History - Western Front Flashcards
Why did conditions differ on different parts of the western front
- Weather
- Pressure points
What was the western front
The point where British and French troops confronted german troops in WW1
Why were casualties in WW1 higher than many previous wars
It was the first type of industrial/ modern war
When was the second battle of Ypres and what did it mean for Britain
April-May 1915 - the German attack using chlorine gas for the first time in the war created an urgency to develop gas masks - new injury calls for new treatment
How many people died in the battle of Ypres
60,000 Allies
and
35,000 Germans
When was the battle of Somme and what happened
July - November 1916
On 1 July the British and French launched a major attack aiming to force Germany to move its troops away from Verdun to Somme and so relieve the pressure on the French army.
How many people died in the Battle of Somme
60,000 British casualties on the first day
400,000 by the time the battle ended
In what ways does war effect medical development
- Spread disease
- Cause casualties
- Stops research
- Takes doctors and nurses away from civilians
- Helps new medical research
How many casualties were there in WW1
24 million
What opportunities did war provide for improvements in medical skills
- to practice ads medics nurses and ambulance drivers in the very worst conditions
Difficulties in terms of treatment of injuries
- no running water
- dressings and filth pile up
How did war improve surgery
- skills of surgery massively improved
- gave surgeons a great opportunity for surgical work
- amputations increased rapidly
Key features of the care system in the western front
- field dressing stations
- Sent to casualty clearing centres
- medical cards
New medical inventions due to WW1
- Blood banks - army doctors needed vast amount of blood for casualties
- new antiseptics
- Carrell Dakin solution
What helped blood to be stored
Sodium citrate
When were X-rays discovered
1895 - but war speeded up the use of X-rays
Symptoms of shell shock
Tremors, loss of sight or hearing and extreme fatigue.
When was the use of the word shell shock banned?
1914
Why did the army find it difficult to acknowledge shell shock’s existence
They think its just weakness
How many recorded cases of sell shock were there
80,000
How were victims of shell shock treated
Taken away from frontline and kept in special camp. \
One camp was set up to hold 5,000 men
Victims were treated with role play, talking and electric shocks to persuade limbs to work again.
When was the collection of the wounded from no man’s land usually carried out
Under fire it at night as it was dangerous
impact of the terrain on the western front
no mans land and the trenches could be in deep mud, making movement difficult and dangerous.
The trench system could be clogged with equipment and men, moving in different directions, carrying stretchers often under fire, was extremely hard work
Rifles - Weapons of war
-rifles - became more efficient weapons as soldiers no longer loaded them one bullet at a time. Bullets were also designed with a more pointed shape which drove them deeper into the body from a longer distance
