Case Study : WW1 Flashcards
When and what happened during the first battle of Ypres
October-November 1914. The British try to stop Germany from capturing ports, so equipment could keep arriving. By end of 1914 trenches stretch from channel to Switzerland. Calais defended and German army now surrounded Ypres and 50,000 Great British soldiers died
What happened and when was the Second Battle of Ypres
April-May 1915. Chlorine gas used for first time by Germans and they fail to capture Ypres.
35,000 German casualties and 60,000 allied casualties Germany advanced two miles
When and what were the Gallipolli Landings
August 1915 GB, AUS and NZ forces land at Gallipolli in Turkey to defeat them and the plan fails and results in high casualties.
When and what was the Battle of Verdun
Feb-Dec 1916 - German forces attacked French army of Verdun. The French held out and 160,000 soldiers were killed.
When was and what happened during the Battle of the Somme
July-November 1916 - British try to force Germany out of Verdun to Somme to relieve pressures on French army . 60,000 GB casualties on the first day and over 400,000 overall. 5 miles of land gained and pressure relieved.
When did the US enter the war
August 1917
When and what was the Battle of Arras
April - May 1917 - Allies large scale attack, some ground captured and high casualties. (100,000 GB died and advanced 8 miles)
When and what was Third Battle of Ypres
July-Nov 1917 - Trying to capture Passchendaele but German defences too strong and heavy rain. 245,000 casualties and ridge captured.
When and what was Battle of Cambrai
Nov-December 1917 - Large number of tanks used for first time to attack German trenches after initial success (500 tanks easily moved across barbed wire), forced back and 40,000 GB casualties. Progress made and artillery barrage was changed so Germans given less warning
When and what was German Spring Offensive
Spring 1918 - Germany launch attack over 50 mile front to try bring war to end before US soldiers arrived and supplies run out.
Started successful with 200,000 British casualties but could not break through
What were the final months of the war like?
New US troops helped allies breakthrough German lines and pushed back army. Germany ran out of resources and the war ended
What is the BEF
British Expeditionary Force - trained permanent army
Outline Ypres
-Most direct route to Calais and Dunkirk
-Germans had land overlooking it so could fire down + see allied troops (Hill 60 and Passchendaele)
-GB Lowlying land easily waterlogged and shell fire churned up wet ground.
-By 3rd battle of Ypres drainage systems had mostly been destroyed by shell fire and rainfall
Outline the Arras sector
-Soldiers from GB and NZ dug tunnels beneath ground of Arras
-Chalky earth made tunnelling easy
-Rooms made with running water and electricity
-Accommodation for soldiers, hospital with 700 beds and operating theatres
-Tunnels used for shelter from artillery fire
-April 1917 the tunnels hid 24000 troops before battle of arras
Role of stretcher bearers
-Recovering the dead and wounded
-Carried bandages and morphine and other medical supplies
Difficulties stretcher bearers faced
-Had to deal with mud, shell-craters and crowded twisted trenches
-Only 16 bearers per battalion which could be up to 1000 men
-Took 4 men to carry one stretcher bearer
Location of the regimental aid post
-Close to frontline
-Could be a dugout, ruined buildings or behind a wall
Role and problems of Regimental Medical Officer
-Had to distinguish between lightly injured and seriously wounded.
-Would bandage light wounds and send men back into action.
-Often under fire/poorly lit conditions. Only 1 officer per battalion.
Location of Ambulance and Dressing stations
-Large mobile medical unit between 1/4 and 1 mile behind front line.
-could only deal with 150 men
Job of Field and Ambulance staff
-Set up dressing stations in tents or derelict buildings .
-Received sounded soldiers from RAP and sorted them
What is the Triage system
-Where soldiers were sorted into less and more serious cases
Casualty Clearing Station location
-7-12 miles away from the fighting in a series of large tents or huts
Staff and facilities at CCS
-Around 7 doctors with nursing + other staff
-Operating theatre, mobile x-ray machines, kitchens, toilets wards with beds for 50 men and accommodation for staff.
Triage in CCS
-Divided into 3 groups
1. Walking wounded
2. Those in need of hospital treatment
3. So severely wounded no chance of recovery
Number of casualty difficulties in CCS
Could deal with 1000 casualties but in first 2 years would have more to deal with
Location of base hospitals and transport
-Near railways so could be moved quickly
-Arrived by train, ambulance or even on barges in the canal
Facilities and role of base hospitals
-Operating theatres, labs, x-rays, special centres that could treat things like gas poisoning
-Specialised wards so doctors could become experts in a specific thing
Why was the chain of evacuation better in 1918 than 1914
-Higher number of casualties than expected
-No motor ambulances
Highlight some improvements in the chain of evacuation
-450 motor ambulances arrived in France in November 1914
-7,000 from 3 days during Arras, successfully treated using chain of evacuation.
-Meant 67% of casualties could be treated and return to fight
Royal Army Medical Corps
-Ambulance driving, stretcher bearers and doctors
-Kept men healthy through good sanitation as well as treating the wounded and sick
How did the RAMC cope with the scale of the war
-The age doctors could serve abroad raised to 45
-Had to learn about wounds they had never seen before in different/new conditions
-Had 9000 men in 1914 that increased x12 to 113,000 by 1918
Queen Alexandra’s Nurses
- 300 in late 1914 but 10,000 by end of war
-From professional nursing in operating theatres to cooking, washing clothes and scrubbing
Volunteer Aid Detachment
-Mainly middle/upper class women with little work experience pre-war
-Started cooking cleaning and scrubbing
-By 1917 they were changing dressings and given painkillers
First Aid Nursing Yeomanry
-Founded in 1907 by wounded soldier in Sudan
-Britain recruited them in 1916
-One unit ran the Calais ambulances with 22 drivers and 12 ambulances.
- Carried supplies to frontline, drove motorised kitchens and bath vehicles which could bathe 40 men an hour
Why was the RAMC and nurses work difficult
-New wounds
-Number of casualties ; 60,000 British casualty in battle of Somme and only 174 medical officers treating the casualties
- Terrain/working conditions
What happened during the mines at Hill 60 - April 1916
GB gained high strategic ground after blowing top off of Hill 60, so they can see approaching enemy troops
Outline 4 features of trench conditions
-Narrow so you are protected from shrapnel blasts
-Duckboards to keep soldiers feet dry to prevent diseases
-Hygiene of soldiers to prevent deaths from disease
-Common diseases include, gangrene, dysentery and trench foot
What was the communication trench?
Ran between the other trenches linking firing line with the command, upper and reserve lines
What was the front line trench and how much times did soldiers spend here
This is where attack would be made from and the soldiers spent around 15% of their time here.
What was the support trench?
80m behind the frontline trench troops would retreat if the frontline was under attack, and only 10% of soldiers time was spent herr
What was the reserve trench
At least 100m behind the support trench where reserve troops could be mobilised for counter attacks. Around 30% of time spent here.
What shape were the trenches built into and why
In a zigzag pattern so if someone gets in artillery blasts are limited
