Part 2: The first world war, stalemate

Question 1

Who was the creator of the schlieffen plan?

Answer 1

General count alfred von schlieffen, head of german army.

Question 2

What was the schlieffen plan?

Answer 2

Germany would invade france by marching through the smaller nations of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands first and defeat them before turning to russia and attacking them ( as it was assumed that russia would take several weeks to prepare for war.) This could mean germany could tackle their problem of “war on both fronts”

Question 3

Why was the schlieffen plan needed?

Answer 3

In 1892, France and Russia signed a deal to help eachother out if either was attacked. This was problem for Germany as it ment that if they went to war with one of these countries, the other would declare war on Germany too- leaving Germany to tackle a “war on both fronts”, as the country was sandwiched between France and Russia. The plan was made in order to prevent splitting the German army in half, and fighting two wars at once.

Question 4

What were Schlieffens hopes after Germany had successfully invaded france?

Answer 4

To sweep south- west and towards paris, take paris, the French would then be outflanked, and the Germans could turn to Russia.

Question 5

What where the problems with the schlieffen plan?

Answer 5

1.It was assumed Russia would take at least 6 weeks to prepare an army. What if they prepared quickly? Or France took longer to defeat?
2. In 1839, Britain had signed a treaty to protect Belgium. Would Britain honor this 75 year old deal? And what if Belgium put up more resistance than expected?
3. It technically made war on two fronts more likely. What if france decided not to help Russia? The plan ensured that France would be attacked.

Question 6

Who adapted the original plan and why?

Answer 6

It was adapted in 1906 by General von Moltke, because many generals felt it was too risky. The Netherlands were scrapped and the amount of troops reduced.

Question 7

What were the problems in the plan?

Answer 7

1.Belgium appeared to be a-lot more difficult to defeat, using large, stone forts equipped with powerful guns to protect themselves.
2.The germans faced the British Expeditionary force, who pinned down a large number of troops.
3.The delay caused the Germans to scrap their plan of sweeping Paris. Supplies of food, water and ammo could not keep up, the German Troops already exhausted after only a few weeks of war.
4. The Russians only took 10 days to get their armies on the march towards Germany and Austria-Hungary. In response, 100,000 German soldiers left France to take on Russia. This also slowed down the advancement and Germany was officially fighting what they had been avoiding, war on two fronts.

Question 8

How many divisions were moved to fight russian forces?

Answer 8

11

Question 9

How did the Germans march into the Marne?

Answer 9

Instead of surrounding Paris, the remaining Germans who were not moved to fight the Russians marched into the Valley of the river Marne, which gave the French and British the opportunity to attack.

Question 10

When did the attacks in the Marne begin?

Answer 10

On 6th September, The British and french ( under general Joffre) attacked from the West, forcing Von Kluck to stop his advance and turn westwards to meet the attack. A 50 kilometre gap was created between Klucks 1st army and the 2nd army.

Question 11

Why did the Germans retreat?

Answer 11

Because the British troops began to advance into the gap between the German armies, forcing a German retreat. The French and British continued to advance until they forced the Germans to retreat to the River Aisne.

Question 12

How many people were injured/ killed?

Answer 12

Over half a million.

Question 13

When was the battle of the marne?

Answer 13

6-10 September 1914

Question 14

How did the Battle of the Marne lead to Trench warfare?

Answer 14

As they retreated, the Germans began to dig trenches to protect themselves, the British and the French doing the same.

Question 15

What was the race to the sea?

Answer 15

-Neither trench side could advance forward, so they tried to get around the back of each other, digging trenches as they went.
-The trenches eventually continued until they hit the ocean, this was called Race to the sea.

Question 16

What is Stalemate?

Answer 16

When neither side could gain an advantage or progress on the Western Front.

Question 17

Describe a trench system (what it looked like and contained)

Answer 17

• Three lines of trenches on each side
  -Normally built in a zig zag pattern to confine a blast or enemy fire to one section of the trench.

Question 18

What were the names of the three lines of trenches?

Answer 18

-Front line
- Support trench
- Reserve trench

Question 19

What were these trenches connected by?

Answer 19

Communication trenches

Question 20

What was the difference between German trenches and British trenches?

Answer 20

• German trenches tended to be deeper and better built as they had more experienced war generals who quickly realised that the war of movement was over. Had bunkers/dugouts for soldiers to sleep and hide- better comforts
• British trenches were aimed to be quick and easy as they assumed that they would be temporary. They did not spend much time on comfort and durability.

Question 21

Label the key features of a trench.

