Strategies and tactics to break the stalemate Flashcards
What were the 3 main battles of ww1 to break the stalemate?
- Battle of Verdun
- Battle of the Somme
- Battle of Passchendale
What were reasons for the stalemate on the western front?
- Entrenching of troops by German forces.
- Failure of the Schlieffen plan
- Enormous amounts of reserve trenches
- Failure to commanders and their tactics
- Problems in communication
Describe the nature of trench warfare and life in the trenches.
- Sleep deprivation + Shell shock (Barrage)
- Highly prone to disease
- Static warfare
VERDUN: What kind of battle was Verdun?
A war of attrition. They attempted to “bleed the french white”
VERDUN: what tactics were used?
- Artillery bombardment
- Use of gas
VERDUN: What was the purpose of verdun?
Germany believed that if Verdun was won, France would be knocked out of the war and Germany would win the War on the western front.
VERDUN: What was the outcome of Verdun?
- French morale declined heavily.
- Germans gave up to concentrate on the Somme
THE SOMME: How did each side approach to battle?
- British adherence to
‘the offensive’, disbelief in defensive approach. - German adherence to defensive approach.
THE SOMME: What was the purpose of the battle of the somme?
- To relieve the french at Verdun.
- To break through the greman lines.
THE SOMME: Identify some of the tactics used in this battle?
- Artillery Bombardment
- Use of Tanks for the first time
THE SOMME: Why were tanks unsuccessful in the battle of the Some?
- Artillery bombardment mixed with terrible weather and rain resulted in very muddy and unstable landscape.
- Tanks unable to manoeuvre properly.
THE SOMME: What was the outcome of the battle?
- Allied gained 10.5 Km
- Heave casualties on both sides (Approx 600k each side)
PASSCHENDALE: What was the purpose of the battle of passchendale?
- To relieve the french who had suffered major losses in 1917.
- Capture ports Ostende and Zeebrugge
PASSCHENDALE: Why did the allies need to capture ports ostende and zeebrugge?
They were being used by German submarines.
PASSCHENDALE: What was passchendale known for? (affected the nature of the battle)
Worst terrain and conditions of all the battles.
