The scope and nature of warfare Flashcards
Describe the nature of warfare during the Gallipoli campaign
The nature of warfare in ww1 was very slow,
Even though the new invention of trains meant faster mobilisation, once troops were on the battle field it was slow moving
Troops spent a lot of their time digging
Trenches
Mines
Paths into enemy trenches and under battlefields
Soldiers were often bogged down in trenches
It was too risky to instigate an offensive attack so both sides would dig in and wait for attack
This often resulted in stalemate and the winner was the side which had better access to supplies and could hold out longer
E.g. Western Front stalemate 1915
Explain the outcome of the Gallipoli campaign – 25th April 1915
- Allies Goal (British, Russia, French)
- Plan B
- Naval Plan
- Problems
- Small victory
Allies Goal (British, Russia, French)
Sail through the Dardanelles and capture Constantinople, Turkey’s capital
Force Turkish out of the war so that they could move through Russia and deliver more supplies and raise moral as they were currently loosing to Germany
Plan B
The British were unable to sail through the Dardanelles because
The shallow water meant underwater mines could be easily laid
The narrow body of water meant it was easy to stop passing ships using land based artillery
The British needed a new plan
Naval Plan
British troop transport ships brought the troops as close to the Turkish headland as possible
The 9th, 10th and 11th Battalions were in landing boats and towed by steam boats as close to the beach as possible
They rowed the remaining distance to the shore, making an amphibious landing
They were then to scale the cliffs and capture the forts along the headland giving the British warships free pass into the Dardanelles
Problems
One of the steam boats let out a flicker of light, exposing their location
The steam boats could not see where they were going in the darkness, crossed behind each other and lost formation
The cliffs were sheerer than expected and proved extremely difficult to climb
Turkish defense was stronger than expected
Small victory
British submarines were able to get through and sink many Turkish warships and transports
The Australian forces moved quickly on the first day and managed to capture some Ottoman territory, however this did not last long
Outline and sequence the changing scope and nature of warfare from trenches in World War I to the Holocaust and the use of the atomic bombs to end World War II- changing weapons, tactics, air movement
Throughout the majority of WW1, the advantage lay with the defender through the use of artillery, trenches and machine guns
Approaching the end of WW1 both sides began to develop tactics to defeat the static defenses
By WW2, the Germans expanded on the concept of combined warfare using more advanced technology and created the concept of Blitzkrieg (Lightening War).
Air power became more prevalent in WW2
Throughout the majority of WW1, the advantage lay with the defender through the use of artillery, trenches and machine guns
This often result in stalemate and static warfare
Approaching the end of WW1 both sides began to develop tactics to defeat the static defenses, what were they ?
The Germans created the concept of Storm Troopers
These soldiers were specifically trained to breech the trench defense system by looking for weak points in the defense, breaking through and attacking from behind. Effectively outflanking the defense
The Allies, especially General Monash, created the concept of combined arms warfare
Forces would be concentrated on a narrower front using airpower, tanks, artillery and infantry simultaneously to overwhelm the defenders and break through the defense
By WW2, the Germans expanded on the concept of combined warfare using more advanced technology and created the concept of Blitzkrieg (Lightening War). It was achieved by:
Look for two weak points on the flanks of the enemies’ defenses
Attack with an artillery barrage at the weak points
Break through the defenses at the exposed flanks with a high concentration of tanks and mobile infantry
Once penetrated, encircle enemy trenches by joining the two tank and mobile infantry forces behind the defense
Enemy troops are stuck in a pocket and destroyed by advancing infantry and artillery along the front side. Effectively constricting the pocket
Dive bombers were used to support the tanks as mobile artillery. These planes were called Stukas
The technique was effective as it created panic and confusion behind enemy lines
Air power became more prevalent in WW2, because
Germans used Stukas to support their Blitzkrieg tactics
Both Axis and Allied forces used transport planes to drop paratroopers behind enemy lines
Planes were used in strategic bombing to terrorize civilian populations and destroy the enemy’s ability to manufacture military equipment
Battleships were made obsolete by air craft carries and land based airplanes as the most powerful naval weapons
WW2 eventually came to an end with the two atomic bombs (Fat boy and Little boy) which were dropped on Japan by American planes
