How Did Each Side Try To Break The Stalemate? Flashcards
What was 1916?
They year or attrition (Verdun and the Somme)
What happened in February 1916?
Germans began a battle to capture French forts surrounding Verdun.
What falkenhayn come up with? (German commander)
Strategy of attrition for Verdun
How did Falkenhayn’s strategy fail?
Both sides suffered equal losses
How long did Verdun last?
Six months
What was the French army like after Verdun in July 1916?
Near breaking point
How did field marshal Douglas haig receive the pressure for the French after Verdun?
Launched long planned offensive at the Somme
What happened first at the offensive at the Somme?
Week long artillery bombardment of German trenches
When British troops advanced how many lives were lost on day 1?
57,000
By November 1916 (when the fighting stopped) how many lives were lost?
1.25 million
What did douglas haig say?
‘The nation must be taught to bear losses’
When did the battle of the Somme end and why?
18th November, haig called it off wth winter setting in
What happened in 1917?
USA in, Russia out
In July what happened?
The first battle of Ypres began
Where did the British detonate huge mines?what was the impact?
Messines. destroyed German artillery and killed 10000 Germans
How did the infantry advance after the detonation become bogged down?
Heavy rain especially around the ruined village of Passchendaele
Passchendaele was the?
Third battle of Ypres
Some success came at?
Cambrai in November. However British unable to hold the ground they captured
Since when had the British been blockading German ports?
Since 1914
By 1917 what were German civilians experiencing?
Severe shortages
What was the German U-boat campaign similar to?
The British blockade
What was the U-boat campaign?
Germans sank ships supplying Britain
What was introduced in 1917?
A policy of unrestricted submarine warfare against all ships suspected were carrying goods to Britain
What did u-boat campaign achieve?
Caused shortages on Britain but unintentionally brought USA to the war
