The 4 Major Battles Flashcards
The four major battles
Somme
Cambri
Arras
Ypres
When was the battle of the Somme
July 1st 1916 to November 1916
What happened during the Somme
420000 men suffered casualties including 60000 on the first day
Germans lost nearly 500000
Main tactic of the Somme
Bombarding the enemy with shells before going over the top and attacking enemy trenches
When did Cambri occur
Late 1917
What happened during the battle of Cambri
First large scale attack using tanks
Over 450 tanks used against the Germans
Worked well and took ground on the first day
However weren’t enough soldiers supporting the tanks and the British soon lost the land they had gained
When was the battle of arras
In 1917
What happened in the battle of arras
Soldiers from New Zealand and northern England dug tunnels under the city of arras
Chalky ground so tunnelling was easy
Had rooms with running water and electricity and soldiers lived and slept there
Hospital large enough for operating theatres and 700 beds
How many battles occurred at Ypres
3 battles
The 2 major reasons for fighting in Ypres
Had the most direct route to the channel ports (if Germany captured these the British supplies would be cut off)
Germans had high ground over salient (a weak part of the allied line) Germans could fire down and see the allied defence movement
What happened to the British trenches at Ypres
They were low lying causing them to become water logged and flood
When did the 2nd battle of Ypres occur
1915
What happened at the second battle of Ypres
First expensive and effective use of poison gas by German troops
Battle for hill 60
What was hill 60
A man made hill 60 meters above sea level which Germans could fire down from
What happened at the battle for hill 60
1915- Soldiers dug tunnels under the hill and Germans dug counter tunnels and if the tunnels exploded soldiers were usually left underground
7th April 1915- five mines exploded under German position and the British took over the hill in the next 4 days
