c1900–present: Warfare and British society in the modern era Flashcards
change in use of infantry 1900-present day
1900: main army force - 65% of army in 1914
Present: still main forcce but more compllicatted -25% of army
Change in use of cavalry 1900-present day
1900: Scouting and raiding - 10% of army in 1914
present: replaced by tanks which are 10% of British army
Change in use of artilery 1900-present
1900: key weapon. ARtillerymen 20% of army in 1914
present: Royal Artillery is 10%. Duty shared by air and tanks
Changes in use of specialist troops 1900-present
1900: 5% of army
present 55% eg Royal Engineers, mechanical engineers, medical corps
When were Haldane’s reforms
1908
How do Haldane’s reforms compare to present day
army divided into 2 groups
Regular/standing army:
1908: 150,000 who served abroad and local. Used in ww1&2
2020: similar with 82,000 troops
Territorial force
part time and reserve forced combined to create. Number 240k in 1914.
2020: named Army reserve - 30k soldiers
How did specialist logistics troops evolve army transport and food
Royal Waggoners and Army service (formerly MIlitary Train) corps supplied food and transport instead of army commanders raiding towns or requisitioning
Royal Army service had to supply food to how many soldiers in 1918
3 million
Specialist troops - Explosive Ordinance Disposal
Created during ww2 to dispose of unexploded bombs dropped in London.
1940: 134 army bomb disposal units formed and disposed of 25,000 bombs in a year
Example of robotic EOD
Dragon runner with pincers, camera and digging arms
1914 Railways produce war of movement
outmanoeuvre enemies
eg 2 million men moved by 11,000 train journeys and horses
What meant war of movement 1914 was replaced by stalemates?
Machine guns such as Maxim or Vickers were extremely powerful in defence but weak in advances.
Eg Western Front in Battle of Somme 60,000 died in infantry charge
What lead to the return of War of Movement in 1916-18
Tanks:
armed with machine guns
“Whippets” travelled 10mph
Aircraft:
Used to bomb machine gun enemy troops and factories
Map enemy positions
Motorised vehicles:
Carry troops around
Rapid communications
Tanks in 1916
eg in Battle of Somme, 42 used
Travelled 1mph and broke down often.
Caused great fear
How did vehicles from 1939 produce dynamic war of movement
Tanks: can move 20-40mph leading to “blitzkrieg” tactic - use speed of attacking weapons to get into enemy defence
Aircraft: “stuka” can fly low and at 240mph
Radios to coordinate attacks
Factors creating stalemate/war of attrition
1)Anti-aircraft guns
-automatic reloading and firing
-1943: 50,000 used by Germany so Allies lost 15% of planes each raid
2)Radars
Send radio waves to detect incoming planes
3)Fighter planes
, eg spitfire could outmanoeuvre Germans at 350mph.
Battle of Britain 1940 fighter planes kept Britain safe from invasion and reduced impact of German bombers
What was the impact of bombings WW2
-Mass civilian deaths. Dresden 1945 killed 25,000 people in just two days
-Tied up military assets. Germany used 2 million people to man its air defences.
-decimated economic assets like factories
-Atomic bomb. 70% of buildings in Hiroshima destroyed, 70k killed instantly
What is total warfare
Using all resources at a country’s disposal to win a war.
-population, scientific/industrial knowledge, increased political power, money
Chemical warfare used in WW1
German troops use chlorine canisters to kill 1250 troops in 1914
1918: 90k soldiers killed by gas attacks.
When was chemical warfare banned?
1925 Geneva Protocol
1997 Chemical Weapons Convention
due to attitudes in society -outrage against gas attacks
What new stalemate did nuclear weapons introduce?
Mutually Assured Destruction
How was an infantry man equipped from 1945?
Night vision glasses, personal radio
AR with laser aim, telescopic sight
sometimes machine gun with 750rpm
Aerial support given to infantry men from 1945.
Merlin helicopter could carry 45 troops and armoured vehicles.
