Overveiw WW1 Flashcards
when is the offical date of ww1 ?
28 July 1914
What is the shileffen plan ?
why did it fail ?
the Shieleffen plan was made by the germans in case war broke out, the plan was named after its designer Count Von shliffen. so Germany had to prepare for war on both the western and eastern borders. There theory was that it would take Russia 6 weeks to get their forces ready for war. the Shileffen plan involved Germany getting to Paris and defeating France in 6 weeks. The germans would invade France by going through Belgium, this would give them enough time to move to the eastern front to fight against Russia
- The germans were slowed by the Belgium army and did not reach Paris in the six weeks
- the Russians moved quicker than expected. The german troops had to transfer troops to he east
- The french were beaten by the Germans in Alsac-Lorrain but they held out in the battle of Marne
The Battle Of Marne
a. what two problems did the German Army Face ?
b. what happened at the battle ?
a.
- The russians had mobilised much quicker than expected and had already invaded Germany
- The Germany army had advanced so quickly that their food supply and ammunition couldnt keep up so the soilders were underfed and exahusted
b. consequently, Von Kluck, the German commander, decided to advance directly towards paris instead of around it. The combined British and French forces were able to stop the greman advance along the river Marne. They could counter attack ad pushed the germans back to the ruver asine but were unable to push the french out completely. neither sides could make prgress and by 8th septembe, troops on both sides were digging trenches to avoid snipers and shell fire. Machine guns and barbed wire were added soon after. Until now, it had been a war of movement. But these were the first signs of the stalemate that was to come.
what was the race at sea why was it significant?
German gernerals realised they couldnt break through the enemy lines, so they decided to outflank(get round the end of) the enemy line. The charge began 12 october and became known as the race to sea.
as the germans moved west towards the sea, the british and thr french movved troops to block them whenever it seemed that the germans were about to break through.
the key battle in this race to sea was the first battle of ypres from october 12 to november 11 1914 both the british and german armies lost many men, but the british held this important ground. They kept control of the english channel ports, which met they could still be supplied with equipment and reinforcments.
War on the western front?
a. what is the definition ?
b. what are some of the changes in warfare technique brought by WW1
a. as1914 ended, there was a stalemate which was to last until 1918. Millions of troops were dug into a line of trenches that stretched from the sea in the west to the Alsp in the east. It became known as the western front. War on the western front was a new kind of warfare.
b. - Trench warfare. Instead of a war of movement, this war is static. Trenches began as simple shelters, but by 1915 they had developed into complex defensive systems.
-atilary became more powerful. For much of the war. artillary and large military weapons like motars bombed the enemys trenches. by the end of the war, artillary was much bigger, and more acurate.
c. calvalry became less important
once trenches were dug, calvalry became too vunrable to machine guns and artillary. However horses were used to transport supplies and equipment
what is the British Blockade
from the start of the was, both sides tried to prevent the other from getting essential supplies to its soldiers. The British had been blocking German ports since 1914 german trade had decreased by 5 billion since the war had started. by 1917 german civiliions were also experincing severe shortage and many Germans were starving
what is the German U boat campaign ?
The Germans used submarines to sink British ships supplying Britain. In the 1917, they introduces a policy of unrestricted warfare against all ships suspected to be carrying goods to Britain
USA joins the war
the USA was officially neutral but was supplying loans and equipment to the allies. The German sank many american ships suspected to be supplying goods to the allise. They also sank passanger ships, killing many American civilians. The final straw was when America discovered that Germany hoped to ally with Mexico against them. USA declared war on Germany on 1 April 1917
what is the russian revolotion
The Russian revolotion of 1917 lead to a communist Russian government, which made peace with Germany. This was a major blow to the allied forces, as they had lost Russia’s support in the fight against Germany. Germany consequently moved hundreds of thousands of troops away from their eastern border with Russia, back to the western front.
The War in 1918
a. why were the allies victorious over the Germans ?
b. when did the war end
a. The German army lost 400,000 men in the attack. their army was lo on supplies and food due to the allies blockade of germany’s ports. They also lacked the disipline of the 1914 troops. between May andAugust the Germans army made no further progress. The allies were well lead and well equiped.
b. ON 11 November 1918
the war on other fronts
The western front was only part of the war. Fighting also took placed in eastern europe the middle east and north Africa.
what is trench warfare and why did it become necesarry ?
digging trenches to avoid snippers and shell fire
what dangers did the soldiers face
in the trenches ?
- rats and lice
- diseases (limited toilet facilities and a lack of fresh drinking water meant many soldiers got sick easily
- the weather ( cold winters and heavy rain resulted in freezing temperatures and flooding.
- phycological problems ( many soldiers suffered from mental breakdowns due to the constant shelling and terrible living conditions of trench warfare (shellshock)
-boredom (there was often long waits in between battles)
why were the German trenches better than the British trenches ?
a. The British didn’t build trenches to last the conditions as they thought it was only going to be temporary.
b. The germans built trenches uphill resulting in better drainage.
Gallipoli
a. what were the reasons for the allies wanting to capture the turkish capital of constantinople in 1915
a. it would open up a sea route to the Russian front so that the allies could get supplies could get supplies to the Russians.
b. It would relieve pressure on the russian forces by drawing troops away from the westen front
c. it would establish a new front.
Label
