World War I Battlefronts and Allies

Eastern Front

• Germany and Austria-Hungary fought Russian forces in a vast open plain, resulting in heavy losses due to modern weapons like machine guns.
• The Brusilov Offensive in 1916 was a Russian offensive that was largely unsuccessful, causing 1.5 million killed and wounded on the Russian side.
• In 1917, the Russian Revolution led to the toppling of Czar Nicholas II, and Russia signed a humiliating peace treaty with Germany, dropping out of the war.

Southern Front

• Austrian and Italian troops fought trench warfare in Northeast Italy, resulting in a stalemate with heavy losses until the end of the war.

Colonial Fronts

• German colonies in Africa were seized by the Allies, with France capturing Togo and Cameroon, and Britain taking Namibia and Tanzania.
• Japan entered the war on the Allied side, capturing German colonies in the Pacific islands and seizing German coastal possessions in China.

War at Sea

• The Battle of Jutland in 1916 was a surface ship battle between German and British navies, leaving Britain in control of the seas.
• German U-boats (submarines) harassed Allied shipping in the Atlantic throughout the war.

Ottoman Front

• The Battle of Gallipoli in 1915 was an Allied attempt to capture the Bosporus and Constantinople, but it failed tragically.
• T.E. Lawrence led British and Arab troops in 1916 and 1917 to attack Ottoman forces in the Middle East.
• Most of Palestine, Syria, and Iraq fell to the Allies, and the Ottoman Empire began to collapse politically in 1918.

The United States Enters the War

• The US joined the Allied side in 1917 due to public outrage over German U-boats sinking civilian ships like the Lusitania and the Zimmermann Note.
• Fresh American troops turned the tide in favor of the exhausted Allies, breaking the stalemate on the Western Front.

Final Year of the War

• Austria-Hungary and the Ottomans collapsed politically in 1918 and surrendered.
• Germany had exhausted its resources and was forced to surrender to the Allies in 1918.
• Armistice Day: November 11, 1918, took effect at 11:00 AM.

Battle Fronts and Nations Involved

• Allies: Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Serbia, Greece, Romania.
• Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria.
• Neutral nations: Spain, Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden.

New Factors in War

• Tanks, airplanes, grenades, land mines, submarines, poison gas, and machine guns were introduced in World War I.

Western Front

• The initial German "Schlieffen" invasion of France stalled, leading to a vast network of trenches stretching from Switzerland to the English Channel.
• The Western Front was a stalemate for most of the war, with neither side being able to advance.
• Major battles on the Western Front included Verdun (February 1916) and the Somme (July 1916).
• Heavy losses occurred due to ineffective tactics, such as bayonet charges against modern weapons.
• The entry of the United States with fresh troops in 1917 broke the stalemate in the Allies' favor.