History: Fighting in WW1

Question 1

Who was the Minister of Propaganda that began to recruit soldiers for the war?

Answer 1

Lord Kitchener.

Question 2

How many men had volunteered to join the army by March 1916?

Answer 2

2.5 million men.

Question 3

What weapons and technology were used during the war?

Answer 3

Artillery
Machine Guns
Tanks
Poison Gas
Aircraft

Question 4

When was the Royal Air Force (RAF) established?

Answer 4

1918

Question 5

What were aircraft originally used for during WW1?

Answer 5

Initially, they were used to spy on enemy positions.

Question 6

What was the main purpose of a machine gun?

Answer 6

Machine Guns were mainly used to defend trenches, cause 40% of all wounds during the war.

Question 7

What weapon cause the most casualties?

Answer 7

Artillery (60%).

Question 8

When were tanks originally used and what country invented them?

Answer 8

Originally used in 1916, they were a British invention.

Question 9

What was the problem with the first tanks?

Answer 9

The first tanks moved at walking pace and often broke down.

Question 10

What was the main use of poison gas?

Answer 10

Attacks on other trenches.

Question 11

What was the Schlieffen Plan?

Answer 11

One of the initial offensive attacks launched by the Germans and was concocted by Field Marshal Alfred Von Schlieffen. It was a plan to attack France on the 4th August 1914.

Question 12

Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail?

Answer 12

The Russian were ready much earlier than the Germans expected and their large army moblised surprisingly quickly, sending troops to the Eastern Front. Belgium refused permission for Germany to march through their country, slowing down the German invasion. The British also arrived on the 23rd August to resist the Germans - something they didn’t anticipate.

Question 13

What was the ‘War of Attrition’?

Answer 13

The war of attrition was a stalemate as both sides consolidated their positions.

Question 14

When did the Battle of the Somme start and how long did it last for?

Answer 14

1st July 1916 and lasted 5 months.

Question 15

How many British soldiers died on the first day of the Battle of the Somme?

Answer 15

20,000

Question 16

How did the British begin the attack in the Battle of the Somme?

Answer 16

They bombarded Germany trenches for 7 days.

Question 17

What did the French hope would happen when the British attack Somme?

Answer 17

They hoped German troops would be drawn away from Verdun.

Question 18

Why did Britain’s initial barrage on the Germans in the Battle of the Somme fail and what was the cost for the soldiers?

Answer 18

It failed as German soldiers were largely protected by deep dugouts underground. This meant British soldiers faced heavy fire from the Germans when they attacked.