Nowhere was the planning more developed than in Germany and France. However, the terrain near the front was often impassable for wheeled vehicles and so pack animals were used extensively. The offensive was assisted greatly by a guerrilla campaign waged mainly by Arab irregular forces against the Turkish Hedjaz railway. To support a 250-mile-long front, largely through remote mountainous terrain or along mosquito-infested river valleys, there were only a couple of existing railways and virtually no metalled roads. £14.20 postage. Food rationing in … Defending the docks. Read about our approach to external linking. Ending 21 Dec at … The battles of the Italian Front were fought mainly by Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces from 1915, with substantial Franco-British and German reinforcements from late 1917. Click the button below to download this worksheet for use in the classroom or at home. So crucial was transportation that in the last months of the war, despite a shortage of front line soldiers, men with railway experience were being transferred from infantry units to railway operating companies. Various items of uniform and equipment are labelled along with occasional notes about their use. This became much more pressing from 1916, when large amounts of equipment were transported across the Channel in response to appeals from the French authorities to meet chronic shortages. The railways met the first test, of moving nearly 120,000 men and equipment in 670 special trains to the main embarkation port of Southampton by the end of August. The final link to the front line troops was normally carried out by ration parties under the cover of darkness. Thousands of Ottoman soldiers were deployed to defend the railway from the increasingly effective sabotage. Oil was vital to Britain for fuelling its most powerful warships, as well as for motor transport. Standard AIF canvas kit bag, WW1 issue, in dark khaki with soldiers details stencilled on the outside in white paint. The bulk of their diet in the trenches was bully beef (caned corned beef), bread and biscuits. Here shells are being unloaded at Brielen, just north of Ypres, on 3 August 1917. The quayside at Boulogne, one of the principal ports for cross-channel traffic supporting British forces. Kitchen staff became more and more dependent on local vegetables and als… They quickly established networks that led from the main supply dumps to the artillery batteries and then further forward to smaller supply dumps and refilling points from which the front lines could be served. These were only a temporary stopgap - although some vehicles such as London buses remained in service throughout the war - and thousands more vehicles were ordered from manufacturers in Britain and increasingly the USA. By late 1916 construction of lines was under way, and between January and September 1917 the average tonnage conveyed weekly on light railways operated by British and Dominion forces expanded from barely 10,000 tonnes to more than 200,000 tonnes. British forces therefore occupied the oilfields near Basra in late 1914. However, it was very evident that new equipment would be needed urgently and a simple, rugged freight locomotive previously designed for the Great Central Railway was selected in 1917 and 521 engines were built. Although many other manufacturers increased their output, the large number of different lorry designs remained a major problem, especially complicating maintenance and repairs. During the war locomotives travelled far from their usual haunts, like this Great Central Railway locomotive at Birmingham in September 1918. Railways provided the enormous logistical capacity needed to support huge armies in the field for years on end, including transportation of millions of artillery shells. The owners had been encouraged by a financial subsidy to purchase vehicles that met a War Department specification, a condition of which was that the vehicles could be requisitioned. videos. The increasingly exhausted German troops were short of food and ammunition, and also faced stiffening resistance as the French used their well-developed rail network around Paris to assemble a new army to protect the capital. The Turkish forces also relied heavily on shipping across the Sea of Marmara to supply their forces. It was fired into the trenches in shells. The three line trench system was how the trenches were dug. Ultimately the momentum of the advances from August onwards that precipitated the end of the war was able to be supported adequately. In this case, shell-carrying pack mules are moving forward through the mud near Ypres on 1 August 1917 to support the Battle of Pilckem Ridge. In WW1 what equipment did they use? They were wrong. They consisted of three different sections, the front line, the support trenches and the reserve trenches. This party of the 4th Battalion The Black Watch carry rations forward during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915. Anywhere beyond this point was potentially within range of the devastating effects of long distance artillery shelling. Coal suddenly had to be railed over 700 miles up to the northern tip of Scotland, largely along a single track route that had never been designed for heavy freight traffic. Despite the best efforts, it