History - WWI Flashcards
T1 & T2 Content
Acronym for long-term causes of the First World War?
M - Militarism
A - Alliances
I - Imperialism
N - Nationalism
Militarism
The belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.
Alliances
Mutually Beneficial Truce
State of being joined or associated; a relationship based on similarity of interests, nature, or qualities.
Triple Entente/Allies - Britain, France, Russia, later Italy switched into
Triple Alliance/Central Powers - Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy(neutral), Bulgaria (1915), Ottoman Empire/Turkey (1914)
Imperialism
The policies of extending a country’s power and hold through colonization, invasion, etc.
Nationalism
Belief that one’s country is superior and/or special in some way to the detriment of the others.
Strengths of Triple Entente
Spread out around the globe More territory Much larger populations More dreadnoughts Empire : 390mil
Weaknesses of Triple Entente
Harder to communicate
Smallest army
Strengths of Triple Alliance
Easier to communicate
Empire : 15mil
Weaknesses of Triple Alliance
Less land
Smaller population
Easier to surround
HMS Dreadnought
Battleship that changed naval battle, built from 1906.
Developed by ‘Committee of Designs,’ founded by Admiral Fisher, appointed First Sealord in 1904
Construction cost £1, 785, 683.
Timeline of July Crisis 1
28 June 1914 - Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and wife, buried on 4th July
7 July - Austro-Hungarian Ministerial Council decides to initiate military action on Serbia
23 July - Austria issues ultimatum to Serbia
25 July - Serbia meets almost all demands and diplomatic relations are broken
Timeline of July Crisis 2
28 July - Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia
30 July - Tsar Nicholas II authorizes Russian mobilisation
1 Aug - Germany declares war on Russia
2 Aug - Germany invades Luxembourg and issues ultimatum to Britain
3 Aug - Germany invades Belgium, declares war on France
4 Aug - Britain declares war on Germany
Descriptive Paragraph on ‘no man’s land’.
No Man’s Land was open land that was covered in shell holes which were often water-filled. It separated the forward trenches of both sides. It was protected by fire from machine guns and had to be crossed to reach the enemy.
3 Steps of the Schlieffen Plan
- Invade Belgium - Germany had advanced railway systems at the time.
- Attack Paris, then go back to Germany within 6 weeks.
- Use transport to meet Russian steamroller.
Assumptions of the Schlieffen Plan
Russia would take 6 weeks to mobilise
France would be defeated in 6 weeks
Belgium wouldn’t resist
Britain would stay neutral
Italy and outside countries wouldn’t interfere
Treaty of London 1839 between Britain, France and Belgium wouldn’t affect
What was Plan XVII
Plan 17 was developed by the French General Staff to counter the Schlieffen Plan in 1911,
Involved major offensive by French across Alsace-Lorraine into German industrial areas,
Sponsored by General J.J.C. Joffre,
Estimated Germany had a maximum of 68 infantry divisions.
7 Reasons for the Failure of the Schlieffen Plan
Poor leadership, Belgian resistance, British interference, Russian mobilisation, failure to capture Paris, exhaustion, unplanned fight for the sea
Belgian Resistance
Germans assumed Belgian would not resist, but Belgium fought back, destroying paths, routes and bridges to stop progress, causing the schedule to change as they did not expect to spend so long in Belgium and suffer loss.
British Interference
British turned up in Belgium and effected fights, changing schedule and plan.
Russian Mobilisation
Russia invaded Germany on Aug 17th 1914, 2 weeks after the Germans began the Schlieffen Plan.
Failure to capture Paris
Germans suffered a defeat at the Battle of the Marne and had to retreat, leading to a race to the sea.
Race to the Sea
Fighting for control of port towns to stop British escaping, led to stalemate.
Exhaustion
14 Sept. Germans began digging trenches and set up machine guns to begin stalemate, as the soldiers could fight no more, leading to the end of the plan.
Leadership
Moltke, Joffre and Command were too far away from front lines to control events and communication was too slow, effecting knowledge of changes in plan and planning.
Battle of Liege
4-16 August The Battle of Liege was the first battle on the Western Front, between Germans and Belgian armies. Liege surrounded by 12 main fortresses, sited ~5km apart, Germans expected to capture in 2 days but took 11 days.
Namur
20-24 Aug. Germans lost 900 men, Belgians lost 15,000.
Antwerp
28 Sept. - 10 Oct. Belgians had no hope of victory despite support from British navy and delayed Germans needed at first battle of Ypres.
Yser River
16 Oct. - 2 Nov. Belgians retreating from Antwerp dug in, and French reinforcement was unable to hold back the Germans.
Summary of Belgian Resistance
Defeat of Belgium was complete within 10 days, war atrocities committed by German soldiers, killing 6,000 civilians for being suspected of being ‘francs-tireurs’ (guerilla fighters) and on 23 Aug, at Dinant, 674 people, 10% of the population, were executed. Belgian deaths amounted to 100,000 - 400,000 military deaths and 60,000 civilian deaths, 1.5mil Belgians made homeless, 200km electric fence killing 3,000 escapees, 120,000 Belgian civilians used as forced labour, helping dig trenches.
Treaty to End War
Treaty of Versailles, in France on anniversary of assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand punished Germany and tried to create peace.
