Trench Warfare on the Western Front 1914-18 (1)

Question 1

After the war became static, across how many miles of the Western Front did fortifications and trenches lie?

Answer 1

450 Miles

Question 2

Why was the war called a ‘revolution in military affairs’?

Answer 2

• Military orthodoxy was challenged and new weaponry was used
• It was a war of machines, dehumanising combatants
• Decisions were made by soldiers in a trench trying to survive with generals hoping for a final ‘push’ that would end it all
• People started with a patriotic attitude but as casualties amounted public attitude shifted

Question 3

How did WW1 start?

Answer 3

• Assassination of archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian Nationalist
• This led to A-H declaring war on Serbia 28th July
• Russia began mobilising for war to aid its ally (Serbia) on the 31st July

Question 4

When did Germany declare war on Russia, how did France and Britain get involved?

Answer 4

• Germany declared war on Russia on the 1st August
• Germany declared war on France on the 3rd August
• The Germans moved through neutral Belgium and declared war on them
• Britain had a treaty with Belgium and thus declared war on Germany 4th August 1914

Question 5

Which German chief of the army General Staff came up with the plan to defeat France in 6 weeks and what was this?

Answer 5

• Alfred von Schlieffen - the Schlieffen plan
• Part of the Gr Army would tie down France along the border in Alsace-Lorraine whilst the main German force attacked in the west through Belgium and into France
• This aimed to avoid the strongest French defences further east
• This campaign of movement was meant to use roads and railways and they hoped Russia was slow to mobilise so they did not have to fight a war on two fronts

Question 6

Where did the small BEF take its place at the start of the war?

Answer 6

• The BEF took its place around the town of Mons, south of Brussels
• It had a defensive role

Question 7

Why could it be said that French Generals had planned a ‘Napoleonic surge’ at the start of the war?

Answer 7

Their infantry wore red and blue uniforms with cavalry

Question 8

Why did the German plan of movement fail?

Answer 8

• The German 1st army were required to move 15 miles a day and this was too fast as the supplies could not keep up
• Their comms broke down as they only had one wireless receiver and generals did not know how to use these new pieces of technology

Question 9

When were the French first exposed to modern firepower?

Answer 9

• When they trie to attack the Germans in the Ardennes forest region
• By 29th August they had suffered more than 250,000 casualties
• The BEF also came onto the defensive in Mons, digging for cover

Question 10

Due to a lack of aerial reconnaissance at the start of the war, what did generals rely on for intelligence?

Answer 10

• Cavalry Patrols, bicycles, horses, carrier pigeons and visual signals
• Motorcycles and Cars were used where there were passable roads

Question 11

What was the series of battles known as the ‘race to the sea’?

Answer 11

• A series of battles where eventually the Germans tries to push the British out of the Belgian town Ypres
• Allies managed to hold Ypres but British lost 100,000 and Belgian lost 20,000
• The race ended in a stalemate
• Both sides dug and constructed trench lines as the winter began to set in

Question 12

How long does Trench construction take according to a British estimate?

Answer 12

• 6 hours for 450 men to dig 250 yards

Question 13

How did Trenches become more complex?

Answer 13

• The first trenches were rushed, shallow and collapsed
• As the Western Front stabilised both sides constructed complex deep-trench systems
• This includes infrastructure such as field kitchens, first aid posts and casualty clearing stations, hospitals, command posts, ammunition dumps, artillery packs, telephone and telegraph lines

Question 14

Explain some of the complexities of Trench warfare?

Answer 14

• Fire Trenches ran in one direction with communication trenches criss crossing
• Trenches were never straight to disallow the enemy from shooting down them
• Forward trench nearest the enemy was the front line attack point and behind was a support trench
• Soldiers were rotated between these trenches and miles of barbed wire were placed and the land in-between them was known as no mans land

Question 15

What were wooden ‘duckboards’?

Answer 15

• Made temporary roads across mud and around shell holes
• These were to allow the flow of supplies and troops even when the state of the trenches were dire
• Railways also were busy bringing troops

Question 16

How many reinforcement loads did the French send to Verdun in 3 weeks?

Answer 16

• 800 trainloads

Question 17

How did the British reach the front line, why were motor vehicles not of use?

Answer 17

• They reached the front line using trenches, mules and horses
• Motor vehicles would break down or become stuck in the mud

Question 18

How did the length of battles change in WW1? Due to this, what did troops do to keep themselves occupied?

Answer 18

• Battles that usually took a few days were now lasting weeks and even months and winter slowed things down further
• Spent lots of time bringing up rations and stores, digging and relaying wire
• They were often dirty, hungry, scared and exhausted
• They sang songs making fun of their commands, the enemy, people at home and even themselves

Question 19

Trench warfare required innovation and adaptation in the style of warfare, give some examples of developments within trenches that showed this?

Answer 19

• Putting your head above the parapets was fatal due to snipers, so they began using the periscope
• Due to the trench often being 8 feet deep, the soldier would stand on a ‘firestep’

Question 20

What were trench raids?

Answer 20

• To avoid soldiers becoming too passive generals led trench raids on the enemy trenches
• A raiding party would sneak into enemy trenches and hurl grenades or hold prisoners to gain intelligence
• Face to face confrontations were fought with bayonets, spades, knives and clubs
• These were preparations for a major offensive in hopes of a ‘breakthrough’

Question 21

What were the conditions that soldiers had to live in?

Answer 21

• Soldiers had to eat and sleep in miserably unsanitary conditions
• There was a large presence of rats, some as big as cats feeding on corpses
• Scratching was familiar as there was an infestation of lice amongst soldiers
• Due to the combat they often suffered ‘shell-shock’ and ‘nerves’ - this was not always treated with great sympathy

Question 22

What was ‘trench foot’?

Answer 22

• In the mud and wet, this was a condition caused by wearing wet and dirty socks
• Due to it causing serious problems soldiers were often commanded to change their socks three times a day

Question 23

What was ‘fraternising’?

Answer 23

• When the two opposing sides met
• This was reported by soldiers during the ‘Christmas truce’ of December 1914 where German and British troops met in no man’s land

Question 24

What would happen when soldiers in a forward trench were close to the enemy?

Answer 24

• Engineers or ‘sappers’ dug tunnels to undermine enemy trenches, to collapse or set explosive charges
• Tended to be ex-miners

Question 25

What were communications like before any sort of developments were made ?

Answer 25

• Officers in dugouts could use landline to give and receive orders but this was often erratic in use
• Instead they often relied on runners who risked being shot
• From trenches soldiers used shouts, horns, whistles and even bagpipes to get them heard
• HQ commanders had maps to report aerial reconnaissance but often had no clue what they were doing and tried to plan for everything, leading to overcomplications