C1900-present: Warfare And Modern Society In The Modern Era

Question 1

Changes in composition

Answer 1

• Infantry: 65% in 1914, 25% in 2015, troops still most likely to fight on ground
• cavalry: 10% in 1914, 10% in 2015, tanks now lead attacks ans protect infantry and guve mobile artillery support
• artillery: 20% in 1914, 10% in 2015 bombarding enemy is still key but aircrafts amd tanks now share this role, artilley is now more mobile such as satellite guided missiles
• specialist troops: 5% in 1914, 55% in 2015

Question 2

Change in size of army

Answer 2

1918- 3,500,000
1945 - 3,300,000
2020 - 82,000

Question 3

Growth of logistics corps

Answer 3

1900: army logistics badly organised
1914-18: scale of ww1 led to improvements: the army service corps
1939-45: ww2 logistics were even more demanding
1993: royal army service corps joines with other army corps: royal logistics corps
2003: 15% of british army the RLC organised logistics for invasion of iraq

Question 4

Specialoswd bomb disposal units

Answer 4

Early 1940, 25 army bomb disposal units formed during ww2.
Late 1840, amother 109 bomb disposal units crested
1972: remote controlles robot was developed that was abke to move an explosive device
2015: British army had about 2000 explosive ordnance disposal units

Question 5

Impact of modern developments - weaponary

Answer 5

1.) Machine guns: could fire 600 rounds a minute, needed teams of men to cool them down, effective in defemce
2.) Tanks: by 1918 cavalry replaced by motor vehicles, mostly tanks effectively mobile artillery
3.) Chemical weapons: 146 attacks in ww1 using chlorene and mustard gas, ations now agree nit to use chemical weapons
4.) Aircraft: 63 aircraft in 1914, 22,000 in 1918 - played a key role as mobile artillery

Question 6

Impact of development - transport

Answer 6

1.) 1914, germans moved soliders by train for a suprize attack
2.) 1918, motorised transport introduced, british army had 55,000 trucks amd 35,000 motorcycles
3.) 1940: aircraft used to parachute troops behind enemy lines
4.) 1944: airsupport, allies create ‘cab rank’ systemallowing infanry to call quick air strikes to weaken resistancep

Question 7

Surveillance

Answer 7

• from 1900, surveillance from aircraft was introduced.
• in 1957, satellites allowed surveilance, used to spot enemy forces, identify targets, predict weather conditions, photograph impact of attacks and provide communication systems.
• RADAR (RAdio Detection And Ranging) vital for britains victory in battle of britain in 1940

Question 8

21at century guerilla warfare

Answer 8

-Powerful states can use bombing and elite infantry to capture territory but controlling it can be more difficult
- weaker forces may use guerilla warfare againgst occupying troops. They blend in with locsl civilians and use hit and run tactics.

Question 9

Attitudes to conscientous objectors

Answer 9

WW1: common for CO’s to be shunned even by family amd receice hate, 7,000 sent to jail.
WW2: CO’s found alternative forms of work, still received histlity, 6,000 sent to jail.

Question 10

Changes in war reporting

Answer 10

1914: an army officer would report from battlefield,
Nov 1916: 5 journalists allowe at front line
2003: 700 reporters in iraq - inctease in reporting has impacted public attitude.

Question 11

Reporting and public attitudes

Answer 11

• in WW1, number of volunteere fell after reports of casualties, leading to conscription in both wars
• since 1945 public support for war has fell, in 2003 a million protestors marched againgst the war in iraq

Question 12

Censorship and propoganda

Answer 12

• in WW1: censorship used to hide news from public, soldiers lettes were read and censored
• propoganda used to build support for war and encourage men to join. Often suggested germsns were evil and had to be defeated.
• WW2: vital tool, avoided exagerrating victories and focused on need to win, censorhip also used againgst newspapers criticising government.

Question 13

Modern reporting amd censorship

Answer 13

• new tech makes censorhip alot harder.
  Eg bombimg in iraq in 1991 reported before war had even begun.
• some info fan still be consored, eg iraq 2003 reports were read before publication and iraqi casualties only reported later on

Question 14

WW1, Western front

Answer 14

By 1915, allies and german trenches networks spanned 600km from belgium to switzerland, led to a static war of attrition

Question 15

The somme offensive, 1916

Answer 15

• royal flying corps shot down german ibservation balloons to ensure suprize
• gas attacks at 40 differnet places along front
• week long heavy artilley bombardment
• ‘creeping barrage’ of artilley led the infantry advance to clear thier way
• 120k infantry went ‘over the top’ towards german trenches, that day 20k british infantry killed and 40k injured or captured
• offensive went on for 5 months

Question 16

Reasons for outcome in somme offensive

Answer 16

• suprise was losy as artilley barrage signalled an attack was about to begin and german trench system was strong and deep.
• power of defence: rifles machine guns and artillery cut down soldiers as they advanced
• british infantry lacked experience and training as they were volunteers
• british srtilley barrage failed, tanks were also poorly managed

Question 17

The nature of trench warfare

Answer 17

• boring daily routines, sentry duty and cleaning weapons
• frontline soldiers lived in dugouts
• constant wet feet led to trench feet
• winters were harsh + bombardment meant little sleep
• dirty water and rats spread disease
• lice were common and caused trench fever
• shell shock, included crying shaking muteness and paralysis

Question 18

The role of general haig

Answer 18

Positives :
- he was under gov pressure to recapture lost land so needed to attack
- wanted to pin spdown german troops at somme
- calculated heavy casualties would hit germany harder then allies
Negatives:
- didn’t change strat after earlier infantry attacks were unsuccessful
- used new weapons badly and din’t listn to advice from other generals

Question 19

Iraq war, 2003

Answer 19

US and UK attack on less developed state pf iraq using modern high tech forces, a guerilla war developed and by 2011, coalition forces were eventually withdrawn.

Question 20

Strategy in iraq war

Answer 20

• coalition relied on shock and awe usimg overwhelming advancing power
• F-117 fighters bombed iraqi leaders while missiles were launched at bases and special forces went in
• 2 months of daily targeted bombing most with ‘smart’ weaponary
• 200,000 ground troops captured key cities with support from aircraft and helicopters tanks and heavy artillery

Question 21

Use of computerised weaponary in iraq war

Answer 21

• F-117 stealth fighter bombers were undetectable by radar. Britains main aircraft was tornado which was used to deliver ‘smart’ bombs
• challenger tanks are UK’s main battle tank with laser assisted guns which fire 8 shells a minute.
  On march 27th 2003, challengers destroted 14 enemy tanks without any losses. Iraqi tanks couldn’t compete
• coalition aircraft alsomdropped propoganda leaflets urging iraqi forces to surrender

Question 22

Aerial surveillance techniques in iraq war

Answer 22

• directed by pilots from ground via cameras, drones used for reconnaissance and bombing missions
• satnet 4, the UK satellite network over iraq used to intercept iraqi communications and used to provide warnings of any attcaks.

Question 23

Reasons for outcome in iraq war

Answer 23

• The coalistion defeated iraq’s army in 20 days but withdrew 8 years later
• However the high tech weapons weeen’t effective for maintaining control over iraq
• guerilla fighters attacked foces with hit and run raids, suicide attacks and improvided explosives.
• this caused thousands of casualties, sapping morale leasimg for coalition forces to withdraw.