Battle of Mons, 23 Aug 1914
French, led by General Lanrezac, fought near the Mons Canal against General Kluck after Battle of Sambre and fought British led by Sir John French, across a 40km front. British had 70,000 men and 300 artillery guns whereas the Germans had 160,000 men and 600 guns, but German estimated the BEF had 28 machine guns per battalion but they only had 2 and after war, Kluck described BEF as “incomparable army” despite calling then a bunch of “contemptibles” by Kaiser Wilhelm II. French retreated, and Kluck dealt with casualties.
BEF sustained 8000 casualties at Battle of Le Chateau.
Battle of Marne, 5-9 September 1914
British and French counterattacked as Germans prepared to attack Paris, 150,000 French attacked German right flank, opening a 30mile gap in German lines, and 6000 French were taken in 600 taxis on 8 Sep. to widen gap, so Germans retreated 40 miles, where they dug in to the north of the River Aisne. French lost 250,000, 12,733 British and Germans lost 250,000.
Trench Warfare
By beginning of 1915, 2 trench systems ran from the Belgian North Sea coast to the Swiss border 470km
Distance between front lines varied on avg. 100-200m closest outside Ypres, Belgium at Hooge 12m apart
Germans built better quality trenches as they were intent on holding their captured area, but British intended to push them back, German trenches generally on higher ground.
Why Were Trenches Dug in Zig-zags?
Make them a more difficult target for gunners,
Prevent shell blast from blowing any soldiers right down the trench
What Were the 3 Types of Trench?
Forward - front line that attacks/defends first
Communication - leads to command and supplies
Reserve - Supplies, connected to front
Main Problems for Front-Line Soldiers
Food - hard biscuits that broke teeth, 1/3 loaf with jam and tea with no milk
Water - in cans that smelled of petrol
Weighed Down - 27kg of equipment
Shrapnel Shells/Shellshock - exploded spraying shells in 200mx30m cone causing PTSD
Mud - Got into wounds, infections, septic, gangrene, trenchfoot
Weather - Cold - extra layers, but in 1917 21,000 soldiers hospitalised with frostbite
- Rain caused flooding and drowning
- Heat increased stenches of corpses and latrines
Lice - sucked on blood, ‘chats’ were events where they burnt them out
+ Boredom & inactivity as attacks took place during night
Explain 4:4:4 System for Rotating in and out of the Front Line.
4 days in front line, 4 in reserve trench, 4 days resting behind front line in captured village.
What is a War of Attrition?
Both sides try to wear each other down gradually, stalemate.
1915 Offensive : Champagne 1.
Dec 1914 - Mar 1915 Allied Victory
1915 Offensive : Artois - Neuve Chapelle.
Mar 1915 British Victory
1915 Offensive : Ypres (2nd).
May - Jun 1915 German Victory
1915 Offensive : Vosges Mountains.
July 1915 French Victory
1915 Offensive : Artois 2.
Sept - Oct 1915 Allied Victory
1915 Offensive : 2nd Battle of Champagne.
25 Sept - 6 Nov 1915 German Victory
Steps of Battles in 1915.
Enemy trenches would b e bombarded by artillery guns usually lasting 24 hrs
Usually infantry going “over the top” would try to capture trenches
Trenches were defended by barbed wire & machine guns
Why was barbed wire such an important part of a trench system?
Stopped attackers from advancing, slowed them down and allowed enemies to kill infantry.
From 1917, the Germans used barbed wire in a new way - how did they begin to use it?
Throwing rolls of it on the battle field - almost impossible to get through.
How many rounds per minute could the German MG’08 fire?
600.
How many men were in a WW1 machine gun crew?
4-8.
How many rounds per minute could the British Vickers gun fire?
500.
In what ways was the Vickers gun better than the German machine guns?
Lighter and more reliable.
In the summer of 1916, ___ British Vickers guns fired continuously for __ hrs and fired ________ bullets.
In the summer of 1916, 10 British Vickers guns fired continuously for 12 hrs and fired 1million bullets.
How many rounds per minute could the British Lewis gun fire?
550.
How was the Lewis gun designed to be used on the battlefield?
Offensive, mobile, single manned, doesn’t require flat ground.
Which side invented the tank?
The Brits.
What was the name of the armoured vehicle that could cut through barbed wire?
Killen-Strait Tractor.
What was the name of the first tank?
Little Willie.
What was the name of the 2nd model of tank
Big Willie.
What was the first tank to be used in combat?
Mark I.
What were the results of the first use of tanks at the Battle of Flers, 15 Sept 1916?
49 deployed, 9 reached goal.
The French tank “Schneider” was not successful because it was _______ and frequently _____ ______.
The French tank “Schneider” was not successful because it was unreliable and frequently got stuck.
What were some of the problems with the Mark 4 tank?
Little space and no split between crew and engine.
How many Mark 4 tanks were built during WW1?
1000.
How was a whippet tank designed to be used?
Follow heavy tanks, speed into enemy.
Why was the Renault FT-17 a unique design when it was first used?
Light and 360° rotation turret.
Why were the Germans slow to develop the tank?
They thought it was unmanly.
Why did the German Sturmpanzerwagen tank have a small impact?
Very few were built.
How many tanks were used at the Battle of Amiens on 8 Aug 1918?
430.
What were reconnaissance aircraft used for?
Flying over the enemy, spying and dropping things on the enemy.