Answer 21

The three trenches, dugouts, long range artillery, no mans land, barbed wire, sandbags, machine gun posts

Question 22

What was the use of barbed wire?

Answer 22

To create obstacles for enemy soldiers and make it more difficult to cross the land.

Question 23

Daily routine in the trenches

Answer 23

-Lot of boredom as fighting did not occur all the time
-Duties like guarding and repairing trench
-Card playing and letter writing
-Called to “stand to” ready for attack at dawn.

Question 24

Monthly routine

Answer 24

In a month would normally spend 4 days in the front line, 4 in the support, 8 in the reserve and the rest behind the lines.

Question 25

Humor in the trenches

Answer 25

-Kept up spirits and morale -Rude songs and naughty jokes to cope with the war -Unofficial comical newspapers were made e.g the "wipers times"

Question 26

Health and hygiene in the trenches

Answer 26

-Almost impossible to stay clean -Soldiers infected with Lice and trenches full of rats -Buckets used for toilets -Trench foot was common from water logged trenches -Disease spread easily

Question 27

What is shell shock?

Answer 27

A mental health condition caused by the constant fear of death, paranoia and relentless noise of bombs and guns, seeing people die in horrible ways.

Question 28

Symptoms of shell shock?

Answer 28

-Shaking uncontrollably -Eyes wide - Paralysis yet no injury

Question 29

Food in the trenches?

Answer 29

-Basic -Lot of stew and bread -Hard biscuits -Special treats like bacon, cheese and jam -Also Rum was a treat but specifically in bad weather

Question 30

Luxuries in the trenches?

Answer 30

-Letters and parcels with food and other items from families and girlfriends at home -Soldiers could write home but there was strict censorship to ensure nothing important could be given away or to show low morale.

Question 31

What were some weapons of trench warfare?

Answer 31

Artillery, Machine guns, Rifles, bayonets, grenades, flame throwers, poison gas, tanks

Question 32

Artillery

Answer 32

-Large guns that fired shells over long distances, used to weaken the enemy lines before a big attack.

Question 33

What percent of wounds were caused by shelling?

Answer 33

60 percent

Question 34

Poison gas

Answer 34

- Used in April 1915 by the German army on the French troops, it was adopted soon by all sides. -Unreliable due to dependence on wind direction -Introduced chemical warfare -Incredibly effective as it would suffocate victims, some types even burning and blinding soldiers.

Question 35

Machine Guns

Answer 35

-Could fire up to 10 bullets per second -Required 2-4 men to operate - One machine gun was equivalent to around 100 rifles

Question 36

What percent of british casualties were wounded by machine gunfire?

Answer 36

40%

Question 37

Rifles

Answer 37

-small standard weapon issued to all soldiers -very accurate up to a distance of 600 meters

Question 38

Grenades

Answer 38

-small handheld bombs -could be thrown into enemy trenches -had to be in close proximity

Question 39

Bayonets

Answer 39

-A 40cm knife -could be attached to the end of rifles for hand to hand combat

Question 40

Flamethrowers

Answer 40

-Some soldiers trained to use flamethrowers -Could create a wall of fire -effective in enclosed spaces like dugouts

Question 41

What was the general tactic when it came to attacking the enemy?

Answer 41

-Large artillery guns fired shells at enemy trenches in hopes to weaken the enemy and destroy their barbed wire so attack could be easier. This could last up to days. -Attacking soldiers went "over the top" and moved to enemy trenches with handheld weaponry. -Soldiers jumped into enemy trenches and fought the remaining soldiers that had survived the bombing, taking over that area of the trench.

Question 42

When were tanks first used

Answer 42

By the British on 15th September 1916 (birthday)

Question 43

Tanks

Answer 43

-Spread panic and terror due to size and strength -had key parts in later battles -Could only drive 5 miles per hour originally and were unreliable -Their design improved significantly as war continued and paved the way for their KEY use in the Second world war.

Question 44

How effective was trench attacking tactic?

Answer 44

Rarely -didn't really destroy enemy trenches and tangled barbed wire. -Surviving enemy soldiers would shoot down any advancements coming across no mans land. -If land was gained, it was usually lost in a counter-attack. This also contributed to the stalemate of the First World War.

Question 45

What is the war of attrition?

Answer 45

-It meant the aim of both sides was to wear the enemy down over time until surrender or defeat.

Question 46

When was the battle of Verdun and what is it often called?

Answer 46

February-December 1916 The longest battle

Question 47

What was the battle of Verdun and where was it?

Answer 47

A German offensive against the French in Northeastern France

Question 48

What were the aims of the battle of Verdun and why?

