"Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots" -WW1 Soldier
How the war began
World War 1 began after the killing of the Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by a Bosnian assassin. However, the war quickly fell into a stalemate on the western and southern fronts due to technological developments that favored defensive strategies. Constant machine gun firing contributed to the stalemates on the battlefield, thus causing infantry charges across the battle field to be futile. Trench warfare was created due to this stalemate; Deadly tools were developed, such as mustard gas, which caused a slow, excruciating death for those that inhaled it.
"Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knocked-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge." -WW1 Soldier
"Gas! Gas! Quick, boys-An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime...
Dim, through the mist panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning." -WW1 Soldier
battle of haelen
The Battle of Haelen was the battle in which cavalry was first introduced in. It began on August 12th, 1914 and was fought across the river crossing at Haelen and Belgium. At this battle the Belgian army was successful in repressing and driving back the German cavalry charges. This was one of the first set back for the Germans that suffered the death of 150 soldiers, 600 wounded, 200-300 prisoners, and 400 dead horses, whereas the Belgians suffered the loss of 500.
Battle of verdun
The Battle of Verdun began with the German attack on February 21st, 1916 on the French forts surrounding Verdun. This battle lasted approximately 10 months, and in the end the French were able to push the Germans back after they had captured many forts, eventually regaining their forts and beginning in the same position they started with; Neither side gained or lost land. However, there was a devastating death toll that consisted of 540,000 dead French and 430,000 dead Germans.
"Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin" -WW1 Soldier
Machine guns
The machine gun was one of the most important innovations in World War 1. The primitive machine gun required multiple men to operate, and could easily overheat. However, it was equivalent to approximately 80 rifles and had a rapid, impressive rate of fire. Machine guns prevented any sort of infantry charges across "no man's land".
Tanks
Tanks were first introduced in World War 1 and used as a mean to transverse the dangerous battlefield. This task would have otherwise been impossible due to the heavy and rapid fire of guns. The tanks were heavily armored and provided great protection and firing power. The tanks usually required at least three men to operate, and traveled at a rate of four miles per hour.
mustard gas
Mustard gas was one of the most deadly weapons of World War 1. Since soldiers were unable to cross the battlefield, they were confined to trenches. In these trenches shells of mustard gas were fired, causing excruciating pain and infection to the respiratory system. Symptoms usually appeared 12 hours after exposure, and death could occur five weeks later.
"If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gurgling form the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as cud
Of vile, incurable sores on the innocent tongues" -WW1 Soldier