The First World War - Stalemate

Question 1

What was the Schlieffen Plan?

Answer 1

German troops would attack by going through Belgium and knock France out of the war
Russia would take a while mobilising her armies
Germany had to surround Paris and defeat France in 6 weeks so they could send all their troops to fight Russian

Question 2

How did the Plan not go to Plan when they entered Belgium?

Answer 2

The Belgians put up a heroic resistance from their frontier first but didn’t stop the Germans completely as massive German artillery bombardments destroyed the Belgian forts and they marched into France.
However, the Belgian resistance bought the French and British time to mobilise

Question 3

How did the British help stop the Schlieffen Plan?

Answer 3

The British expeditionary Force (BEF) was led by Sir John French and landed in France, and met the advancing Germans at Mons on 23 August 1914.
This small but well trained group of soldiers gave the Germans a shock
At mons, they were well led by Douglas Haig and they used bolt action rifles which could fire quickly and accurately
However, they were hugely outnumbered and retreated but they did slow the Germans down but only French had enough power to stop them entirely.

Question 4

What did the French do when war broke out?

Answer 4

They launched a direct attack on Germany through Alsace Lorraine, losing over 200,000 men in 12 days
They then regrouped to protect and defend Paris

Question 5

Why were things not looking good for the Germans?

Answer 5

The German commander had to pull 100,000 troops from the army because Russia had mobilised her armies far more quickly
The Germans were also struggling to keep their troops supplied with food and equipment

Question 6

What happened at the Battle of Marne?

Answer 6

The German commander realised he couldn’t swing around Paris so he advanced straight towards it.
Most Germans were in foot but the French delivered troops by rail and then onto the frontline
The German army was weary and overstretched
The combined British and French forces were able to stop the German advance along the River Marne.
They then counter attacked, pushing the Germans back to the River Aisne but couldn’t drive them out of France completely.
By 8 September 1914, both sides were digging trenches and this was the first signs of stalemate

Question 7

What was the race to the sea?

Answer 7

The German generals realised they couldn’t break through enemy lines.
So they decided to get round the end of the enemy lines (outflank them)
The charge to do this began on 12 October 1914 and became known as Race to the Sea
As the Germans charged west towards the sea, the British and French used rail to move troops and block the Germans whenever they tried to break through

Question 8

What was the western front?

Answer 8

By November, there was a deadlock.
The BEF has suffered great losses and the French suffered 1million dead or wounded in just ten weeks.
The French tried to break through but were beaten back with heavy losses
The fighting had reached stalemate and millions of troops dug into lines of trenches that stretched from west to the east.
This was the western front.

Question 9

We were trenches good?

Answer 9

They offered the best protection from snipers, shellfire and mines.

Question 10

What was the theory about attacks before the war?

Answer 10

Theory was that an attack on the enemy would be led by cavalry charge
The infantry’s job was to follow the cavalry and take charge of captured positions
They then had to defend those positions
Trenches changed this as cavalry charge became infantry charge

Question 11

What was ‘barrage’?

Answer 11

It was the attacking side’s artillery bombarding the front line trenches of the enemy

Question 12

What was ‘over the top’ ?

Answer 12

As soon as the barrage stopped, attacking troops would climb out of their trenches. It was then a race between them and the defenders who had to emerge from shelter and use machine gun fire to stop the running troops from reaching their trenches/barbed wire
The defenders usually had the upper hand as they could kill the attackers easily with machine gun fire
However, if they got to the forward position, it was impossible to defend/keep and they’d be pushed back to their original position

Question 13

Why did Generals use infantry charge?

Answer 13

They thought if enough men charged, eventually it would wear down the enemy and they would be able to breakthrough
As war went on, generals tried new ways to make infantry more effective
E.g. introduced new weapons, steel helmets gave protection and used camouflage techniques. Many were also given gas masks to help them against an gas attack

Question 14

What else did soldiers do apart from infantry?