Answer 48

Force the French to defend the City of Verdun. It had 20 strong forts and meant a lot Historically to the French, the city a symbol of their Pride. They would essentially do anything to defend it. Was regarded the strongest city in France Wanted to "Bleed France white"

Question 49

Key moments in the Battle of Verdun

Answer 49

-On 21 Feb 1916, German artillery began to bomb the French. -An attack was lead on 200,000 French troops -The new French commander wanted to inflict as much damage as possible onto the Germans and so ordered every available French soldier to travel to Verdun. -Fighting continued for months -Ended when there was strain on the German soldiers due to the British launching the Battle of the Somme and the Russians attacking in the East. -German troops had to be transferred to support this and allowed French advancement.

Question 50

Results of the Battle of Verdun?

Answer 50

-City of Verdun was destroyed by artillery -French lost 315,000 men -Germans lost 280,000 men - no massive gains on any side -9 villages around Verdun were entirely destroyed and not rebuilt to be left as memorials.

Question 51

When was the Battle of the Somme and what was it called?

Answer 51

July-November 1916 The largest battle

Question 52

What was the Battle of The Somme and where was it?

Answer 52

A British and French offensive against German Forces. The river Somme in Northern France

Question 53

How many men took part in the Somme?

Answer 53

More than 3 million

Question 54

What were the aims of the Battle of the Somme?

Answer 54

-Brits wanted to launch a huge attack on the German line to break it -Relieve stress for the French in Verdun -Brits knew of heavy losses were coming but though it had to be done in order to win the war

Question 55

Key moment from The Battle of the Somme

Answer 55

-Huge bombardment of Trenches began on June 24th 1916 -The Germans knew of this attack and had made preparations, moving their troops etc etc. -When bombing stopped, Germans were at full strength and ready for attack -On July 1 1916 British Troops whent "over the top" and were immediately gunned down by the Germans. -Attacks continued for the next few months. -Incredible casualties were suffered on the first day.

Question 56

What were the results of the Battle of the Somme?

Answer 56

- 620,000 British casualties. -British and French gained a piece of land 25km by 6km. -Germans lost 500,000 men -Leader of the British (Haig) was widely criticised and called "the butcher of the Somme" -It did relieve Pressure from the Battle of Verdun

Question 57

When was the Battle of Passchendale and what is it called

Answer 57

July to November 1917 The muddiest Battle

Question 58

What was the Battle of Passchendale and where was it?

Answer 58

A Battle for the control of the hills to the South and East Of Ypres, Fought by the British Empire forces and French troops against the German army

Question 59

What caused the Battle of Passchendale?

Answer 59

-In Spring 1917, a number of attempts to break through the German lines by the French and the British had produced mixed results. -On 7th June 1917, the British detonated explosives Under a hill in Messines. British Troops were then able to push the Germans back.

Question 60

Key moments in the Battle of Passchendale?

Answer 60

-British troops were ordered to continue their advancment to Ypres - The official attack begun on 18th July with huge artillery bombardment -Heavy rain meant the battleground was turned into thick mud -When the ground attacks began, many soldiers would slip off the boards and drown

Question 61

The results of the Battle of Passchendale

Answer 61

- British lost 30,000 men within a week, in total 40,000 were killed and 300,000 Germans. -Only 8km had been gained.

Question 62

What were the key features inside a trench?

Answer 62

They had duckboards, elbow rests, an ammunition shelf, a fire step, then sandbags and dugouts etc etc.

Question 63

Why was the Gallipoli invasion plan created?

Answer 63

-When Turkey and Russia fought eachother in the Caucasus mountains, the Russian generals appealed to Britain and France for help. -Britain and France wanted to gain control of the Dardanelles because this would allow them to get supplies to Russia by water. -They also felt like an attack would distract Germany and force them to send troops to their ally, releasing pressure on the other fronts.

Question 64

What was the Gallipoli plan?

Answer 64

-The navy would destroy Turkish forts on the coast and sail up to the capital Constantinople, allowing a route for supplies to be taken to the Russians.

Question 65

Who created the Gallipoli plan and what did he believe would happen?

Answer 65

Winston Churchill, the head of the navy. -He believed the victory would be quick and easy, thinking that Turkeys neighbors would join Britain and defeat Austria-Hungary, leaving Germany isolated and surrounded. -He also believed there would be no need for ground troops, The British navy after all was the strongest in the world.

Question 66

What happened on 19th February 1915?

Answer 66

British and French ships attacked Turkish forts at the entrance of the Dardanelles and took control.

Question 67

What happened on 18th March 1915?

