Battle Of The Somme Flashcards
When was the French Army about to collapse?
In July 1916
Why did many troops refuse to fight at the Battle of Verdun?
There was a high casualty rate
Who was the general of the British army at the time?
General Haig
What was General Haig ordered to do?
To divert the Germans away from Verdun
How was General Haig supposed to divert the Germans?
By launching an attack on the Somme.
How long did the Battle of Somme last for?
It lasted for 5 months
When did the Battle of the Somme start and end?
Started 1st July 1916 and ended 18th December 1916
How many Cambridgeshire battalion sent 750 over the top?
11
How many people did the Cambridgeshire battalion send over the top and how many became casualties?
750 people were sent over the top and 691 became casualties
How many shells were fired at the Germans in the initial bombardment?
1,738,000 shells were fired at the Germans in the initial
bombardment.
What was Britain’s reason for attacking at the Somme?
To take pressure off the French Army at Verdun
How much land was gained?
Only a few kilometres had been gained
Name some of the British plans in the Battle of the Somme.
- the aim of the attack was to break through the Germans front line of attack
- haig planned to attack on high grounds that was well defended
- haigs plan was to order a big push on the Somme front to create a gap in the Germans front line then hell pour cavalry through.
Give a description of the plan
This battle became known as the ‘Big Push’.A week long artillery bombardment by 1500 guns would take
place.Britain’s new volunteer soldiers were ready to fight.They would go over the top in waves of 1,000 men, 90 metres apart, along a 15 mile front in the Somme area.The attack would begin with a week-long artillery bombardment of the German front line to destroy their defences. (Haig claimed, ‘not even a rat would be alive’ at the end of it.)The Infantry would then advance to take hold of the German positions, closely followed by a charge of Cavalry who would sweep through breaking the enemy line in two.
What is Infantry?
Soldiers on foot
What is Cavalry?
Soldiers on horses
What does the word attrition mean?
WHAT DOES THE WORD MORALE MEAN?
WHAT WAS THE ‘CREEPING BARRAGE’?
WHAT TWO ACTIVITIES HAMPERED THE
CREEPING BARRAGE?
WHY DID VON FALKENHAYN CHOoSE TO
ATTACK VERDUN?
WHEN DID THE BATTLE OF VERDUN
START?
HOW MANY CASUALTIES WERE THERE
AT THE BATTLE OF VERDUN?
HOW MANY WERE FRENCH? HOW MANY
WERE GERMAN?
WHEN DID THE BATTLE OF VERDUN
END?
1.Attrition, an offensive after offensive attack to ear
down an enemy
- Confidence, enthusiasm and discipline(which
soldiers need during war) - The creeping barrage was the infantry
advancement after artillery shelling - Gas attack and artillery shelling of fellow soldiers
by mistake - To kill so many French as possible in order to kill
their fighting spirit and morale. - February 21, 1916
- 700, 000 casualties
- French – 362,000; german – 337,000
- December 16, 1916
What were the weaknesses of the plan?
BRITISH PREPARATIONS IN FRENCH
NEWSPAPER-ELEMENT OF
SURPRISE LOST
BRITISH AMMUNITION DUMP VISIBLE
TO THE GERMANS
GERMANS WERE SITUATED IN HIGH WELL DEFENDED GROUNDS-BRITISH WERE WELL AWARE OF HOW WELL BUILT GERMAN TRENCHES WERE BUT DID NOT CHANGE THE PLANS.
How many casualties of The Battle of the Somme.
The British suffered 420,000
casualties, French 195,000 and
the Germans around 650,000.
What are pals battalion?
a group of soldiers who were friends, joining the army at the same time from the same place.
What was achieved?
On the one hand 400,000 British soldiers
died on the Somme and no significant
breakthrough was achieved.
On the other hand, it eased the pressure on
the French at Verdun.
The Germans lost almost as many soldiers
as the British and in the longer term, the
German army found it difficult to replace
those losses
The British army found it easier to replace
its losses with troops from the Empire and
in 1917 the USA entered the war as well.