Answer 14

Spent a lot of time digging new trenches or repairing old ones
Trenches carted supplies and equipment up and down communication trenches
They spent long hours in secret listening posts near enemy trenches
Some had a job called sappers. Sappers were ex-miners who dug tunnels below enemy trenches and placed huge mines there
Also made patrols into no mans land to capture prisoners e.t.c as they’d have valuable information

Question 15

Why did some get PTSD?

Answer 15

All the activities had a risk that you could be killed by a shell at any moment

Question 16

What were the conditions of the trenches like?

Answer 16

Millions of men and thousands of horses lived close together
In summer, you could smell sewage, rotting corpses e.t.c
Soldiers were also infected with lice
In summer, the trenches were hot, dusty and smelly.
In wet weather, soldiers spent time with their knees deep in water
Many suffered from trench foot and many got frostbite
Most trenches were swarmed with rats which thrived on the dead bodies and rubbish created by army

Question 17

What was the adventure aspect of trench life like?

Answer 17

Most soldiers were ordinary working - class men so they hadn’t travelled much before
Fighting took places in France, Belgium, midddle east e,t,c which is places they wouldn’t have visited otherwise
Some men loved the risk and thrill of war as war was the ultimate challenger with soldiers achieving stuff

Question 18

What was the discipline aspect like in trench like?

Answer 18

Soldiers who disobeyed order, fell asleep on duty or deserted were Court-martialled and could be executed
Over 3,000 British soldiers were condemned by army with only 346 being actually executed

Question 19

What was the leisure time aspect like in trench life?

Answer 19

Officers worked hard to organise tours of duty so soldiers could get a chance to rest
Soldiers would spend about 3 days in the most dangerous sections of the front line before being relieved but if there was a big attack, they could be in their for longer
Soldiers spent 60% of their time out of the trenches
Some took up correspondence courses, others sent sight-seeing in France, there were football and other sport teams and there was usually a concert/party every week

Question 20

How did the humour aspect play a part in trench life?

Answer 20

Played an important part in keeping up morale
Soldiers produced humorous sheets and other publications often making light of their predicament or poking fun at the commanders

Question 21

How did comradeship play a part in trench life?

Answer 21

Many battalions were made up of close friend who had joined the army together
Soldiers relied on each other and didn’t want to let each other down
After war, many said they missed the comradeship of the war
You’d meet soldiers from all different countries - British soldier met soldiers from Canada, Australia, India e.t.c

Question 22

How did patriotism play a part in trench life?

Answer 22

Soldiers on all sides were generally patriotic

Whatever the horrors, most believed they were there to do a job for their country and that the job was worth doing well

Question 23

How did comfort play a part in trench life?

Answer 23

At a time when civilian life was hard,: life expectancy was in early 40s for working class, disease, death, poverty, hunger, accidents at work were all common
The army looked after its soldiers as well as they could and British forces suffered less from disease than any other army
British food rations were good and better than some armies and soldiers who lived in working class, put on around 10kg cause of how well fed they were compared to back home
They received regular parcels and letters as the postal service was efficient
Many receive chocolate, alcohol and cigarettes e,t.c

Question 24

How did respect play a part in trench life?

Answer 24

Generally, soldiers had great respect for their leaders

Many leaders went over the top alongside their men and suffered high death rates than ordinary troops

Question 25

How did Artillery develop?

Answer 25

Artillery bombardments from heavy guns (fired at distance) cause more casualties than any other weapon - they destroyed enemy positions and defences
However, at beginning they weren’t accurate and would sometimes bombard their own front lines
However, it was much more powerful and accurate by end of war
A vast part of industry in Europe was making shell for artillery and more and more British industries were supplying enough gun and shells to British forces who used them effectively

Question 26

How did machine guns develop?

Answer 26

They were very large and heavy and weren’t useful on attacks on trenches but they were effective as defensive weapons as they could fire 8+ bullets a second
They accounted for a large part of casualties
At start of war, British had the ratio of machine guns to troops as the same as the Germans
By 1918, most platoons had their own lightweight machine guns
Provided very effective in actions

Question 27

How did poison gas develop?