Answer 67

18 Large battleships supported by smaller ships and minesweepers (for the turkish mines) sailed into the Dardanelles. -They were met with huge resistance and had to retreat.

Question 68

What happened on 25th April 1915?

Answer 68

-A land invasion was now needed and they landed along the Turkish coast. -The Turkish were ready for them, in some areas the attack was successful but in others the fighting was fierce. -Thousands of troops were wiped out by machine gun fire as they left their boats. -Allied forces were forced to dig trenches and hold their positions.

Question 69

How many ground troops were sent to Turkey but how many did Greek generals tell them to prepare?

Answer 69

70,000 were sent however The Greeks told the British to send 150,000

Question 70

How many Turkish soldiers were waiting along the coast?

Answer 70

84,000

Question 71

What force were the ground troops mainly ?

Answer 71

ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand army corps)

Question 72

What was the trench warfare like out in Turkey?

Answer 72

-It was boiling hot and this caused the water to be in short supply and the food to become easily contaminated. -Over 80%of soldiers contracted dysentry.

Question 73

What was the Gallipoli campagin portrayed like in Britain and what did this lead to?

Answer 73

In Britain the attack was seen as a total disaster and the leaders were heavily criticised.

Question 74

What happened on the 12th December 1915?

Answer 74

80,000 soldiers were evacuated and the invasion was abandoned

Question 75

What were the impacts of the campaign?

Answer 75

-The hoped for aims were not achieved -Supplies could still not reach Russia and Turkey remained in the war -The initial attack had done damage and prevented Turkey from helping the Germans.

Question 76

Why was control at sea so important?

Answer 76

Both sides wanted to ensure supplies could reach people at home and soldiers abroad.

Question 77

When was the blockade of Germany declared?

Answer 77

In November 1914

Question 77

Why did both sides not want to engage their navies?

Answer 77

-The risk of suffering too much damage and becoming vulnerable to attack -There were a number of small battles in the early part of the war but most was on land and it was largely a stalemate.

Question 78

What did the blockade of Germany mean?

Answer 78

-Britain declared that the North sea was a war zone and that any German ships in this area could be boarded and have their cargo seized. -The blockade meant that vital supplies could not get through.

Question 79

What were the results of the blockade?

Answer 79

-Lack of coal, iron and steel damaged the German industry -Lack of fertilizers lead to food shortages (around 420,000 Germans starved to death during the war) - Lack of medicines meant sick and injured could not be treated -All the suffering in Germany meant the support for the war decreased and this heavily lowered morals.

Question 80

When was the Battle of Jutland?

Answer 80

1916

Question 81

What was the plan of the Battle?

Answer 81

-The German Admiral Scheer planned for a few German ships to act as bait in the North Sea so the British would sail out to meet them. -The rest of the German fleet would then sail up behind the British, trapping them. -Admiral Scheer felt the best way to defeat the British navy was to force them into open sea.

Question 82

What was the process of the Battle?

Answer 82

-The plan began but the British had decoded the message and knew what to expect. -A British ship was destroyed in 20 minutes and three more before the arrival of the German fleet. -The rest of the British fleet arrived from Scapa Flow and the Germans sailed North. -The British ships planned to attack them on their way home -There were two more firefights before the Germans returned to their base.

Question 83

What were the results of the Battle of Jutland?

Answer 83

-Germans claimed victory because they destroyed the most ships and inflicted the most casualties. -The British also claimed Victory as the Germans were first to run from the site and suffered substantial repairs, whereas the British remained in the harbour ready to go again immediately.

Question 84

What was the German U-Boat campaign?

Answer 84

-The Germans announced near the start of the war that any ships entering British waters would be attacked by their U-Boats, which they relied heavily on throughout the war.

Question 85

What are U-Boats?

Answer 85

A type of submarine

Question 86

What did the British do to respond to the U-Boat campaign?

Answer 86

-They laid mines and used Q-Ships to protect themselves.

Question 87

What were Q-Ships?

Answer 87

Heavily armed warships that the British disguised as supply ships that tricked German U-boats Into attacking them.

Question 88

How effective were the Strategies by the British to stop U-Boats?

Answer 88

- Not very, U-boat attacks destroyed huge numbers of Cargo ships and by February 1917 it was said that Britain had just 6 weeks of food left.

Question 89

What was a convoy system and how effective was it?

Answer 89

British supply ships began to sail surrounded by warships and aircraft. This was called a Convoy system. -It was very effective and greatly reduced the number of supply losses.

Question 90

What British passenger liner did a German U-Boat sink?