took time to build new lines of communication. In ancient times, Gaelic-Irish sources wrote that warriors in the battle of Clontarf used moss to pack their wounds. It could also help break up … A decision was then made to push up-river towards Baghdad, but this ill-fated expedition was supported by thinly stretched supply lines using river steamers and was cut off, surrounded and ultimately defeated at Kut-al-Amara. A light railway lies in ruins on the right. By the winter of 1916 flour was in such short supply that bread was being made with dried ground turnips. A single road, to Seres, supplied virtually half the British front, and collapsed rapidly under the traffic. They were soon up to 80 miles ahead of their nearest railhead, and horse-drawn transport could not adequately bridge the gap. The fodder for the horses alone took up more transportation capacity than food and ammunition for the men. It was expected that the Russian Army would be slow to mobilise, so the strategy was to sweep rapidly through Belgium and Luxembourg, invade northern France and encircle around the north and west of Paris. The supply lines even included extensive use of aerial ropeways to reach troops at high altitudes, especially during the freezing winters. This October 1917 scene shows wounded being conveyed over the Judaean Hills to the Casualty Clearing Station in covered-in stretchers (cacolets) on the backs of camels. One widely-used but widely-disliked ration was the canned soup, Maconochie. The motor vehicle manufacturing industry increased production but it was a slow process because the industry was generally small and fragmented. Effects include: blistering skin, vomiting, sore eyes, internal and external bleeding. There are a total of [ 14 ] WW1 Australian Infantry Weapons (1914-1918) entries in the Military Factory. But humans have also used it for at least 1,000 years to help heal their injuries. Egypt, although nominally part of the Ottoman Empire, was under British control to protect the Suez Canal, which provided a vital link to its Empire in India, Asia and much of Africa. On 5 August 1914, the government took over the railways and vested control in a Railway Executive Committee, which included the managers of the biggest railway companies. For Britain's railways the world was never the same. More than 65 million men from 30 countries battled in the WW1. The engine at the head of the train is one of 100 2-6-2T American ALCO steam engines built in 1917, while beyond it is a recently delivered British 40hp Simplex petrol engined tractor. Two 'Insect' class Royal Navy gunboats at Baghdad. Initial Turkish attempts in 1915 to invade Egypt from Palestine and cut the canal were repulsed. The end of the Salonika campaign came suddenly, after several years of stalemate. Impact on the War The submarines used in WW1 did not only affect the soldiers fighting (while stile sinking vessels with soldiers and supplies on them), submarines also had impacts on civilians too.During the war the German U-boats sunk about 5,000 ships. All Over 16 million animals served in the First World War. For the British the challenge was complicated by the English Channel. The front traversed mountainous terrain, posing huge logistical problems for both sides in supplying their troops. Consequently the main supply dumps and railway yards had to be established before this danger zone had been reached. Mustard gas was the most deadly weapon used. At the start of the war, there was a fear of food shortages but the real shortages didn’t hit home until 1915, these initial prices and shortages were a knee jerk reaction to the announcement that Britain was at war. £560.00. These unusual vehicles played an important role in the D-Day landings, the Battle of Normandy and the campaign in north-west Europe. The problems really began about 7 miles behind the front. The Salonika campaign also relied heavily on lengthy supply lines by sea from Britain and France. While WWI was fought in the trenches and used machine guns and poisonous gas, WWII was fought using modern artillery and machines utilizing more airplanes, ships, tanks, and submarines. Veterinarians use primarily medical equipment (stethoscope, needles and syringes, anesthetic machines, etc.). At the end of offensive and counter-offensive the lines generally stabilised close to where they had begun. From ambulance drivers to translators, women served Britain in a variety of ways during the First World War. With the end of hostilities the networks and equipment took on new roles, initially in supporting reconstruction of the devastated areas. £500.00. During the Battle of the Canal du Nord, supply limbers are seen moving up over newly won ground near Moeuvres on 28 September 1918. This act killed 1,198 innocent passengers. 