The Battle of Verdun was the 2^nd largest and 2^nd most costly battle in World War One. As Germany advanced through France, the French countered by sending a wall of troops outside Verdun. Consequently, Germany attacked and France fought back. Above, French soldiers duck from a German artillery shell explosion. This probably came from a “howitzer”.

          This is an example of a howitzer (high-tech cannon) in World War One. As you can see, the wheel on it is as tall as a man. These guns shot rounds between 75 and 250 millimeters in diameter. Some howitzers shot heavy shells designed to send shrapnel in all directions. Some shot shells designed for big explosions. These shells were primarily used in sieges, to open trenches in fire, destroy walls, or attack fortified areas. The howitzer shown here was British. It is in a trench, so when the enemy comes, they do not see it for a long period of time. It shoots shells almost a foot in diameter.

    French soldiers cross bridges made of small boats and planks. Here, they are marching toward Germany at the Battle of the Somme, the largest battle in World War One. After heavy German assault on a French border in 1918, the French and Americans attacked the Germans before their next assault. The Allies won a decisive battle there.

       Not only Germany was an enemy in World War One. Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire were, also. Here, British General Allenby leads troops. In 1917, the British and Arabs led a campaign to capture Jerusalem, Damascus, and other Turkish cities. In October of 1918, the Turks finally surrendered.

       Large airships called zeppelins were used by Germany to drop bombs in WWI. Zeppelins have evolved into blimps nowadays, but zeppelins could be as long as 3 football fields. In all, German zeppelins dropped 220 tons of bombs, killing 557 and injuring another 1358 people. There were 51 airship raids in all.

           Trenches are the pictures of World War One. Almost all battles involved trenches in the same way. Artillery were shot from trenches, soldiers rested in trenches, and soldiers even dined in them. Also, tunnels were built from trenches to hold supplies and wounded soldiers. Sometimes, enemy tunnels met and close-range combat occurred. Above-left, German soldiers position themselves at specially made gun holes. They could see the enemy and shoot without revealing their position.