The First World War occurred between 1914-1918. The conflict was a power struggle between the Allies and the Central Powers.
A huge shift in the balance of power led to the catalyst for World War I. One major cause was the rise of power in Germany. Another was the decline of the Ottoman Empire. Other factors included economic competition, tensions between the powers, and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
This assassination pulled in Russia. Shortly after, Germany, France, and the UK were drawn in. The United States did not enter the war until 1917 on the Allied side.
Most of the fighting took places in Europe and the Middle East. World War I was primarily fought with trench warfare, artillery, tanks, and chemical warfare.
The war came to a formal end in 1919 with the signing of the peace treaty, The Treaty of Versailles. This treaty ended the war between Germany and the Allied Powers.
The death toll in War World I added up to over 9 million military deaths, 8 million civilians deaths, and 23 million wounded. This was one of the deadliest conflicts in history.
Let’s take a look at some of the images from the battlefields and from the point of view of those who were there.
July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme
Soldiers at the Battle of the Somme, 1916
Australian infantry wearing Small Box Respirators
French soldiers moving into attack from their trench during the Verdun battle, 1916.
Wounded tended on the battlefield
Soldiers making a meal in the trenches
Tanks used to navigate difficult terrain
Soldiers trying to dry their feet out to prevent trench foot
First aid on the battlefield, Somme
New Zealand soldiers with a copy of ‘New Zealand at the Front’