67, dated July 26, 1943, has been revised and brought up to date to include instructions in the use of drugs and medicines. Railways were the only way of shifting this volume of material overland and a very sophisticated transportation and supply system was developed, especially after a major reorganisation in 1916. Although the railways were heavily focussed on traffic to and from the Channel ports, they also had to respond to many other demands. Dazzled Leave Ships, Boulogne, 1917, by Charles Bryant. By the end of the war over 5 million tonnes of coal had been carried on 'Jellicoe Specials', but the congestion caused was a factor in Britain's worst ever rail disaster at Quintinshill in May 1915 where 227 people died. A surprise French and Serbian attack broke through the Bulgarian lines high in the mountains and pushed on to the Vardar River valley, severing the main railway line supplying the central and eastern half of the Bulgarian front. When an offensive was being planned, even larger quantities of material had to be concentrated in preparation for the operations that might last for months. Huge investments were made to improve the logistical support for operations, and by 1918 these had reached levels of sophistication that were ultimately capable of supporting the offensives that brought the war to a close. The Germans torpedoed the passenger liner Lusitania on May 1st 1915 which sank with a loss of 1,195 lives. Consequently, smaller dumps were established at road-heads from which horse and mule transport collected material. The following is a list of equipment of the United States during World War II which includes artillery, vehicles and vessels. A supply column carrying ammunition for the 2nd/4th Battalion, King's African Rifles is seen crossing the Lurio River during operations in Portuguese East Africa. Subject: Stores And Equipment: Standard List Of Medical Supplies The Minimum Standard List of Drugs, Chemicals and Surgical Supplies which was issued with Operations Regulation No. Once Gaza and Beersheba had been taken, the existing Turkish narrow gauge railways were converted to standard gauge to support the advance towards Damascus. However, they found to their consternation that the main British railway manufacturers already had a huge backlog of French orders. Discuss why items such as puttees, gas mask, trench tool, field dressings and helmet were included and what we can learn from them about life in the trenches. How the U.S. contributed to WW1. By 1918 each Division of about 12,000 men needed about 1,000 tons of supplies every day - equivalent to two supply trains each of 50 wagons. Sinking of the Lusitania When the Germans sank the Lusitania in 1915, a passenger ocean liner with 159 Americans on board, the public opinion in the United States toward the war began to change. The French and Germans had a ready solution for the first part of this journey because they had recognised before the war that there would be an important role for 60cm gauge light railway systems. What were air raids like during World War One? This line had been built shortly before the war from Damascus over 800 miles southwards to Medina, largely to strengthen Ottoman control of the region. How are WWI and WWII connected? WW1 Weapons and Supplies During World War 1 a variety of weapons and supplies were used. This relentless challenge to maintain the flow of supplies forward from the supply dumps had to be undertaken largely at night to minimise the risk from harassing fire. patriotic WW1 posters patriotic WW1 photographs patriotic WW1 greetings cards WW1 saving certificates rationing in WW1 household economy in WW1 child farm labour in WW1 air raids in WW1 the Volunteer Force WW1 munitions factories observation balloons. The rapidly advancing German troops far outran their supply lines once they entered France. Every bullet, blanket, bandage, artillery battery or tin of bully beef had to be manufactured and transported where and when it was required. > A WW1 Soldier’s Equipment. Newly employed Chinese Labourers were used at Newhaven Harbour after 1917. Dan Snow is speed dressed with a 1914 British Infantryman’s kit as used at the Western Front. Germany's 'Schlieffen Plan' provided for concentrating forces by rail rapidly along both the eastern and western boundaries. Other elements of WW1 kit including rifles and puttees are shown in more detail. One of the best-prepared companies was AEC, a subsidiary of the companies operating much of London's bus, tram and underground services. Two technologies that were crucial in shaping the First World War were railways and artillery. Free. Women took on many new roles in railway service previously restricted to men. Supplying raw materials, arms and other supplies. The Germans pioneered the large-scale use of chemical weapons with a … Just as the demand for transport increased, many able-bodied men volunteered for military service. In early 1943, the 79th Armoured Division under the command of Major-General Sir Percy Hobart was given responsibility for developing equipment and tactics to perform specialised tasks in support of ground troops on and after D-Day. Meanwhile, further to the east, a campaign was fought along the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The dazzle camouflage painted paddle steamer at the quay in the distance is filled with troops going on leave, contrasting with the ambulances waiting in the foreground. In the event, strong Belgian resistance, including extensive demolition of railway infrastructure, delayed the advance and the use of the network to supply German forces. Horses, donkeys, mules and camels carried food, water, ammunition and medical supplies to men at the front, and dogs and pigeons carried messages. Soldiers in the Western Front were very critical of the quantity and the