Part two: trench warfare 1914-1918 Flashcards
What was the ‘Race to the sea’?
Following events of First Battle of Marne and First Battle of Aisne, an attempt by the British and French to outflank the northern wing of the German Army and attack its rear, Germans and Allies raced to the North Sea.
What were the consequences of the race to the sea?
neither side gained a decisive advantage.
resulted in a line of trenches and led to stalemate
When did the race to the sea happen?
17 Sept – 30 Nov 1914
What were trenches?
long, deep ditches dug as protective defenses
which two points did trenches stretch from and how long?
Belgian coast to Switzerland frontier (400 miles)
how long did people think the war would last?
until Christmas as few people thought a war fought with so many destructive weapons would not last more than a few months
What were conditions like in trenches?
very muddy, uncomfortable and the toilets overflowed.
Full of mud in winter, flies in summer and always had rats.
soldiers contracted trench foot and many diseases. Soldiers were infested with lice.
how many British men died in the trenches due to unsanitary conditions?
about 200,000 from disease and infection
what shape were trenches built in and why?
zig zag to prevent the destruction of the whole trench when attacked
What was important in trenches?
Discipline was important – 3080 were condemned to death for not following orders and 346 actually had the sentence carried out
What was the form of attack “Over the top”?
Wave of soldiers, bayonets fixed, going “over the top” and marching in a line across no man’s land into a hail of enemy fire. It was rarely successful.
what was the tank?
1916 somme vehicle that was used to attempt at breaking the stalemate
“tank” so that people would think it was an innocent water tank
what are advantages of the tank?
were able to cross trenches and wire entanglements whilst giving soldiers protection
what were the disadvantages of the tank?
1.slow and unreliable (4mph)
2.would frequently get stuck in the mud
3.were not able to cross enemy lines
what was a machine gun?
lethal guns that could fire 600 bullets per minute. needed 6 men to operate one. aided the stalemate as it made it near impossible to cross no mans land without sacrificing soldiers
what were advantages to the machine gun?
- could bring down rows of soldiers from a distance
- could be situated onto planes and tanks
- immense fire power
what were advantages to the machine gun?
- could bring down rows of soldiers from a distance
- could be situated onto planes and tanks
- immense fire power
disadvantages of the machine gun?
lack of mobility, heavyweight (needed 6 ment to carry one)
what was artillery?
weapons such as shells, guns and mortars used to dislodge enemy weapons. caused 60% of battlefield casualties. most destructive weapon and could destroy fortified positions.
what were advantages of artillery?
- caused mass destruction and casualties
- The greatest rate of fire attainable by the British was 48 rounds in 75 seconds
- could fire shells of up to 100 pounds up to 34000 yards
disadvantages of artillery in ww1?
- expensive
- heavy weight
- demanded lots of time to make
what was poison gas?
first used by Germans in April 1915 (160 tonnes of chlorine gas). two main types were chlorine and mustard gas.
what were chlorine and mustard gas used for?
chlorine- green colour. irritated the lung tissue causing a choking effect that could cause death.
mustard- nearly invisible. blistered the skin, eyes, and lungs. slow painful death. could cause amnesia and blind soldiers
what were disadvantages of poison gas?
1.difficult to control and relied on the direction of the wind and accuracy of the artillery shells
2. scientists had to create effective gas masks soldiers always had access to
what were aircrafts?
were very recent inventions when World War One broke out. For example, France only had 140 aircraft when war began but by the end of it, they had used around 4,500. mainly used to spy on the enemy but were not used frequently for attack.
How did aircrafts change from being used for spying to combat?
Anthony Fokker is credited with developing the first synchronized gear for the German army in 1915 and so planes begin being used for air to air combat
What were the consequences of developments in aircraft?
They were more used for spotting the enemy and for gathering intelligence. Later in the war, fighter planes were fitted with machine guns. Heavier planes were developed that dropped bombs on the enemy. By 1918, planes had been developed that could drop bombs on Berlin.
when was the battle of the Somme fought?
July 1 to November 18, 1916
what was the battle of the somme?
a joint operation between British and French forces intended to achieve a decisive victory over the Germans on the Western Front
bloodiest battle in British history
launched to help relieve pressure on French soldiers fighting in Verdun
What happened at the Battle of the Somme?
General Sir Douglas Haig ordered a week-long artillery bombardment of more than a million shells starting on June 24 but most shells failed to detonate and german dugouts remained undamaged and their wire barricades remained intact. At 7:30 a.m, expecting little German resistance, soldiers went over the top and were mowed down by German artillery and machine gun fire.