Gave support that cavalry used to: scouting and also carried guns
Artillery and bombing from 1945
-Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles could fire 5,500km
-Stealth bombers hard to identify on radar
-dumb bombs with error interval of 100m vs guided bomb with 10m
-Drones to drop bombs
use of Satellites
Iraq war 2003:
locate enemy troops
predict weather
photograph damages
communication between troops
What was Revolution in Military Affairs
Commanders used surveillance and information to coordinate with armies whilst they were in HQs
What was assymetric warfare
One side is more advanced than the other
reasons:
COST: only wealthy countries could be well armed
MAD: could only attack weaker countries
less powerful would often use guerilla warfare
WW1: how many people signed up to join the army before conscription
7000/week
WW1: when was conscription introduced and to who
1916 Military Service Act meant 18-41 yr old enlisted. 1916-18, 3.5mill were conscripted
WW2: conscription difference to WW1
included women who could help in other ways such as munitions factories
Attitudes towards Conscientious Objectors
CO had to justify reasons infront of military court. Most failed/were imprisoned and others took non fighting roles
WW1: objectors treated harshly. Very few objections accepted
WW2: CO teachers sacked. 3000 objections accepted
Conscientious objectors in WW1 and 2
WW1: 16,600 objectors
WW2: 60,000 objectors
Training of conscripted troops after WW2
men 18-21 had to complete 18 months of training and service then spend 4 years in reserve
Current British professional armed forces
150,000 total standing army
-recruits join for 4 years
-basic training for 14 weeks
-salaries up to £100,000
Impact of war on civilians who enlist
WW1: 700,000 killed
WW2: 450,000 killed
Impact of war on civilians who didnt enlist
40,000 killed in the blitz
200,000 in hiroshima
Fighting on the home front groups in WW2
Home Guard: joined by 1.6mill. Protect Britian from invasion
Civil defence: 1.4mill enlisted. Combined air raid wardens and firefighters
How civilian lives were affected by Warfare
Rationing: started in 1917 because of Britain only having 6 weeks of supplies left
Failure to ration can be seen in germany where 750,000 starved
Homelessness: Blitz: 1.5mill displaces
Loss of Freedom: Defence of the Realm Act banned basic activities eg purchasing binoculats
During WWs the government decided everyone’s jobs
Fear of Nuclear War: booklets like “protect and survive” distributed in 1980
war reporting in warfare
1914: 5 selected journalists could visit front lines
Iraq war 2003: 500 embedded among troops
What lead to increase of war reporting?
Advancements to technology: in 1900 reporters used couriers and electric telegraphs - unreliable.
After 1900: Sattellite links, internet made easy for anyone to report
Examples of censorship
Newspapers “self-censored” as it was believed to be patriotic
WW1: 10,000 men hired to read and censor soldier’s letters home
Newspapers eg The Tribunal that criticised the war were shut down several times
Limitations of censorship now
Everyone can report
Eg Iraq viewers told about bombing of Banghdad before war even announced
Propaganda in WW1 vs WW2
WW1: government posters and patriotic films eg “The Battle of Somme” shown in 2000 cinemas in 1916
WW2: Radio stations put positive slant on events of war
Attitudes in society towards warfare throughout the period
early 1900s saw strong jingoism eg 30k enlistments a day in Sept 1914
Since 1945, support for wars declined eg 1 million marched in London as protestors to Iraq war
What caused attitudes in society to shift against warfare since 1945
Increase in reporting
Cost was large, people believed this cost should be spent on other things
Human cost was larger
How did attitudes in society alter how war was fought?
1945: Hiroshima bombing aimed to maximise casualties
2003: drone strikes to minimise casualties
WESTERN FRONT AND BATTLE OF SOMME 1916
trench conditions
trench foot, dysentry, lack of sleep
WESTERN FRONT AND BATTLE OF SOMME 1916
Haig’s preparation for main assault
1) Royal Flying Corps shot down German observation balloons
2) 40 gas attacks on German trenches
3) seven day 1.7 million artillery shell bombardment
WESTERN FRONT AND BATTLE OF SOMME 1916
main assault
**1)120k infantry run through front lines with heavy backpacks. Creeping barrage of shells fired in front of them
2)german defences remained intact and killed 20,000 soldiers and wounded 40,000
GERMANS USED BERGMANRIFLE 500RPM SUBMACHJINE GUN
WESTERN FRONT AND BATTLE OF SOMME 1916
outcome
600,000 Allied troops lost
500,000 German troops lost
WESTERN FRONT AND BATTLE OF SOMME 1916
reasons for outcome
-german trenches were strong
-barbed wire slowed down infantry advance
- Artillery barrage removed any element of suprise
-30% of shells didnt explode
-Tanks scattered and used ineffectively
WESTERN FRONT AND BATTLE OF SOMME 1916
Haig’s role
.-Failed to learn from earlier massed attack
>most generals thought massed attacks would work eventually and Haig was under pressure to regain lost land
-Used new weapons like tanks badly
>Haig succeeded in stopping German assault at Verdun
>new weapons not effective yet
-Ignored advice of Rawlinson who said new tactics were needed
IRAQ WAR 2003
Coalition strategy UK and US
shock and awe
>overwhelm enemy military forces
IRAQ WAR 2003
high tech weaponry and surveillance used
F117 Stealth fighter bombers undetectable by radar
Paveway bombs: guided by laser. 60% missed their target
Storm shadows: missiles guided by an operator
Challenger tanks: destroyed 14 Iraq tanks in one day
Drones: unmanned planes
Satellites: interrupt Iraq communications, surveillance and guided smart bombs
SATNET 4 main UK network over Iraq, upgraded for 2.5 billion
IRAQ WAR 2003
What was the main attack an example of ?
asymmetric warfare:
Coalition had :
Better weapons - Challenger tank couldnt be pierced by Iraqi tanks
Coalition planes to fast or undetected to be hit by Iraqi anti aircraft missiles
More money to spend - $51billion in 1 year
CNN effect
power of media to influence attitude, government policy and military strategy
Military Service Act 1916
Conscription for unmarried men 18-41
1/4 of male population enlisted
National Service Act 1939
Conscripted men and
women for special jobs eg spying
when was National Service introduced and what was it
1948
- peactime conscription to maintain strong army
-18 months training, 4 years in reserve
