Outcome, Blame, Civilian Experiance And Media Flashcards
What was the outcome of the Somme?
Ending on the 18 November 1916 the allied forces had only gained 10km of land
400,000 casualties with 1 in 37 men being killed
It became a war of attrition and this would be what the overall war became the slow, steady grinding down of the enemy
Who lead the British ?
Command In chief Sir Douglas Haig
Why was he criticized?
Opstomisitc, failure to carry out adequate surveillance and old fashioned
OFF
- obstinately optimistic: sent men over the top with little read hope of a breakthrough, some Generals suggested more limited objectives with smaller gains more likely to succeed
- failing to carry out adequate surveillance: unaware that German trenches where still in tact
- old fashioned: committed to the view massed infantry advance would work against machine guns and artillery and failing to make best use of tanks
What did some people say to defend him?
High proportion of the shells used where duds and he had been promised 150 tanks and only a fraction of that number was given (49)
Under enormous pressure to achieve a breakthrough after the two year stalemate
What was the civilian experience of the Somme?
Although not directly effected by the Battle of the Somme many of the troops where civilian soldiers, enlisted a few months before the battle
Civilians in Britain where also affected by a huge demand for ammunition and weapons and the production of ammunition sky rocketed during the war with the government encouraging many to work
It included millions of women whereas before the war that was seen as men’s work
How did civilians receive news of the war?
Many received news from 1. newspapers
Improved communication meant report came through quickly and the times newspaper printed a report on the first day of the Somme just two days after it happened
2. However these reports where not highly accurate
What was censorship and propaganda like in the war?
Public received tightly controlled information about the war
For both military reasons and to keep public support for the war
Journalists where forbidden from the trenches and received info from war correspondents appointed by the government
Wartime censorship war imposed, having a camera in a trench without permission war a court marshal offense
Articles rarely lied but instead presented a sanitized version of events
What was cinema like ?
Capturing moving (but silent) images on film and shown in cinema was rare due to it being rather new
There where information films published
Most of the action was staged and did not show the true brutality of the fighting
