Trench Warfare on the Western Front, 1914-18 Flashcards
Who became Secretary of State for War on August 5th 1914
Lord Kitchener
How many men joined Kitchener’s ‘new armies’ in August/ September 1914?
761,000
Who commanded the British Expeditionary Force? (BEF)
Sir John French
In 1914, were officers well prepared for war?
Most officer training had not prepared the officers for a modern war, they were committed to offensive action as the only tactic
How many machine guns were available to each battalion at the start of the WWI?
2
How many motor vehicles did the army have in 1914?
80
How many rifles were being produced a month in August 1914?
6000
How many German troops marched through Belgium in 1914?
1.5 million
What was the name of the German’s war plan in 1914?
the Schlieffen Plan
How many men were in the BEF when it was first deployed?
120,000
Where was the BEF first deployed to?
Mauberge
How many BEF troops fought at Mons? How many Germans did they meet?
75,000 BEF troops
300,000 German troops
On what day was the battle of Mons?
23rd of August
What happened at Le Cateau and on what date?
On the 26th August 1914 the BEF met the Germans whilst retreating after the clash at Mons.
When was the Battle of the Marne?
6-12th September 1914
Casualties at the Battle of the Marne?
British and French - 100,000
German - 250,000 ish
What signified the switch from a war of manoeuvre to a war of attrition?
the construction of trenches with barbed wire
What river did the Germans retreat to after the battle of the Marne?
The river Aisne
What did the Allies success at the First Battle of Ypres ensure they kept control of?
Ports on the Channel.
It also crucially blocked the German Schlieffen plan’s route into the rest of Belgium and France.
When was the 1st Battle of Ypres?
19th October - 22nd November 1914
How many miles of trenches had been dug by the end of 1914 overall?
nearly 500 miles
How many miles did the British hold by the end of 1914?
35 miles
When did the British attempt an offensive at Nueve Chapelle?
10-13th March 1915
How many British casualties at Neuve Chapelle 1915?
13,000 (7000 British, 4000 Indian)
When was the second battle of Ypres?
April 22nd - May 25th 1915
What weapon was used for the first time at the second battle of Ypres?
Chlorine Gas (used by the Germans)
How many British casualties occurred due to the first chlorine gas attacks at Ypres?
60,000
What British attacks in May 1915 failed with 16,500 casualties?
Aubers Ridge and Festubert
When was the first machine gun invented?
1884
How many machine guns had the German army deployed by 1914?
12,000
What machine gun’s did the British use?
The Vickers gun, followed by the American Lewis gun from 1915 which was lighter and more reliable.
What happened when the British first used gas?
It blew back onto the troops
When did Britain develop the gas shell?
1916
What were the benefits of the gas shell?
It increased the range of attacks
What gas was found to be more efficient than chlorine?
Phosgene
How many men were gassed during the course of the war and how many died?
over 1 million men were gassed
91,000 died
When did the British first use tanks?
In 1916 at the Somme
How effective was the use of tanks at the Somme?
of the 50 tanks used, most got bogged down or broke down and none could cross the deep trench lines
In what year was the Fuze 106 first used?
1917
What was different about the Fuze 106 shells?
They could break through barbed wire due to more sensitive detonation.
What was a creeping barrage?
The artillery shelled enemy positions and increased the distance of their attacks in line with the infantry’s advance so the two forces would work together against retreating soldiers.
How many war correspondents were allowed to report from France in 1915?
6
What was the D-notice system?
The system introduced to warn newspapers away from ‘sensitive’ topics and restrict war reporting
What committee produced 50 million posters and other propaganda for the government aimed at citizens?
The PRC (Parliamentary Recruiting Committee)
What propaganda initiative was aimed at converting neutral countries and was the first formed in 1914?
The bureau at Wellington House
When was the Department of Information set up? What did it focus on?
1917
- focused on international opinion
When was the National War Aims Committee created? What did it do?
1917
- published literature, printed posters, and organised speakers to increase commitment to the war at home
In what way did the Germans fuel pro-war propaganda?
