Allison Lassieur - At Battle in World War I: An Interactive Battlefield Adventure

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World War I (19141918) changed the way wars were fought. The modern tools of war invented then have stood the passage of time. Many are still in use today.

In this book youll explore the choices people made. Youll also learn about the new technology used to win the war. The events, situations, and battles youll experience happened to real people.

Chapter One sets the scene. Then you choose which path to read. Follow the links at the bottom of each page. After you finish one path, go back and read the others. Use your devices back buttons or page navigation to jump back to your last choice. Then try a different link for a new adventure.

YOU CHOOSE the path you take through history.

It was called the War to End All Warsthe first global war in the history of the world. World War I spanned across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and over the oceans.

A single event led to the war. In 1914 the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated. The killer was a Serb named Gavrilo Princip. His actions led Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia. Most of the world thought the war would only be between those two countries.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were shot at point-blank range. They died an hour later.

But then Serbia asked Russia to help it fight. France had promised to help Russia. Great Britain joined the war to help France. They formed the Allied Powers, known as the Allies.

Austria-Hungary asked Germany for help. Along with the Ottoman Empire, they formed the Central Powers. In just a few months, a small war had become a global conflict.

New weapons made this war terrifying. Flamethrowers, tanks, airplanes, machine guns, submarines, and chemical warfare were used for the first time. As the battles grew, so did each countrys weapons technology. Sometimes countries stole ideas from each other.

You are a young man ready to do your part. There are many ways to serve and protect your country. Which will you choose?

World War I started a year ago, in 1914. It began far away in Austria-Hungary. Youre not too sure how it started. All you know is that your country, Great Britain, is fighting alongside Russia and France. Germany and other countries are the enemy.

One day a shadow passes over your London home. It is Germanys most terrifying weapon: the zeppelin. Each huge airship carries up to two tons of explosives. Bombs have been dropped on Great Britain since early 1915. Buildings, streets, and houses are destroyed in these air raids. The sight of a zeppelin sends everyone into a panic.

Zeppelins could fly higher and farther than airplanes. They could stay in the air for 24 hours and reach speeds of 78 miles per hour.

Great Britain has no way to defend against the huge ships. You are tired of sitting around waiting to be bombed. You are 18 and you want to join the warin order to help end it. Early one morning you go to a recruiting station. After a medical exam, the officer asks, Interested in the Royal Flying Corps?

The Royal Flying Corps accepted men between the ages of 18 and 30.

Airplanes are a newer invention. Youve never seen one up close. Your heart leaps with excitement.

Are you single? the officer asks. Flying is dangerous, and we dont take married men. You assure him that you are not married, but his warning makes you nervous.

Brilliant! the officer says. We use airplanes for reconnaissance. They watch the enemy and report on troop and artillery locations. Two men fly in each airplane. The pilot flies the plane. The observer takes photographs and makes notes. Both are important. The officer wants to know which youd like to do.

You are the first one to volunteer to be an observer. Some of the other recruits look at you like you are crazy. But you know not everyone can be a pilot, and the idea of using a camera for the first time is exciting in its own way. The first portable camera, the Brownie, came out in 1900, but youve never used one.

A few days later you find yourself at a training camp in the countryside.

Lets get one thing straight, the training officer begins. Pilots fly the plane. Your job is every bit as important. The photographs you take will help the army locate the enemys position, artillery, and troop movements.

Training lasts several months. You study enemy troops and how they move. You learn what various artillery weapons look like from the air.

You finally learn how to use a camera. The cameras are huge. Yours is as tall as your hip and weighs 75 pounds.

Aerial photographs were timed to slightly overlap. Then all the photos were put together like a puzzle.

The photos you take will be lined up to form one big picture called a mosaic map. Specially trained photo interpreters will study the photos to look for clues on the enemys position. It takes as little as 20 minutes for your photos to be developed and printed.

Its exciting to be part of the aerial photography team. Pilots and photographers working together can gather six times more intelligence than traditional cavalry units in the same amount of time. You begin to think that maybe you can make a difference in the war.

Youve been waiting to get in the air. Its time to prove yourself.

One day the training officer asks for volunteers. Its time for the first training flights. Are you ready?

The morning is bright and clear. The sun is soothing, but it doesnt help your nervous stomach. Your pilot is a young man named James. He sees the look on your face.

Dont worry, chap, he says cheerfully. Ive had a whole five hours of solo flight training! The plane is a tiny two-seater with double wings. Its seats are open to the air and are barely big enough for you and your equipment.

James leaps into the cockpit and adjusts his goggles. They are just like the ones you are wearing, along with a heavy leather coat and a leather helmet. The fur-lined goggles will protect your face from the cold wind thousands of feet above the ground.

The mechanic tries to start the plane by pushing the propeller. Nothing happens. He curses and tries again.