Key Battles on the Western Front Flashcards
Outline the main details of the Battle of Mons, 23 August 1914
Mons was the first engagements of the British Expeditionary Forces (BEF) against the German Army in this conflict and was the only one-day battle in the First World War. The Germans had 3 cavalry divisions with 600 guns and 4 corps compared to the singular cavalry division for the British, 300 guns and 2 corps, with the German Army being twice the size of the British, allowing the Central Powers to easily overpower the Allies. This was reflected in the casualties at the end of the battle, with the British suffering 1.638 while it is estimated the Germans suffered 2,000 to 5,000.
Why was the Battle of Mons known as the ‘Great Retreat’?
The German Army was far too strong for the BEF to withstand, forcing the British to retreat and reorganise, allowing the Schlieffen Plan to proceed in a humiliating defeat for the Allies.
Outline the main details of the Battle of Marne, 6-12 September 1914
The Battle of Marne provoked the realisation that the First World War was going to be a long conflict of attrition due to the overwhelming loss of life, with 15,000 of 250,000 men for the British dying in one month of fighting, and had truly introduced warfare into the realms of industrialisation with no end in sight. The Allies were able to stop the Schlieffen Plan, which the French referred to as ‘the Miracle of the Marne’, and in response to the realisation that attritional warfare was required, the British and French hunkered down to stop Germany from advancing. The Germans did the same to hold onto the territory they had gained so far with the Schlieffen Plan.
Explain the wider impacts of this battle on the war
State the commander of the British Army and strengths in the First Battle of Ypres, 19 October - 30 November 1914
State the commander of the German Army and strengths in the First Battle of Ypres, 19 October - 30 November 1914
Outline the key details of the First Battle of Ypres, including objectives, outcome, tactics, weaponry, gains and losses
State the commander of the British Army and strengths in the Second Battle of Ypres, 22 April - 25 May 1915
General Sir John French
6 divisions (90,000 men)
State the commander of the German Army and strengths in the Second Battle of Ypres, 22 April - 25 May 1915
General Falkenhayn
7 divisions (105,000 men)
Outline the key details of the Second Battle of Ypres, including objectives, outcome, tactics, weaponry, gains and losses
State the commander of the British Army and strengths in the Battle of Loos, 25-28 September 1915
General Sir John French
State the commander of the German Army and strengths in the Battle of Loos, 25-28 September 1915
General Falkenhayn
Outline the key details of the Battle of Loos, including objectives, outcome, tactics, weaponry, gains and losses
State the commander of the French Army and strengths in the Battle of Verdun, 21 February - 18 December 1916
Joseph Joffre
75 divisions (approx. 1 million men)
State the commander of the German Army and strengths in the Battle of Verdun, 21 February - 18 December 1916
General Falkenhayn
50 divisions (750,000 men)
Explain the significance of Verdun and how it affected the British Army
State the commander of the British Army and strengths in the Battle of the Somme, 1 July - 18 November 1916
State the commander of the German Army and strengths in the Battle of the Somme, 1 July - 18 November 1916
Outline the key details of the Battle of the Somme, including objectives, outcome, tactics, weaponry, gains and losses
Outline the key details of the Battle of the Messines, 7-14 June 1917, and its significance for the forthcoming Passchendaele Offensive
State the commander of the British Army and strengths in the Battle of Passchendaele, 31 July - 10 December 1917
General Sir Douglas Haig
50 divisions (750,000 men)
State the commander of the German Army and strengths in the Battle of Passchendaele, 31 July - 10 November 1917
Geneal Ludendorff
80 divisions (approx.)
Outline the key details of the Battle of Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres), including objectives, outcome, tactics, weaponry, gains and losses
Explain the significance of the Battle of Cambrai, 20 November - 7 December 1917, in terms of breaking the deadlock
Why was the outcome of the Battle of Cambrai still fairly limited?
Why did the Germans have little option but to launch an ‘all or nothing’ offensive?
The blockade by the Royal Navy which cut off supplies going into Germany severely deprived the people of the nation financially and socially, and this placed greater pressure on the German Army to secure victory following their failure to end the blockade in the Battle of Jutland. Therefore, the Spring Offensive needed to be extensive due to the desperation of the people of Germany as a mass assault on the Allies would give them the best chance to defeat them as the Germans adopted an ‘all or nothing’ offensive to achieve this despite the attacking force being at an immediate disadvantage compared to the defenders.
Why were the Allies able to resist the German Spring Offensive, 21 March - 18 July 1918?
The German Spring Offensice fizzled out because the German supply lines could not keep up with the pace that the offensive was going. The army also consisted mostly of new recruits who quickly grew tired due to only having light training and were unable to sustain the initial momentum. Because of the naval blockade, ammunition also ran out rapidly and as a result, the Germans were unable to carry on the aggressive offensive they had begun in March. America’s entry into the First World War on 6 Aoril 1917 following the Zimmerman Telegram being discovered also halted the progress of the German Spring Offensive greatly due to the increased manpower of the Allues and the seemingly unlimited industrial power of the US.
State the commander of the British Army and strengths in the Battle of Amiens (Haig’s 100 Days), 31 July - 10 November 1918
General Sir Douglas Haig
16 divisions (B) / 23 divisions (F) - 585,000 men combined
800 aircraft (B) / 1,104 aircraft (F)
State the commander of the German Army and strengths in the Battle of Amiens, 31 July - 10 November 1918
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26 divisions (390,000 men)
365 aircraft
Outline the key details of the Battle of Amiens, including objectives, outcome, tactics, weaponry, gains and losses
