chapter 2: first world war - stalemate

Question 1

what was the schlieffen plan?

Answer 1

a german plan to attack france through belgium and then attack russia

Question 2

why did the schlieffen plan fail?

Answer 2

russia mobilised a lot quicker than germany expected & germany mobilised slower than expected. the BEF also slowed the german advance

Question 3

why did britain declare war on germany?

Answer 3

britain ordered germany to withdraw from fighting belgium but they refused

Question 4

what was the battle of the marne?

Answer 4

conflict in the early stages of ww1in which germany were halted, forcing both sides to dig trenches and give up their positions

Question 5

when was the battle of the marne?

Answer 5

6th-10th september 1914

Question 6

where did the battle of the marne take place?

Answer 6

banks of the river marne, 30 miles from paris

Question 7

what happened at the battle of the marne?

Answer 7

• the BEF joined the french army in stopping the german advance and trying to push them out of france, but did not completely push them out
• the germans fell back and began making forts in their positions

Question 8

why was the german advance stopped at the battle of the marne?

Answer 8

• german soldiers had marched 150 miles and were exhausted
• they were held up because the french destroyed bridges and roads as they retreated

Question 9

what was the significance of the battle of the marne?

Answer 9

• it halted the german advance into france
• both sides dug trenches to protect themselves marking the beginning of trench warfare and the stalemate

Question 10

what was the race to the sea?

Answer 10

an attempt by the british and french to outflank the german army and attack from behind after their defeat at the battle of the marne

Question 11

what were the events of the race to the sea?

Answer 11

a period of open warfare where both sides made use of their cavalry to move ahead quickly

Question 12

what were the outcomes of the race to the sea?

Answer 12

• the creation of the western front (where each side dug trenches)
• beginning of trench warfare

Question 13

what were the features of trenches?

Answer 13

• frontline trench - where soldiers attacked from
• support trench - where people retreated to if the front line was attacked
• reserve trench - where troops rested
• dugouts - holes in the sides of trenches where men would sleep
• communication trenches - used to connect them together
• trenches were dug in zig zag patterns to stop significant damage from attacks in trenches
• no mans land - space between the front lines of each sides trenches

Question 14

what was stalemate on the western front?

Answer 14

when both sides dug into their trenches when repeated attacks were launched - resulting in high numbers of casualties

Question 15

why was there a stalemate on the western front?

Answer 15

• failure of the schlieffen plan (germans dug trenches in many places)
• strength of defenses
• ineffective weapons
• trench conditions (shellfire, mud etc.)
• no new tactics (used old, outdated tactics which were ineffective)

Question 16

what were the conditions of trenches?

Answer 16

• waterlogged - trench foot
• awful smells
• rats, lice
• ground covered in shellfire
• very muddy

Question 17

what was life like for soldiers?

Answer 17

• many believed war was justified and were proud to fight for their country
• had a lot of leisure time
• comradeship was important so soldiers developed strong friendships
• morale was kept up by letters from home, good food, luxuries
• troops would be given serious punishments for breaking rules

Question 18

what was the role of artillery in ww1?

Answer 18

to destroy enemy positions and defenses so they could be captured and to destroy enemy guns

Question 19

how was artillery developed further during ww1?

Answer 19

became far more sophisticated and accurate

Question 20

what was the impact of artillery?

Answer 20

• caused more casualties than any other weapon
• people feared it
• caused shellshock

Question 21

what was the role of machine guns in ww1?

Answer 21

used to defend trenches

Question 22

what were machine guns like before ww1?

Answer 22

• required a crew of 4-6 operators
• could rapidly overheat or jam

Question 23

how were machine guns developed further during ww1?

Answer 23

• became smaller so were easier to operate
  and carry
• rate of fire vastly increased

Question 24

what was the impact of machine guns in ww1?

Answer 24

• fires 8 bullets a second or more
• associated with the most casualties

Question 25

what was the role of poison gas in ww1?

Answer 25

• used to disable enemy trenches
• used to steal trenches
• panicked soldiers so struggled to breathe

Question 26

how was poison gas developed further during ww1?

Answer 26

• began to take effect quicker
• more lethal gases were developed (e.g. mustard gas)

Question 27

what was the impact of poison gas in ww1?

Answer 27

• most feared weapon
• took 5 weeks to kill

Question 28

what was the role of tanks in ww1?

Answer 28

• used to invade enemy areas
• however they had flaws, many didn’t reach their destinations

Question 29

how were tanks developed further during ww1?

Answer 29

• became more useful
• could kill more people

Question 30

what was the impact of tanks during ww1?

Answer 30

• initially had limited casualties
• huge morale boost
• could kill more people (bigger)

Question 31

what was the role of aircraft during ww1?

Answer 31

• used for observation
• shoot at enemy trenches or aircraft

Question 32

how was aircraft developed further during ww1?

Answer 32

• quicker and easier to move
• machine guns mounted to the front to shoot through propellers

Question 33

what was the impact of aircraft during ww1?

Answer 33

• vital for observation of enemy trenches
• used to directly fire at enemies
• could attack enemy ships

Question 34

what was the battle of verdun?

Answer 34

the longest major battle between french and german forces on the western front

Question 35

what happened at the battle of verdun?

Answer 35

• germans attacked and initially made progress, capturing the forts around the town
• french soldiers counterattacked and pushed the germans back, so after several months the german attacks settled down

Question 36

when was the battle of verdun?

Answer 36

february-december 1916

Question 37

why did the germans attack at the battle of verdun?

Answer 37

a general wanted to ‘bleed france white’. the aim was to kill more french soldiers than german causing the french army to collapse - known as war of attrition

Question 38

what were the consequences of the battle of verdun?

Answer 38

• both french and german armies were weakened
• verdun was saved

Question 39

why did the german attack at the battle of verdun fail?

Answer 39

• german plan of attrition failed as the had almost as many casualties as the french
• german had to pull troops out of verdun to defend other areas as the allies launched their own offensives

Question 40

what was the battle of the somme?

Answer 40

part of an offensive to force the germans back and achieve victory on the western front, fought by british and french forces against the germans

Question 41

when was the battle of the somme?

Answer 41

1st july - 18th november 1916

Question 42

where was the battle of the somme?

Answer 42

on the river somme in france, where british and french armies met

Question 43

why was the somme offensive launched?

Answer 43

part of an offensive to force the germans back and achieve victory on the western front. also helped to relieve pressure on the french

Question 44

what were the consequences of the battle of the somme?

Answer 44

• 57,000 british casualties on the first day and only 8,000
• allies advance 15km at most along part of the western front (the expected breakthrough never occurred)
• germans called off their attacks at verdun saving the french army there
• allies developed new technology contributing to their later victory

Question 45

why was the battle of the somme a failure?

Answer 45

• germans knew the attack was coming so moved away from the front line into strengthened trenches
• too many soldiers died because of douglas haig’s poor leadership (he told soldiers to advance slowly towards the enemy trenches as he believed they were undefended but they weren’t)