quality of food they received. Getting close to the front was the relatively easy part of the process. Within a month this number had risen to over 400. Light railways could bridge part of the gap but also became vulnerable to enemy artillery and small arms fire as they got closer to the front. Special operations methods were also developed during this war together with atomic missiles and secret communications. Dan Snow is speed dressed with a 1914 British Infantryman’s kit as used at the Western Front. Invented in France in 1860, barbed wire was further developed in the United States, where it was used to restrict cattle and secure territory. Baghdad fell on 11 March 1917. Horses were used for reconnaissance and for carrying messengers as well as for pulling artillery, ambulances, and supply wagons. The overturned engine, ROD 1859, is one of 311 freight locomotives of a standard design that were shipped to France and Belgium from 1917. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily the primary operator. This theme - of the momentum of an initially successful advance faltering as supply lines were outrun, while defending forces were rapidly concentrated to fill the breech - was to be replayed many times during the next four years. Motor vehicles had yet to seriously threaten the railways, except for local traffic, while aviation was at an embryonic stage. By early 1917 these increasingly complex transportation networks - supported by a specially created Labour Corps which included tens of thousands of men recruited from China, Egypt, India and other Empire countries - were capable of supporting defensive lines almost indefinitely. By the final months of the war, as General Allenby advanced towards Damascus, more Ottoman soldiers were strung out in strongpoints along the Hedjaz railway than were trying unsuccessfully to stem his advance. WW1 Weapons: Zeppelin Both sides also developed new protective equipment in response to changes in military tactics and technologies. The military used horses mainly for logistical support; they were better than mechanized vehicles at traveling through deep mud and over rough terrain. These were like model train sets with light, narrow gauge sections of railway line that could be easily laid on the ground and relocated when they were needed elsewhere. Supplies from Britain were routed through the port of Cherbourg and trains then ran across France and Italy to Taranto where ships carried them across the Aegean to the small port of Itea. Control of the Tigris River was crucial for ensuring that shallow-draughted river boats could supply the mainly Indian forces pushing northwards from Basra on the Persian Gulf. But it was a close-run thing, with the Fourth Army operating 50 miles ahead of the only reliable railhead when the Armistice came into force. When Turkey entered the war on the side of the Central Powers, its declining Ottoman Empire still extended through Palestine and southwards along the eastern shores of the Red Sea, including much of modern day Iraq and reaching the Persian Gulf. It seems the main cause of early food shortage was that farmers, suppliers and shop keepers were holding back stock; maybe they believed that they would need their produce past Christmas 1914 or they were just takin… Trench warfare has become synonymous with World War I, when it was heavily used on the Western Front from 1914 to 1918. They were used for transport, communication and companionship. Meanwhile British forces were rushed across the Channel and deployed with the French and Belgian forces. 0 bids. £15.00 postage. Consequently the main belligerent nations of Europe built their plans for mobilising and supporting their armies in war primarily around railways. As the troops advanced, supplies and reinforcements had to be brought forward across the shattered landscape of the battlefield where roads and railways had been obliterated. It was able to expand its pre-war bus production lines and they alone produced over 10,000 lorries during the war. An ideal German World War I infantry division was composed of about 18,000 men and around 4500 horses or mules. Q 9340. It was a thin and watery broth containing sliced turnips and carrots, Maconochie was endured by famished soldiers, and detested by all. The combination of heavy rainfall, inadequately built roads and the pounding caused by large numbers of heavy lorries on narrow, solid-rubber tyres caused the supply lines literally to bog down in the mud. Click & Collect. When the conditions became impossible for wheeled transport, pack mules were used extensively on the Western Front and other theatres such as the Salonika campaign. Over 1,000 civilian lorries and over 300 buses were requisitioned at the outbreak of hostilities and were hurriedly moved across the Channel. Maintaining these huge forces in the field - up to 2 million men were serving on the Western Front - required vast amounts of supplies. Discover their stories now. The rifle was a common weapon used by the British. War material had to be railed to a Channel port and, until special ferries were built to carry wagons, loaded onto a ferry, reloaded onto a French train or barges and carried forward to the main supply dumps behind the British lines. 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