Era of the Great War - Scots on the Western Front Flashcards
Name the weapons that were already in use at the start of WW1.
Machine Guns
Artillery and Shells
Name the weapons introduced during WW1 to try to achieve breakthrough.
Gas
Tanks
Aircraft (already invented but used for the first time in war)
States the Pros of Machine Guns.
Britain had Vickers machine guns - fired 600 bullets per minute.
Very good for defending trenches. Used to spray bullets into attacking soldiers.
Caused lots of casualties.
State the Cons of Machine Guns.
Not enough to start, Germans had more. Production increased: 80 machine guns per battalion by the end of the war.
Too heavy to be carried into battle for attack. Mounted on a tripod, weighed 30kg, needed a team of three to operate.
Caused huge numbers of deaths on all sides but did not help either side break through. Established a long drawn out defensive war.
More defensive than offensive.
State the Pros of Artillery and Shells.
Destroyed Trenches
Caused mass casualties and shell shock.
Designed to go through steel before exploding.
Could be operated from behind the trenches making them safer for the men using them.
Fired long range - 30 km
State the Cons of Artillery and Shells.
If you didn’t get the range correct you could kill soldiers on your own side.
Needed to calculate the correct range.
Shrapnel made it dangerous for soldiers on your own side.
States the Pros of Gas.
Chlorine: an acute lung irritant, could kill within 1 - 2 hours.
Phosgene: more deadly, a less concentrated mixture needed, death could take up to 48 hours
Mustard gas: blinded men, harmed lungs and skin.
Gas shells fired from guns. No need to wait for suitable wind, areas to the rear could be attacked.
Killed and disabled people – almost 100,000 soldiers killed by gas, 1million injured.
Created fear – had psychological and nuisance value.
Machine gunners in gas masks operated less efficiently making it easier for attackers to move forward.
State the Cons of Gas.
Cylinders. The wind had to be in right direction, lot of work to install, cylinders vulnerable to shell fire.
Each shell contained little gas.
Before gas shells were used, attacks had to be delayed until wind in right direction. Wind could change direction and blow back.
A huge amount needed to be effective.
Buildings and territory remained intact.
Difficult to follow up the attack quickly - gas remained in the area.
Ineffective because of anti-gas measures.
Developed Gas Masks
Fires to clear gas from trenches.
Warnings: pets, gongs, bells, whistles.
State the Pros of Tanks.
Caterpillar tracks allowed tanks to manoeuvre in mud.
Could cover a lot of ground - go through barbed wire and across trenches
The British had tanks before the Germans
State the Cons of Tanks
Got stuck in the mud
Often ran out of petrol
In the early stages it broke down often.
State the Pros of Aircraft.
Used to spy on the enemy’s lines
Used in dog fights in the air
Used to drop bombs
Used with troops + tanks to gain breakthrough
State the Cons of Aircraft.
New technology - so didn’t reach its full potential until near the end of the war.
