The battle of the Somme Flashcards
The battle of the somme was…
one of the worst wars because all the new weapons from world war 1 were available
new weapons such as…
the machine gun, bolt action riffle, artillery, gases (mustard and chlorine), tank
Sand bags
soaking up water when it rains and the trenches fill up, shielding from fire, keep earth back from the sides of the trenches
Dugout
place to keep warm, sleep, put the sick and recovering, rest
drainage sump
where water would go when it rained, like an underground gutter
duckboards
to stop your feet from getting wet and soggy
fire step
where you would climb up to get over the parapet and fire
ammunition ledge
place to keep your ammunition dry, hold yourself in to fire and hoist yourself up over the top
barbed wire
to stop the opposition getting over your trench
parapet
where to spot the opposition from
when did the battle of the somme start?
july 1st 1916
why was the battle fought?
because general Joffre and FM Haig planned an attack on the Germans with 40 French, and 25 British divisions to gain land and kill the Germans
Attrition
General Joffre’s strategy- to wear down the opposition by causing casualty and destroying as many weapons as possible
what did the British think about their attack
that it would be unopposed because they had already killed all of the Germans. But they hadn’t the Germans were only hiding
what had the Germans done?
they had been waiting and hiding knowing what to expect. However the British had been told that it would be a walk over because they outnumbered the Germans 1/7
