Preparedness For War Flashcards
1
Q
When were men first conscripted?
A
- Men aged 20 to 23 were required to register on the 21st of October 1939, the start of the long and drawn-out process of conscription, which only saw 40-year-olds registering by June 1941.
2
Q
How many men had been conscripted, and how many went to each place?
A
- By the end of 1939, more than 1.5 million men had been conscripted to join the British armed forces. Of those, over 1.1m went to the army and the rest were split between the Navy and the RAF.
3
Q
What did the Military Training Act do?
A
- The Military Training Act of 27 April 1939 made it so that all men aged 20-21 who were fit and able were required to undergo 6 months of military training.
4
Q
What did the Emergency Powers Act of August 1938 do?
A
- The Emergency Powers Act of August 1938 allowed the government to take measures in defence of the nation and to maintain public order, with around 100 measures aimed at calling up military reservists and ARP volunteers for mobilisation.
5
Q
How many ships did the Royal Navy have?
A
- the Royal Navy was the largest in the world in 1939, consisting of 15 large battleships, 15 heavy cruisers, 7 aircraft carriers, 181 destroyers and 59 submarines.
6
Q
What was the Royal Navy’s disadvantage?
A
However, only half of the Royal Navy’s ships had been modernised, and the rest were deficient in horizontal armour needed for protection against long-range shellfire.
7
Q
What department was the least prepared for the war?
A
- The army was the least prioritised out of all of the military, shown as during the Norway Campaign, soldiers were left without proper equipment and warm clothing to deal with the harsh weather conditions within Norway, making soldiers prone to death and severe illnesses.
8
Q
What did the Bomber Command have, and what was the disadvantage to this?
A
- In September 1939, the Bomber Command consisted of 55 squadrons, (920 aircraft).
- However, only 350 were suitable for long-range operations.
9
Q
How much of their GNP did Britain spend?
A
- In 1939, the British government had spent 21% of their GNP on the rearmament process in comparison to 8% in 1938. This shows that the rearmament process sped up as Chamberlain realised that appeasement could no longer be used.
10
Q
What does Charles Loch Mowatt argue?
A
- He argues that the army had been the most negelected of the services.
11
Q
What does Robert Mackay argue?
A
- He contends that Britain was unprepared for a role in land-warfare, half-prepared for war in the air, and that the Navy was the only strong suit.
12
Q
What does Robert McKay argue?
A
- He suggests that the Royal Navy was in a reasonably healthy state in September 1939?
13
Q
A
