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The Beginning
(Picture: Graves of those who died at Gallipoli) The start of the war was in August 1914, the Germans had made their way through Belgium and into France but fighting from France and Britain stop them from going further. But it did not draw them back. Even at Christmas in 1914 they were both in trenches across from each other. -
Gallipoli
(Picture: Gallipoli) Australian troop leave Gallipoli bay in 1915. Gallipoli is one of the most significant moments in World War 1 for Australia. It is a moment in Australian history that showed our bravery and courage that Australia was so well known for in WW1. Many men were lost in the massacre that started the battle of Gallipoli. The amount of deaths was because of the failure in planning. Originally it was planned but because of curtain circumstances it didn’t work out and many men died. -
No Mans Land
(Picture: Trench Warfare) Between 1915 and 1918 there were many attempts to break up trench warfare. These tended to be made up of a single pattern. There would be heavy artillery attack. The opponent's trenches would be full of shelling. These could go for hours or even days they did this to try and make the opposing trenches go deeper into the ground and stop them from getting up so that they could move forward onto no man’s land. -
Machine Guns
(Picture: Men using the old Machine Gun) In 1915 there was a slaughtering of men by the Germans using the newly created Machines guns. They also did this on the First Day of the Somme. By 1916, however, the British had created their own type of Machine Gun and actually created a corps specialising in the use of them, the Machine Gun Corps. This was a very useful Corps and was used many times. -
Victoria Cross
Australia was fighting on the Western Front from 1916 to 1918 and in all the men we had 50 Victoria crosses awarded. The Victoria Cross is the highest Commonwealth military, and given for valour “in the face of the enemy”. Australia had a reputation for courage and toughness, especially in 1918 under the leadership of General Sir John Monash. -
ANZAC
(Picture: Australian Soldiers) On arrival to France Australia was organised into two ANZAC crops. The first was with divisions one and two from Australia and New Zealand. The second crops were divisions 4 and 5 from Australia. It wasn’t until November 1916 that the 3rd divisions arrived. But while in France the ANZAC corps changed and led to: ANZAC crops 1 having divisions 1, 2, 4 and 5 and corps two with divisions 3, the New Zealand division and one or two British divisions. -
Australias Imperial Force
(Picture: A drawing of men advancing at the Battle of Somme) In March 1916 and Australia Imperial force moved to France and by July to August the Australians were very dangerously involved on the Western Front. In 16th July 1916 the fifth divisions was in a bloody war with Germany at Fromelles in Northern France. Not long after the 1st, 2nd and 4th had been entwined in the Somme offensive at Poziers and Mouguet Farms. In six weeks the Australians had 28 000 casualties. -
The Battle of Fromelles
(Fromelles Grave) The Battle of Fromelles was where the Australians first saw battle, it was on July 1916. The point to the Battle of Fromelles was to regain land and try and trick the Germans and make them turn their attention to here and not to the Battle of Somme. However the Germans were waiting for this type of attack and had heard of the Australians Landing on the Western Front. This Battle was very similar to that of Gallipoli, many Australian men died and in a very short amount of time. -
The Battle of Pozieres
(Picture:The mess left at the trenches at the Battle of Pozieres)The Battle of Pozieres was a part of the battle of Somme which was a major part of the Western Front and had been fought since July 1916. The point to this battle was to take back the town, Pozieres. This town was special as it had many vantage points. Taking back the town only took several days but the Australians had to fight the Germans till August, about seven weeks because the Germans wanted it back because of its Advantages. -
Bapaume
(Picture: The ruins of Bapuame in WW1) On November 1916 the 3rd division had arrived in France after being trained in England for four months. It was sent to the “nursery” sector. Around Armentieres as a part of the ANZAC corps 2. Its stayed here threw the terrible winters of 1916 and 17 in the forward positions near Bapaume. -
Australia Battles
(Picture: The wounded at the Battle of Passchendaele) In 1917 Australia was involved in many different wars at different places, here is a list of places Australia was fighting at in 1917: in March at Bapaume, in May and June at Bullecourt and Messines. From September to November in the battle of the Ypres offensive at Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcapelle and Passchendaele. -
Barrage
(Picture: A map of the Western Front) From the spring of 1917, Barrage had become a major tactic of fighting the Germans. ‘Barrage’ was when the machines guns were shot over head and indirectly at the opposition to scare them so that the allied teams could move forward. Barrage was famously used on the Western Front; they were used as support attacks or used in counter attacks. But after a while the Germans realised there tactic and began using it themselves -
Hindenburg Line
(Pictures: The Hindenburg Line) The first battle of Bullecourt took place in April 1917 was to attack the Germans “Hindenburg Line’. This was where the Germans had a huge defensive line and was also the place that tanks where first used in battle. The tanks were unreliable when it was first used for the circumstance they were being used in at the Western Front. Either way the Australians got into the German trenches. -
The Germans are Coming, The Germans are Coming!
(Picture: A German Submarine) In July 1917 the Battle of Passchendaele began, this battle was also known as the Third Battle of Ypres. It was based in the western region of Flanders in Belgium. The objective for this battle was to get into enemy lines so they could get into the Belgium coast. This was they could get into ports and bays; this could let them get into the German Submarine bases. -
Deaths A Fromelles
(Picture: men in trenchs at the Battle of Fromelles) Because of a big loss in people while fighting at Fromelles on the Western front Australian had a big drop in the amount of men and had a lull in the amount of fighting. They had to wait for more men to come from Australia or Britain after training or from another war zone. It wasn’t until 1917 that Australia really jumped back into action. Please ignore day and month as it is inaccurate. -
Spring offensive
(Picture: Men at the German Spring offensive) In March and April 1918 the Australian corps played a big part in the defence of Amiens, Hazebrouck and Villers-Bretonneus, during a huge German attack in France and Belgium knowns as the Spring Offensive. In July 1918 the German offensive was halted and Allies mounted their own offensive. -
Villers-Bretonneux
(Picture: German Army on horse back) In 1918 Germany created a new offensive called “do-or-die” and tried to take over France all the way to Paris. They got as far as Villers-Bretonneux. This was where Australia stepped in, it fell upon two generals to fight for the town back. They planned a night attack and by the end of that bloody night on April 24 1918 they had taken back the town. This wining was known as “One of the Greatest Feats of War”. -
The Hundred Days
(Picture: The place "The Hundred Days" occured) In August 1918, German Allied attack just east of Armiens was successful. Which included the Australian and Canadian Corps fighting side by side and Australia also engaging in several battles before driving Germany to defeat. This was called “The Hundred Days”. The Corps had been in reserve rebuilding when the Armistice was signed on the 11 of November 1918. -
Black Day for the German Army
(Picture: Men at the Battle of Amiens) The battle of Amiens started on the 8th of August 1918. It was the battle that marked the end of the war and the last offensive the allies had to fight. This day is also known as the ‘Black Day for the German Army’, or the ‘Hundred Days Offensive’. During this time German armies were penetrated by the enemy and they were forced to move back and continued doing this until the Germans where back to where they were in the beginning of the war. -
Armistice
(Picture: News paper article on Germany signing the Armistice) Australia was famous for their open war and surprise attacks. A month after the attack on Villers- Bretonneux they did several more because this would drive the Germans back further. And on November 11 1918 the Germans were forced to sign the papers of Armistice.