Answer 27

First poison gas attack was April 1915 by Germans by releasing Chlorine into wind across no-mans land and into British trenches. Many soldiers struggled to breathe
Gas attacks then became a regular feature as they were used to disable enemy troops so your own infantry would be successful
Scientist then made mustard gas which blinded, burned or killed victims over 4-5 weeks.
Other scientists developed gas mask which soldiers would carry at all time and put on when alerted. These masks only let 3,000 British troops die but the fear of a gas attack had a big psychological impact

Question 28

How did Tanks develop?

Answer 28

Tanks were a British inventions but many rejected them until Winston Churchill (head of navy) thought they had potential
They were first used at Battle of Somme 1916 and they advanced against infantry and crushed barbed wire defence and sprayed enemy wth gun fire - this cause alarm amongst the Germans
However, they were unreliable and very slow as more than half broke down before reaching German trenches - not until 1917 that tanks achieved great success with some being too successful and infantry not catching up
Germans (at end of war) used special bullets to pierce through tanks and tanks were an easy target as they were bug an slow

Question 29

What was aircraft like at the beginning of the war?

Answer 29

War in the air gained glamorous reputation with most countries having brilliant pilot and many movies were made due to them.
In 1914, aeroplanes were basic, unreliable and dangerous as losses were very high
They were first used to fly over enemy trenches and take photographs which were useful for military commanders
However, enemy aircraft would shoot these planes done so “dogfighting” emerged.

Question 30

How were planes then developed and improved?

Answer 30

To fight of enemy planes, planes were equipped with machine guns in 1915 and aerial battles were common over western front
Planes also played a part in slowing down German advance in 1918 and in supporting allies in Hundred Days at end of the war
Royal Naval air service and Royal Flying Corp went from having 37 planes to 23,000
Air power was valuable at sea where planes could observe and attack shipping

Question 31

Why did the Battle of Verdun happen?

Answer 31

Germans began a battle to capture French forts surround ping Verdun in February 1916, as the Germans recognised that the French were leading the allied forces at the time.
The German commander came up wth a strategy of attrition (wearing down enemy’s strength until resistance was no longer possible)
He wanted to ‘Bleed France white’

Question 32

What were the consequences at the Battle of Verdun?

Answer 32

The tactic failed in that both sides suffered roughly equal losses
For 6 months, both sides poured men and resources into battle and attacks were constantly happening
By June 1916, 700,000 has been killed
The French held out but by summer they were close to breaking point as although both sides had equal losses, Germany had greater resources

Question 33

What happened at the start of the battle of the Somme?

Answer 33

The British (led by Douglas Haig) launches their planned offensive at the Somme. The British troops advanced but on the first day, there were 57,000 casualties and 20,000 killed.
It was expected that the continuous shelling would have destroyed most of German defences allowing soldiers to go over top and breakthrough enemy lines

Question 34

Why did the plan not work?

Answer 34

The German defences consisted of a vast network of dugouts, trenches and dormitories dug very deep
The British command didn’t have this as they were criticised for having too few heavy guns and spreading their fire over too many targets
Therefore, the firepower was reduced
Also, in several places the barbed wire hadn’t been cut
Therefore the Germans used this to their advantage and turn the narrow gaps into death traps
However despite these losses, the battle continued

Question 35

How many soldiers were killed overall?

Answer 35

A combined total of 1.25million British, French and German soldiers killed

Question 36

How did people back in Britain react to the Somme?

Answer 36

They were horrified by the losses
However the military leaders were defending the losses as they argued that war was a contest to see which side could last the longer

Question 37

Why is opinion divided about Douglas haig?

