Key Battles Flashcards
The Battle of Tannenberg?
- 26 Aug 1914 – 30 Aug 1914
- Battle that halted the Russian Advance in Germany.
- Russian second army effectively destroyed.
- Germany 150000 troops, Russian 250000 troops
- 78000 Russian Casualties, 90000 prisoners of war.
- 60 German trains to carry all the captured equipment
Battle of Verdun, Key Facts?
- February - Decemeber 1916
- Consisted of 13 massive concrete forts
- February 1916 Germans began our massive bombardment of French defence is - 1400 heavy guns
- July 1916 - Germans called off their main attack
- Both sides suffered huge losses - 700 000 casulaties during the 10 month battle it was estimated that 300,000 men died with losses roughly equal on both sides
Battle of Verdun French?
- Crucial to the French was their ability to bring in reinforcements of soldiers and supplies through what became known as “La Voie Sacree”
- Almost 3/4 of the French army was brought in to defend Verdun
Battle of Verdun Germany?
- German general Erich von Falkenhayn hoped to break the stalemate by forcing the French to defend verdun using artillery to inflict huge numbers of casualties “blade the French army to death”
- german artillery fired 23 million shells at the Frecnh
Battle of Verdun Significance?
Ultimately the French resistance at verdun proved a turning point halting the German advance the heavy German losses at verdun combined with even greater casualties suffered on the Somme also created a manpower crisis within the German army that would become increasingly difficult to resolve as the war progressed.
Battle of Verdun Experiences of Soldiers?
- No trenches: didn’t have time to build them because of constant bombardments
- No food or letters: mental, emotional and physical health deteriorated
- Loss of morale for both sides as they lost much but did not gain anything
Battle of Somme Key Facts?
- July - November 1916
- The Somme campaign was initially devised by the British as a way to break through German lines and break the stalemate on the Western Front
- France Australia New Zealand Canada in South Africa
War of attrition - a strategy to wear down the enemy with continuous actions to reduce their resources - November 1916 campaign of attrition was halted
- 500,000 casualties on the German side and 620,000 suffered by the allies
Battle of Somme Allies?
- On the first day the british army suffered 57,000 casualties and 20,000 killed
- 1st of July 1916 preceded by a weeklong Barb bombardment of German trenches in order to destroy the German barbed wire and frontline trenches
- Not achieved - Germans were aware of the impending attack and prepared by digging underground chambers that allowed their soldiers to shelter from the bombardment
- French thought that the Germans had left but instead they were hit by a barage of machine gun fire
- drew German troops away from Verdun
- British frontline advancing 15 km
Battle of Somme Significance?
The battle of Somme marked a turning point in public perceptions of war in Britain in military terms it was the first time that the allied strategy of pursuing a war attrition was seriously brought into question one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the First World War
Battle of Somme Experiences of Soldiers?
- Soldiers were more determined with the introduction of tanks and new weapons
- The British gained more but at a large cost
- War of attrition
- Loss of enthusiasm by the end
Battle of Passchendaele Key Facts?
- July - November 1917
- Britain Australia New Zealand and South Africa
- Attempted to break through German lines in Belgium
A huge bombardment of fall and a half million shells combined with worst rain seen in 30 years - Germans were suffering A fearful defeat because of their losses
- Allies 275,000 casualties, Germans 200,000 allied gain of just over 10 km
Battle of Passchendaele Allies?
- British naval blockade continued to deprive Germany or vital raw materials
- British and French gained control in the air and allied industrial production was up
- the british army had to carry the weight of the offensive in 1917
- British were requested to launch an attack to take pressure off the French army - gave every advantage to the german defenders
Battle of Passchendaele Significance?
Added to nations growing reputation as having the best defensive fighting force on the Western Front this status meant that forces would be at the forefront of the series of advances that eventually won the war for the allies has shaped perceptions of the First World War on the Western Front suffered heavy casualties and enjoyed appalling conditions has become synonymous with mudblood fertility
Battle of Passchendaele Experiences of Soldiers?
- Extremely muddy; could not move
- Many men and horses drowned
- Constant and heavy bombardments; PTSD
