Were the Somme and Gallipoli the two major conflicts of WW1?

Question

I am trying to learn more about WW1 as we never really covered it at school; obviously everyone has heard of the terror of the Somme and Gallipoli- but were there any other major theatres?

I want to learn more about WW1 as I have realised that very soon all of the veterans will soon be gone- and very few youngsters will remember the First World War.

Answer 1

No, not in those terms.

Gallipoli was far too small.
More died in Salonika of illness than were killed in the Gallipoli campaign.

Gallipoli has resonance for other reasons, but not for its size.

The major German assaults:
at Verdun, (which forced the British hand on the Somme),
and Operation Michael in 1918,
should figure more largely in any account of WW1.
And then the major conflicts on the eastern front, leading eventually to the collapse of the Russian effort, government, and all that entailed..!

The whole Somme campaign *was* a major focus.
It was a disaster for the German Army, as their reports at time reveal, (though it is now popularly seen as a disaster for the British, due to the unprecedented casualties on the first day)


I agree with the above poster about the value of the BBC site.
For books I would recommend "Mud Blood and Poppycock" by Gordon Corrigan
and "Forgotten Victory: The First World War, Myths and Realities " by Gary Sheffield.

Answer 2

All of the Veterans HAVE gone. Memory of the First World War is now exclusively 'second hand'. We could do better at teaching it, particularly from a non-partisan point of view - that is to say from an international rather than a 'national' perspective. I'd suspect you are Australian to have mentioned these two campaigns that Australians figured prominently in.

The First World War was important in creating Australias sense of national identity (it had one of the highest committments and casualty rate per head of population of any of the participants, and maintained an all-volunteer army throughout) and you have to expect people teaching history to teach it from their own 'national perspectives'. Nevertheless it would be useful if teachers threw in an occassional 'different' perspective by asking students to consider or compare these with some other campaign involving some other nation.

In terms of being 'pivotal' in determining the outcome of the War (or the duration of the War) Gallipoli did not make the grade. It didn't 'draw off' enough German resources to make any difference to their ability to wage or sustain war. You would have to look at something like Verdun or (I agree) the Somme. Interestingly, if you are looking at the significant influence of Australians, they were 'wasted' on the Western Front in the early years and only came into their own in helping to defend the allied lines in front of Amiens in 1918, and in their employing 'modern' methods of warfare (highly mechanized with brilliant logistical backup) in the successful attacks (again in the Somme) in August 1918.

But for 'sheer interest' (and I appreciate that you are thinking about a wider perspective) I'd have a look at the East Africa campaigns. There's at least one or two excellent (entertaining) books on it, and it is a story that reflects not just on the war, but also on the (also lost) world of colonial Africa. Apart from that I'd recommend having a look at CEW Bean's full history of Australia in World War 1 (a massive six volume set) Until you read the original, written by a man who was there, you'll never appreciate how much has been glossed over in the 30 minute 'lesson' and the occasional newspaper article. It was - at every level - an immense conflict.

Answer 3

Gallipoli and Somme were indeed very crucial conflicts in WW1, the others being Ypres, Tannenberg and Mesopotamia.

Gallipoli wasn't really an American endeavor but an Australian /New Zealand attempt to dislodge the Turks from the Dardanelles and clearing the way for military shipping in an attempt to throttle the Sublime Porte into retreat and ultimate defeat in Anatolia.It also became famous because of the tragic death of almost all the ANZAC forces due to cowardice and poor judgment by the British Army superiors.Till this day ANZAC day is commemorated in Australia and NZ and no disrespect to it is tolerated.

Somme was a part of Moltke's grand plan to defeat France in 39 days using the Schliefen plan, which was first used in the defeat of France in 1871 and the subsequent proclamation of the German Empire.Similarly the final intent was to envelop Paris from around quickly with 3 main armies.

There were many world theaters, namely East Africa,German South West Africa especially when South Africa allied itself to Britain, Mesopotamia (Iraq) Palestine, Egypt,Russia the Balkans , Armenia,Arabia and Turkey(at the time the Ottoman Empire).

Answer 4

Definatley not. There was continual conflicts alont the Western front from 1914 until 1918. Each defined in sections and attacks which lasted for months.
Then there is the Actions around the rest of the world from the Asian actions in 1914, Russian Campaign, Ottaman section, Salonika, Romanian / Serbian and Bulgarian battles, the Italian Campaigns.
As for veterans, there are a couple left in the UK, only about 2 or 3 now, try the BBC, they had a brilliant program last year about the last platoon.

Answer 5

The point about "partisan-history" is well made.

I think the most noticable feature of most conventional histories of the Great War is the apparent lack of reference to the Eastern Front. I believe this is mostly due to Cold War politics - a desire to somehow obscure the immense sacrifices made by the Russian army.

When it became obvious that Stalin's Soviet Russia was to be, shall we say, less-than-friendly to the capitalist West, the favoured narrative of the war - freedom triumphant, etc. - lost relevance.

It was therefore necessary to understate the Russian war efforts in each conflict.

I think the balance has been somewhat restored, recently - no doubt due to the thaw in world politics after 'Glastnost' and 'Peristroika'.

But I'd recommend looking into the war on the Eastern front. This is particularly interesting as it ties in with the revolutionary question.

Notable figures include Tsar Nicholas, General Brusilov, Admiral Kornilov, Comrade Kerensky and of course, Mr Trotsky!

Answer 6

World War I is the vital link in understanding World War II. The political, social, and governmental changes that occurred then laid the foundation for the conflict 20 years later. Someone already answered the battle questions, but I would urge you to go much farther than just battles. Understand the politics behind the war and the nightmare peace treaty that ended it. The feelings of defeat and hopelessness around the world in the 1920s were profound. Even the art, see Dali here, reflected this. It's sad that so little attention is given to this great and terrible conflict, as it is far overshadowed by it's younger brother WWII.

Answer 7

World War I is fascinating in many ways. Others have answered your question better than I could, but I thought I'd throw in a few book recommendations if you're interested in the subject.

The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman (http://www.amazon.com/Guns-August-Barbara-W-Tuchman/dp/0345476093/sr=1-1/qid=1172259808/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-3463429-1493239?ie=UTF8&s=books) gives a lot of good detail about the history, politics and battles of the war. My only complaint is that there's so much information it's hard to digest. I ended up taking notes (which is hard when you're reading on the bus).

Back to the Front: An Accidental Historian Walk the Trenches of World War I by Stephen O'Shea (http://www.amazon.com/Back-Front-Accidental-Historian-Trenches/dp/0802776183/sr=1-1/qid=1172259923/ref=sr_1_1/105-3463429-1493239?ie=UTF8&s=books) is also fascinating. The author's uncle or great-uncle died in the war, and he went to France to see what the battlefields were like nearly a century later. He describes the scars that remain on the landscape, and teh contrast between the bloody battles and the land today. Lots of good information on the war as well as some of the lasting effects. I thought it was a really interesting book.

Answer 8

The `BBC online` has a very good site about World War I, click the link and enjoy yourself. I think it will have all the answers to your questions. :-)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/