Scots on the Western Front Flashcards
When did Britain declare war in the First World War?
4th August 1914
How many men enlisted in the first three months? (In the whole of Britain)
900,000
When did people think the war would be over?
Over by Christmas
What were reasons for Scots enlisting?
Peer Pressure, Feeling of guilt, Better life then at home, Better pay, Desire for adventure, Patriotism for King/Country/Empire, Propaganda, ‘Pals Battalions’ offered the chance to fight alongside your friends, War was believed it would be short
At the start of WWI, the war was a war of…
But by the late summer of 1914 it became a war of…
Movement
Attrition
How deep and wide were trenches?
7 feet deep, 6 feet wide
Why were trenches often in zig-zags?
So that explosive damage from a shell would be limited to a small section of trench and to stop a whole trench collapsing, instead limiting it to a small section
How were soldiers protected from trench foot?
Duckboards were placed along the bottom of trenches to prevent soldiers stepping in mud
Soldiers were also told to regularly change their socks and keep their feet dry
How were front line trenches defended?
Barbed wire was placed in front of the trenches, Machine gun nests were placed along the trenches, Soldiers dug dugout to protect themselves from rain and enemy fire.
What does ‘Over the top’ mean?
To leave your trench, cross no-mans land and attack the enemy
How long did soldiers usually spend in the front trenches?
3 days, before being rotated, but it was often more
What was the biggest cause of death?
Artillery (60%+)
When and by whom was poisonous gas first used in the war?
Chlorine gas was used by the Germans in 1915 in the battle of Ypres
What are some of the new technologies used in WWI?
Gas (Chlorine, Mustard, Phosgene, Tear)
Tanks
Aircraft
Machine guns
When was gas first used in WWI, and by who?
Tear gas was used by the French in August, 1914, to little effect
How were tanks used in attacks?
Tanks could drive through barbed wire, making paths for attacking troops.
Tanks were used as moving cover, protecting advancing troops hiding behind.
Tanks could cross trenches, getting behind the enemy
Tanks were also used grouped together, so as to easily punch a whole in the enemy lines.
How were tanks ineffective?
The first tanks were slow and sluggish, getting caught in mud. They were not reliable and often broke down. The armour was often too thin so that artillery, field guns or even concentrated machine gun fire could knock them out. As they were new technology, tactics didn’t use tanks to their full potential and communications between tanks and HQ was bad. There was also a problem with visibility as a smokey battlefield could easily obscure the drivers vision
How were aircraft used in WWI?
Aircrafts were a new invention, and WWI saw the first use of them in war.
Aircraft at the start of the war were mainly used for reconnaissance
They were improved upon until they became very effective against an enemy. Bombers and fighters were