Their bombardment of east coast towns in 1914, treatment of Belgians, bombings and all behaviour seen as ‘barbarous’ fuelled the view that the war was righteous.
Who were the main opposition to WW1?
The British Socialist Party and Conscientious objectors
How many ‘absolutist’ conscientious objectors were there?
1300
What percentage of those who requested some form of exemption from service received it?
80%
What percentage of objectors accepted alternative forms of service when their requests for exemption were denied?
90%
Who became Commander-in-Chief of British forces in December 1915?
Douglas Haig
How long did the British bombard German lines for before the battle of the Somme?
For a week
Why was the British artillery bombardment at the Somme unsuccessful?
They didn’t have the right shells to cut through barbed wire and didn’t do significant damage to deep dug-outs.
When was the Battle of the Somme?
1st July - 19th November 1916
What happened on the first day of the Somme? (July 1st 1916)
The artillery barrage had been too far ahead, therefore the Germans had time to get to their guns before the Allied infantry arrived, leading to huge losses
How many British troops died on the first day of the Somme?
19,000
What was the largest gain of land of the allies at any point during the battle of the Somme?
12km
What were the total casualties at the Somme for Britain, France and Germany?
Britain - 420,000
France - 194,000
Germany - 465,000
When was the Battle of Arras
9-14th April 1917
What was the Hindenburg line?
Drawn up by the Germans in 1917 this line stretched from the North Coast to Verdun. It had a series of strongholds, trenches and allowed the Germans to defend with less men
What tactic was successful for the British at Arras?
The creeping barrage
What country’s forces captured Vimy Ridge at the Battle of Arras?
Canada
Casualties caused by the Artois-Loos offensive in May-October 1915?
50,000 British
48,000 French
24,000 German
What French General was put in supreme command of British forces in 1917 for the battle of Arras?
General Nivelle
How many lbs of explosives were detonated under German lines on 7th June 1917 at Messines Ridge?
1 million lbs
By when was Messines Ridge completely captured by British forces?
14th June 1917, one week after the intial attack
When was the battle of Passchendaele?
31st July - November 6th 1917
What were the 2 main effects of the preliminary artillery bombardment at Passchendaele? (lasting 10 days, beginning 31st July)
- 50% of German guns destroyed
- drainage systems destroyed, turning the countryside into a quagmire
How many yards did the British gain at Passchendaele by the end of the battle on 6th November?
No more than 10,000 yards
How many tanks were present at the battle of Cambrai from 20th November- 7th December 1917?
324
British casualties at Cambrai November- December 1917?
45,000
What was the ‘wastage’ of troops in 1917?
76,000 men per month were lost to casualties and injuries
What tactics did the Germans use in the Ludendorff spring offensive in 1918?
With no prior bombardment or warning, the Germans would send specialised units through the allies line, and instead of immediately consolidating the areas they took they left them for supporting troops to reinforce later.
How many miles did the British fall back due to the Ludendorff Spring Offensive 1918?
over 40 miles
In what month of 1918 did the BEF repel German attacks at Amiens and Flanders?
April
How many troops did the BEF get reinforced by from Britain, Palestine and Italy in 1918?
500,000
How many American troops arrived in France per month in 1918?
250,000
On what date in 1918 did the BEF gain 8 miles of land at Amiens?
8th of August
Casualties at Amiens 8th August 1918?
27,000 German
8000 British
What were 3 main reasons for British success in 1918?
- outgunned Germany (2000 guns, 450 tanks, 1900 planes)
- creeping barrage and surveying skills
- offenses were fought over larger areas so the centre of attack moved around - stopping German resistance solidifying in any one place
What was the daily loss of men for the British in the last push of 1918?
3645
On what day did British troops cross the Hindenburg line in 1918?
29th September
How many shells were fired in 24 hours before the British crossed the Hindenburg line on September 29th 1918?
almost a million
Why did Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicate in November 1918?
revolution
When did WW1 end?
November 11th 1918
How many men did the British lose (dead) in the war?
750,000
What percentage of the pre-war population died in WW1?
1.5%
