Warfare At The End Of The First World War Flashcards
How was artillery used?
It was used to bombard enemy trenches, often as a softening up process before an attack
What was the failure of the German Schlieffen Plan in 1914?
It lead to static warfare as both sides failed to make a breakthrough
How effective was artillery?
The bombardment was not always accurate and often failed to destroy defences
What was the creeping barrage?
Developed during the Battle of the Somme, it was an combined artillery and infantry attack
What type of gas was used by the Germans against the British at the second battle of Ypres, April 1915?
Poisonous chlorine gas
What was an even more deadly gas?
Mustard gas
What was the main effect of gas?
Psychological because soldiers lived in fear of a gas attack
How many soldiers died as a result of gas?
3000
Why was gas not very effective?
Both sides developed gas masks
Why were tanks created?
To achieve a breakthrough
When were tanks first used?
The Battle of the Somme, 1916
What were the problems with tanks?
They were very slow and broke down lots
When were they used to much greater effect?
Cambrai in November 1917
By 1918 what had the Germans created to counteract tanks?
They had developed armour-piercing machine gun bullets and field guns to fire at tanks which were easy targets
What was the only major sea battle?
At Jutland in May 1916
How were submarines used by the Germans?
To starve Britain out the war by sinking as many trading ships as possible
By June 1917 how many tons of shipping had Britain lost to the U-boats?
500,000
What were Q-boats?
They looked like a harmless merchant ship but it carried powerful hidden guns
How effective was the Q-boat?
By 1918, 200 Q-ships had sank 14 U-boats at the cost of 27 Q-ships causing U-boats to eventually stop surfacing
What were convoy systems?
Introduced in May 1917, Merchant ships would travel in large numbers under the protection of naval destroyers fitted with hydrophones and depth charges
How effective were convoy systems?
By June 1918, 16,539 ships had sailed in convoy and only 154 were torpedoed
In early 1918 where did Britain attempt to raid U-boat bases?
Ostend and Zeebrugge
How effective were U-boat raids?
They did not completely block off the two ports
What were hydrophones?
A listening device which could hear nearby submarine engines
Before WW1 what were airplanes mainly used for?
For reconnaissance
What were Zeppelins?
Huge German airships used as bombers
Why were Zeppelins effective?
They had a psychological effect on British civilians
Why were Zeppelins ineffective?
They could not carry enough bombs to cause serious damage, explosive bullets could set the ships on fire and of 130 Zeppelins, 7 were lost to bad weather, 38 were lost in accidents and 39 were shot down by the British
What was the first effective bomber plane?
The Gotha
When was the biggest Gotha raid?
On the 19th May 1918, when 38 Gothas bombed London
What were the Gothas restricted to?
Tactical raids along the Western Front
What was the British version of the Gotha?
The Handley Page
