadian Army bought 25, 000 @ $1.25 each. All were sold for scrap)

– Ross Rifle (Canadian replacement for the British Lee Enfield, it was a great target weapon used by snipers but it jammed easily when fired rapidly)

Canada & World War I 30

Canada 1914: Patriotic Response• Within weeks approx. 30,000

men had joined & were assembled at Valcartier Camp near Quebec City for organization & military training

• Within two months the First Contingent, Canadian Expeditionary Force was going to Europe

• Before front line duty, they were sent to train for a few months on the Salisbury Plain in England

Newfoundland’s Response to War• Our colony was unprepared for war & lacked both

military material & supplies for the new recruits

• Newfoundland Patriotic Association (NPA) was

formed to deal with organizing the war effort &

raising troops for overseas fighting

• The government at the time promised the British a

initial force of 500 men…these would become

known to history as the ‘First Five Hundred’

• The volunteers were immediately assembly at

Pleasantville (St. John’s / Quidi Vidi Lake) for

training 31

Newfoundland @ War• Donations of all types (tents,

uniforms, weapons) poured in to supply the recruits

• Because there was a shortage of khaki material traditionally used by soldiers as leg wrappings (puttees), our soldiers were forced to use a navy blue material.

• This is origin of the ‘Blue Puttees’ referencing the 1st

five hundred to head overseas in the Great War

Overseas…Training• These “First 500” left St. John’s in October

1914

• Like many other recruits from the Empire, they headed to Britain & Scotland for training before entering front-line service

• The following slides will provide some insight into the activities of our soldiers during this time

33

A New Kind of Warfare• The war on the Western Front was a new kind of

warfare.

• What distinguished this war from previous ones?

–Trench Warfare

–Dominated by artillery

–Cavalry became outdated

–Dominated by infantry

– Industrialized Warfare

Trench Warfare• Both sides began to construct deep trenches

protected by machine guns & barbed wire.

• Lines of trenches soon stretched from the English

Channel to Switzerland

• Opposing forces were

only separated by 25m

in some areas.

• Trench warfare dominated

the Western Front

battlefields of WWI.

Trench Organization• Front-line : This was the firing-and-attack

trench (closest to the enemy)

• Support : This trench contained men & supplies that could immediately assist those on the front line

• Reserve : This trench contained men and supplies that were available in emergencies should the first trenches be overrun.

• Communication : Connected the various trenches & allowed movement of messages, supplies, & men among the trenches

No Man’s Land• The space between the

allied & enemy front line

trenches

• Characterized with

destroyed military

equipment & vegetation,

mud-soaked craters, rotting

corpses, & barbed wire

• Night-time trench raids

were common

• Snipers were a constant

threat

First World War Trenches• The front line trench was supported by much

stronger reserve trenches and linked by

communication trenches.

• German trenches were usually stronger and better

constructed than allied trenches.

• As the Germans invaded Belgium and France they

quickly captured the higher ground and built their

trenches in those areas.

First World War Trenches• Many of their dugouts and machine gun posts

were reinforced with wood or concrete which

provided a stronger defence against artillery

bombardment.

• The British and Allied trenches were often filled

with water and mud because they were

constructed in the low-lying areas.

Cross section of a trench

2. Artillery • It was the key weapon

of WWI which caused

more casualties than any

other weapon

• Fear most by the soldiers

• Shrapnel shells

2. Artillery • The area around Ypres,

Belgium experienced the

devastating effects of

artillery bombardments

• The Menin Gate stands

there today as a

reminder of the men

who have no known

grave (over 55,000

British & Empire dead)

• has over 70,000

3. Cavalry• Traditionally, Cavalry

forces provided speed &

mobility to armies

• Cavalry Charge

• The emergence of artillery,

barbed wire, machine guns,

& trench warfare in WWI,

however, rendered cavalry

virtually useless

3. Cavalry• Animals were too

vulnerable for

frontal assaults &

were mainly

concentrated on

transportation or

supply duties

• Tanks became the

new cavalry as the

war progressed

4. Infantry• Foot soldier who

formed the backbone

of the army

• ‘Infantry Charge’

replaced the ‘Cavalry

Charge’

4. Infantry• Carried a variety

of equipment

into battle

• The attacking side’s artillery

bombarded the frontline

trenches of the enemy in

the days / weeks prior to

the attack.

• As soon as the barrage

lifted (stopped), attacking

troops would go “over the

top” of their trenches to

attack.

• The defenders then

attempted to hold their

positions & destroy the

attacking forces with

machine gun fire & other

weapons available

• If enemy trenches were

captured, they had to be

held against strong

enemy counter-attack….a

very difficult task

• The machine gun was devastatingly effective

defending a trench against the infantry charge.

• Firing 8 – 10 bullets / sec, this weapon made

frontal assaults on trenches very costly

• The theory was that if enough soldiers charged

then no matter how many were killed or wounded

on the way, there would still be enough men alive

to capture the machine guns in the enemy

trenches.

• July 1st, 1916…Battle of the Somme

5. New Weapons

• As countries militarized & prepared for war, new technologies appeared which introduced the world to the dark side of the Industrial Revolution

• All of the following first appeared during WWI as you will view in Modern Marvels “World War One Tech” on the following slides

– Machine Guns, Tanks, Airplanes, Submarines, Poisonous Gas