Answer 90

The Lustiania, who was travelling from New York to Liverpool.

Question 91

How did the sinking of the boat increase tensions between the USA and Germany, leading them to be more likely to join the allies?

Answer 91

Of the more than 1000 passengers that drowned, 128 were American.

Question 92

What were depth charges?

Answer 92

These were bombs that dropped into the water and exploded at different depths, which were used to attack U-Boats.

Question 93

What were aeroplanes originally used for at the beginning of the war?

Answer 93

Reconnaissance, which was watching what enemy troops were doing and spotting artillery.

Question 94

What are sine examples of planes successfully warning the British?

Answer 94

-The battle of the Marne when planes spotted a gap in the German lines -Two pilots spotting the Germans preparing to surround the British and this saved 100,000 British troops.

Question 95

What was the evolution of fighter planes?

Answer 95

-Originally used to be the pilots firing pistols and throwing bricks at each other. -Machine guns were soon attached to the front of planes but would shoot down their own propellers. -This soon improved and fighter planes became heavily used.

Question 96

What were the names of the fights fighter planes took part in?

Answer 96

Dogfights

Question 97

How did a pilots become known as "aces"

Answer 97

If they had shot down or killed a large number of enemy planes.

Question 98

What was the evolution of Bomber planes? (both sides used)

Answer 98

-Originally only small bombs could be used and dropped either side of the plane by pilots. -By the end of the war, planes had been developed to fly further an drop larger bombs over Germany and Britain.

Question 99

What side did the Gotha Bomber belong to?

Answer 99

Germany

Question 100

What side did the Hondley Long range bomber belong to?

Answer 100

The British

Question 101

What were airships used for?

Answer 101

Reconnaissance and bombings

Question 102

What airship did the Germans develop and what did it do?

Answer 102

They developed an airship called the Zeppelin and it attacked British, French and Belgian cities.

Question 103

War in Italy

Answer 103

-Italy stayed out of the war until 1915 when it joined in support of the allies. -Attempted to attack Austria Hungary through the Julian Alps and 11 battles were fought between 1915 and 1917. They never advanced more than 11 miles. -Germans defeated Italy at the Battle of Caporetto in November 1917, which nearly knocked them out of the war. Support from Britain and France prevented this however.

Question 104

War in the Balkans and Greece

Answer 104

-Bulgaria joined war on Germanys side in October 1915, immediately joining the attack on Serbia. -Allies sent troops to help Serbia, landing in Greece. -Unable to advance and stalemate was established between both sides.

Question 105

War in the Middle-East

Answer 105

-British and Indian troops fought the turks in Mesopotamia and after a loss in 1916 they were joined by the ANZACs and the turks were forced back to the Turkish border. -Arabs also attacked Turkish troops, using a "Hit and run" technique. -The allies eventually defeated the Turks at the Battle of Megiddo.

Question 106

War in the Far east and Pacific

Answer 106

-Japan was a long term ally of Britain and captured a number of German colonies in the Pacific Ocean and German controlled territory in China. -ANZACs captured German colonies in Samoa and New Guinea.

Question 107

German East Africa at war

Answer 107

-The German colony was defended strongly by 12,000 troops despite being under attack by 200,000 allied troops.

Question 108

German South West Africa at war

Answer 108

-South Africans fighting for the British captured German South West Africa.

Question 109

War in Cameroon (German colony)

Answer 109

-Attacked by allied forces in August 1914 but Germans resisted. -Finally captured in 1916

Question 110

War in Togoland (German colony)

Answer 110

-Captured by British and French forces in the first month of the war.

Question 111

How big was the Russian army and what were they nicknamed?

Answer 111

-Had over one million soldiers and was nicknamed the "steam roller"

Question 112

When was the battle of Tannenberg, who won and why?

Answer 112

-August 1914 -The Germans won as they had very experienced army leaders and the latest military equipment. -The Russians might have had the numbers but the leaders were inexperienced and and the soldiers were poorly equipped.

Question 113

What happened between Russia and Austria-Hungary in the first months of the war? How was the Eastern Front-line formed?

Answer 113

-The Austria-Hungarians had followed their own war plan and advanced well into Russian territory. -They became faced with the Russian army who severely outnumbered them. -They retreated over 120 miles in less than a week leaving behind their guns and ammo. -The casualties rocketed into the 100,000s -The Russians advanced into Austria-Hungary but were stopped by the Carpathican mountain range. -The Eastern front-line began to take shape, the trenches longer then the Western Front and Running to the shores of the Black sea in Ukraine. -There was a lot more movement in these front lines however.