Battles Flashcards
Battle of Mons
23 August 1914, commanded by French
First major action for the BEF and they were very good
Had to retreat to just outside Paris regardless as they were outnumbered by the Germans and the French unexpectedly retreated. Allowed them to plan for a counter offensive
Vickers machine gun tore through the German First Army, forcing the use of trenches in the future
80,000 BEF, 1638 casualties (1% for the first battle)
Slowed down Germany, tactical retreat is still heroic for the bravery of the BEF despite being outnumbered
Scared Germany, defying their expectation
Battle of Marne
6-12 September 1914
Germany pushed the Allies back to Paris, making the Schlieffen plan seem realistic.
Allies planned a counter offensive at the Marne to halt the rapid German advance. Almost completely encircled the Germans, causing heavy damage
Effectively ruined the Schlieffen plan, leading to 4 years of attrition and stalemate. Russia had mobilised, leading to a two-front war.
Sparked the race to the sea
1m Allies v. 1.5m Germans
263,000 Allied losses (8% of the British)
250,000 German losses
Von Moltke relieved of command, claiming that the war was lost due to this battle
Called for the Territorial Army and colonial armies after the BEF had taken big hits
1st Battle of Ypres
aka Salient
19 Oct-22 Nov 1914
Major part of the Flanders campaign
The French needed Britain to hold Ypres as it was crucial to holding Belgium and protecting Northern France
Epitome of stalemate-neither side made much ground even with huge ground attacks
Morale plummeted, men refused orders
Indecisive but Ypres did not fall
4.4m Allies (British, French and Belgian)
5.4m Germans
58,000 Allied losses, 47,000 German
Volunteers became crucial as the BEF depleted
2nd Battle of Ypres
22 April-25 May 1915
Germans attempted to capture Ypres again
1st use of gas: 171 tonnes of Chlorine gas from the Germans
Couldn’t take advantage of the attack as the Germans didnt have gas masks.
By July gas masks were standard issue
Indecisive
85,000 Allied casualties (mainly British and Canadian), 35,000 German
Battle of Loos
25 September-8 October 1915
Biggest British attack during 1915, first use of gas from the Allies
First major battle for Britain’s ‘New Army’
Aimed to end the stalemate and restore movement to the war
Royal Tunneling Company used to dig under no man’s land and plant mines, but it was difficult to coordinate the attack without radio
Artillery bombardment before the attack was insufficient due to lack of ammunition.
RFC dropped flares at key targets, also carried out the first tactical bombing run in history
Of the 10,000 attacking British, 8,000 casualties were sustained in 4 hours
French replaced bv Haig as Commander in Chief of the BEF
60,000 Allied casualties, 26,000 German
Revealed issues in production for both quantity and quality