Answer 37

Some criticise him/generals and the British government for being incompetent and callous about the enormous death toll
Others argue that, though regrettable, the losses were an essential part in the road towards essential victory

Question 38

What happened at the Battle of Passchendale? (3rd Battle of Ypres) 1917

Answer 38

The British detonated mines at Messines which destroyed German Artillery positions and killed 10,000 German soldiers at a stroke
However, the infantry advance which followed became bogged down when heavy rain created terrible conditions, particularly around the ruined village of Passchendale
When tanks were used at Cambrai 1917, 350 tanks made good progress but were unable to hold the ground they’d captured. Again, casualty figures ran into the hundreds of thousands for each side

Question 39

Why did Britain attack the Turks?

Answer 39

They wanted access to the Black Sea which would allow them to get supplies through to help Russia, however the Turks had been in control of the surrounding land

Question 40

What happened at first at Gallipoli?

Answer 40

As Britain has the most powerful navy, it seemed like a good plan and in March 1915, the warships began their assault and bombarded the strong forts.
However as soon as they arrived, they were attacked by mine and shell fire from the forts in the shore
The commanders decided that they would have to launch a land attack to capture peninsula before the naval operation could succeed

Question 41

What happened once they were on land?

Answer 41

A force of British, French and (Australian and New Zealand) troops attacked but the Turks (supported by Germany) had strengthened the defences and dug trenches on hills, overlooking where the allied had landed
The allied troops fought bravely but it soon became clear that they weren’t going to to be able to remove the Turks

Question 42

How did weather conditions play a big part at Gallipoli?

Answer 42

In the summer heat and decaying corpses, disease was really high and in November, the troops were ill-equipped for the harsh winter and many got frostbite

Question 43

What part was successful for the allies?

Answer 43

The submarines got through Turkish minefields to attack the harbour, where they sank many Turkish ships but the main allied fleet never got through

Question 44

What happened at the end?

Answer 44

Due to the frostbite and deadlock, it was clear there was no chance of success, so the decision was made to pull out
The campaign was seen as a failure and Churchill was humiliated

Question 45

What was significant about the war at sea considering navies?

Answer 45

Britain and German both needed crucial supplies to be brought in by sea
Before the war, the build up of arms had anticipated the importance of the navies
During the war, torpedos were develops and could be launched from ships, submarines or from air
Improvement in radio meant ships were in better contact with each other and the shore.
Submarines were new to warfare but the Germans used them more effectively than the British

Question 46

What did the British do at sea which contributed to Germany’s defeat?

Answer 46

They wanted to mount a blockade on German ports.
The aim was to stop essential supplies of food and war materials from reaching Germany
Many German ships were blocked in their own ports
By 1918, many Germans were starving and there was mutiny in the German navy

Question 47

How did Germany commit unrestricted submarine warfare?

Answer 47

The sank ships that were bringing supplies to Britain from USA and British empire
In 1915, they sank the Lusitania using torpedos killing 1,198 passengers including 128 US citizens
This angered America and cause protests which led to the Kaiser ordering the German navy to stop as they didn’t want American joint the war on the allied side

Question 48

However, how did America join the war due to Germany being desperate at sea?

Answer 48

In 1917, Germany became desperate that they started attacking American ships again (unrestricted submarine warfare)
The plan nearly worked as they left Britain with only 6 weeks supply of some basic goods
However in April 1917. President Woodrow Wilson was able to persuade congress to declare War on Germany

Question 49

How did the British defend their ships?

Answer 49

Used a convoy system
Slow moving merchant ships sailed in groups, protected by fast-moving destroyers.
Soon the amount of shipping destroyed by U-boats began to fall
The British all used massive underwater anti-submarine nets and laid minefields

Question 50

What happened at the Battle of Jutland?

Answer 50

31st May 1916
German fleet had an initial advantage as they had powerful guns
The British fleet were under a great pressure and in danger of defeat however the other part of their fleet arrived just in time
The fighting continued during the night, but by the morning, the Germans retreated back to the safety of the port.
British lost 14 ships and 6,000 sailors whereas Germany lost 13 ships and 2,500 sailors.
Although Germany lost less, they remained trapped in their port and Britain remained in control of the sea for the rest of the war