Trenches & WWI Technology

Question 1

Analyze this poem: /4

“To love amongst men who would
Give their last fag, their last bite,
Even their last breath if need be for a 
Pal — That is the comradeship of the 
Trenches. The only clean thing to 
Come out of this life of cruelty and
Filth” 1915

Answer 1

Fat = cigarette drag (way past time)

The countries lose a generation of men

Strong bonds are made

Most of the time in the trenches is spent waiting around/ being bored

Question 2

What does the following phrase mean: /5

“This isn’t war”

Answer 2

WWI was a petty competition of who has better defence
|-> “the shovel is more important than the gun”

WWI was just a mass amount of military

Even at rest, soldiers had duties that put them in the line of fire (danger)

WWI was a waiting game where soldiers only fought few times a year

Question 3

What was a common disease in the trenches?

Answer 3

Grangrane a.k.a trench foot

Question 4

What is grangane? /4

Answer 4

Blister with black veins

Led to amputation of foot or leg

Sign that the foot is rotting

Blood poisoning

Question 5

What new type of warfare emerges?

Answer 5

Trench warfare

Many trenches are constantly shelled

Question 6

What is trench warfare? /8

Description

Answer 6

Around 3 meters deep

Dug by soldiers during the night

Used as defence against shells

Zig-zag formation

Protect soldiers from debris

Fire step: where soldiers stand tosse over the trenches and shoot through sandbags

Barbed wire: prevent soldiers from rushing into the trenches

Provided less damage to defence and soldiers

Question 7

What was ironic about Germany’s trenches compared to the allies?

Answer 7

Trenches were bigger and strategized

HOWEVER….

Germany still lost the war

Question 8

What is friendly fire?

Answer 8

Soldier killed by their own defence

Question 9

What is a major assault/ attacks in the trenches usually like in WWI? /5

Answer 9

Artillery barrage

Troops go “Over the Top” and rush into No Man’s Land

Defending troops rush out of their trenches to set up machine guns

Usually defenders have the advantage by attacking troops with machine gun fire

Trench is captured (rare)

Question 10

What happens if attackers did capture an enemy trench? /2

Answer 10

Attackers must hold it- have it under their control

Often proved impossible since it lead to close range combat

Question 11

What re the conditions in the trenches?

Answer 11

Horrific

Constant life/rats/smell

Most activity carried out at night = little sleep
|
|->Soldiers at the front lines slept when they could in dugouts/trenches

Soldiers woken before dawn incase of attack

Question 12

What is “Over the Top” mean?

Answer 12

Soldiers going over the trenches and into No Man’s Land

Question 13

What a an artillery barrage?

Answer 13

A heavy wave of canons firing shells at once

Question 14

What is shrapnel?

Answer 14

Flying pieces of metal from exploding shells or bullets

Question 15

What is reconnaissance?

Answer 15

Gathering information

Question 16

When was gas first used in WWI?

Answer 16

First used by the Germans at the 2nd Battle of Ypres 1915

Question 17

What elements were used to make the gas used in WWI? /3

Answer 17

Chlorine gas

Mustard gas

Phosgene gas

Used by both Central and Allies

Question 18

Why was gas a psychological weapon in WWI? /4

Answer 18

Reduces a soldiers fighting ability (throws them off)

Made soldiers less aggressive

Soldiers were scared that if their gas mask were to fall off they would die

Made soldiers believe they must always keep their gas mask on

Question 19

How were the first gas masks made?

Answer 19

Pieces of urinated fabric held up to soldiers’ faces

Question 20

Why was Mustard gas the most effective in WWI? /2

Answer 20

Attacks your lungs and body with blisters if exposed

Can possible go through cloth

Question 21

How come Phosgene gas was the most deadly in WWI?

Answer 21

Since it can not be seen or smelt

Question 22

Why was the first attempt in using gas as a weapon a failure in WWI? /2

Answer 22

Germans missed their chance to do a surprise attack

Allies saw it coming and ran away (not affected)

Question 23

Bonus questions: Which famous individual was affected by Mustard Gas in WWI?

Answer 23

Adolf Hitler (German soldier)

Was hospitalized due to severe exposure

Question 24

How were tanks in WWI? /8

Answer 24

First introduced in 1916

Large and lumbering

Only moved at about 6km/h = as fast as a zamboni

Crush through barbed wire

Transport troops and supplies

Useful when conditions are muddy

Easy targets

Unreliable, break down

Question 25

How were submarines in WWI? /5

Answer 25

Used especially by the Germans = U-Boat or Unterseeboot

Launched torpedos (underwater missile)

Moved undetected (sonar limited)

Depth charges and sea mines used against them

Used by both Central and Allies

Question 26

What are depth charges? /2

Answer 26

Bombs charged/set to explode at a certain depth

Hopefully to where submarines were

Question 27

What is a sea mine? /3

Answer 27

Bomb placed in the water

Placed outside ports to destroy enemy ships

Held down by an anchor

Question 28

How were planes in WWI? /3

Answer 28

Used to gather information = reconnaissance

Used to drop bombs over battle ships (boat)

Equipped with machine guns that were used in air combat (dog-fights)

Question 29

What was the first plane model used by the Allies in WWI?

Answer 29

Sopwith Camel

Question 30

What were the symbols used on planes to identify them as allies or German? /2

Answer 30

Allies (British): Target (Outer red, middle white, inner blue)

German: iron cross