Modern Warfare - 1900

Question 1

The Britiah Army in peactime

Answer 1

• Small army with no change
• Grew during wars
• Shrunk back to normal in peactime

Question 2

Figures of modern army

Answer 2

197,000 in 1938

3,300,000 in 1945

Question 3

Infantry in a modern army

Answer 3

65% in 1914
Most likley to confront troops on the ground
Fell to 25% in 2015

Question 4

Cavalry in a modern army

Answer 4

• 10% in 1914
• Used for scouting
• Battlefield role ended in 1918
• Tanks replaced them as a shock troop
• Tank units made up 10% of the army in 2015

Question 5

Artillery in a modern army

Answer 5

• Artillerymen were 20% in 1914
• Bombarding the enemy is a key part in modern warfare
• Aircarft and tanks share this with ground artillery
• Royal Artillery made up 10% in 2015

Question 6

Specialist troops in a modern army

Answer 6

• 5% in 1914
• Were only medics and administrative staff
• In 2015, they made up 55%
• Expanded to form engineers, electrical and mechanical engineers, logistical corps and medical corps

Question 7

Haldane’s reforms

Answer 7

• Public attitudes towards the poor performance in the Boer Wars led to calls for reforms
• In 1908, Lord Haldane restructured the army
• In 2010, more reforms were planned for the British Army called the Army 2020

Question 8

Haldane’s structure

Answer 8

• Haldane planned a force of 150,000 volunteers who were to serve abroad, these were the troops sent to the World Wars
• Haldane combined the part-time soldiers with the reserves to form a proper reserve force that could be used in emergencies
• The Territorial Army was formed in 1920 which had 270,000 men

Question 9

Army 2020

Answer 9

• Britain’s standing army of volunteers is to be of 82,000 men
• The Army Reserve is to be of 30,000 troops

Question 10

Modern logistics

Answer 10

Involves:

• Transporting troops
• Providing food, supplies and ammunition
• moving sick and wounded troops
• communication amongst the army

Question 11

Changes to the Logistics

Answer 11

• Until the 1790s, food and transport was arranged by commanders through raids and requisitions
• In the 1790s, the royal waggoners were created
• In 1855, the logistics of the Crimean war were so poor that it lead to the creation of a permanent logistical corps called the military train
• The Military Train was reformed into the Army Service Corps in 1900

Question 12

The Royal Army Service Corps in WW1

Answer 12

• The army was so large that they had a challenge to plan for it
• They need supplies for 120,000 men, 50,000 horses and 1000 motor vehicles in 1914
• Then 3,000,000 men, 500,000 horses and 90,000 motor vehicles
• By the end of WW1, they ASC had 300,000 men, 10% of the army. They were drivers and planners and renamed the RASC (royal)

Question 13

The RASC in WW2

Answer 13

• Even more demanding than WW2
• Had to plan for D-Day
• Used 4300 ships to transport and land under fire, 130,000 men and 20,000 vehicles in one day

Question 14

The RASC after WW2

Answer 14

• Merged with other corps to form the Royal Logistics Corps in 1993
• 16,000 members making about 15% of the army
• Planned for the Iraq war
• 45,000 troops

Question 15

The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)

Answer 15

• German bombs that failed to expolde made it clear that units needed to form to dispose of the bombs
• In 1940, 25 units were formed of 16 men
• By the end of the year, 109 units had been created
• Made 25,000 bombs safe in one year

Question 16

EOD in modern warfare

Answer 16

• Make munitions safe found in peacetime
• Deal with land mines and IEDs
• Had 2000 EOD personnel and 300 sniffer dogs in 2015

Question 17

Dragon Runner

Answer 17

• Invented by Lieutenant-Colonel Pter Miller in 1972
• Robot used to disarm bombs
• Had pincers, digging arms and cameras

Question 18

Transport, Weaponry and Surveillance changes in 1900-1945

Answer 18

• When armies adopted new weaponry, transport methods and surveillance initially, they were able to capture territory quicker
• In the long term, weapons of defence could overcome these weapons leading to a stalemate

Question 19

1914 - Railways

Answer 19

• Germany’s surprise attack on France was dependent on the use of railways
• They could be used to concentrate troops in one area
• But dominant artillery increased the power of defence, reducing the power of attack creating a stalemate

Question 20

1914-16: Machine Guns

Answer 20

• In 1914, machine guns such as the Maxim and 303 Vickers were popular
• Weighed anout 50kg
• Had to be fed, fired and cooled between 4-6 soldiers
• Poor for advances, good for defence
• 600 rounds per minute over 4km

Question 21

Machine guns on the Western Front

Answer 21

• Stopped German offensive just short of Paris
• The opposing troops would have dug trenches
• This created a stalemate on the Western Front
• 60,000 troops were killed on the first day of the Somme because of German machine guns
• This created a war of attrition

Question 22

1916-18 - tanks bought movement

Answer 22

• Tanks - 49 first used at the Somme, had little impact as they moved at 1mph and broke down but they improved
• Tanks were armed with 6 pounder cannons and a 303 Vickers
• The British developed a lighter and faster tank
• 400 used at the Battle of Cambrai whcih pushed 10km north

Question 23

Aircraft brought movement

Answer 23

• In 1914, the British Flying Corps bought movement with 63 aircraft
• Were limited
• By 1916, were more effective
• Used to bomb and machine gun troops behind enemy lines, bombed factories in the Rhineland and Ruhr
• Also used for surveillance and recon

Question 24

Motorised transport bought movement

Answer 24

• The British Expeditionary force had 800 motor cars and 15 motorcycles yet over 50,000 horses in 1914
• Gradually, its value increased
• Vital for quick communication
• Used for quick movement
• By 1918, the British Army had over 55,000 trucks and 35,000 bikes

Question 25

Impact of new transport in WW1

Answer 25

• At Amiens in 1918, the Allies used 450 tanks and 1900 aircraft. Thy took 13km, killed 15,000 and took 12,000 prisoners
• During 1917-18, new transport brought an end to the stalemate
• But there were other factors

Question 26

1939-40 Tanks and aircraft produce more movement

Answer 26

• Tanks could now move at 20-40 mph
• Aircraft such as the German Sutka could fly low at 240 mph able to drop 500kg of bombs
• Aircraft could also drop paratroopers
• Radio could be used to coordinate attacks

Question 27

1939-40 new weapons brought new tactics

Answer 27

• The Germans used all their new technology to create Blitzkreig
  (lightning war)
• Commanders could use the speed to shock the enemy
• Between 1939-40, the Germans captured Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland and France

Question 28

1940-43 - Air defence brought a stalemate

Answer 28

• Anti-aircraft guns
• Fighter planes
• Radar
• Other weapons

Question 29

Radar

Answer 29

• Robert Watson