WEAPONRY Flashcards
What were the Cons of machine guns
it meant that artillery attacks became very costly, and battles now had very little movement
What were the pros of machine guns
Less training required
Team feed in ammunition/spray bullets over wide arc
Typically 600 rounds per minute
Machine guns in pairs or batteries of 4 to 8
Hidden in dug outs/pillboxes
Hard to destroy, except at close range (long range
artillery unlikely to spot it)
1 machine gun worth more than 50 rifles in terms of
firepower against infantry
British Lewis machine gun could be carried by 1 man,
useful in attack/defence
Heavier Vickers gun needed 3 or more to carry it
1914 - infantry had ratio 12:1 rifles to machine guns, by
1917 ratio 2:1
Machine gun made cavalry virtually obsolete
how many rounds could a machine gun fire per minute
600
where were machine guns placed
in hidden dug outs or pillboxes
what was the ratio of machine guns to rifles in 1917
2:1
what was 1 machine guns power equal to
50 rifles
what are the advantages of tanks
Haig enthusiastic - US leader Pershing not a fan
Impact of tanks lay in numbers e.g. 450 at Cambrai Nov 1917
Took 3 German lines/5 mile advance, but no infantry support
By 1918 nearly 10,000 tanks (although both still slow)
Psychological impact (“crocodile)
Germans opted for heavy tanks, but used very few
Tanks offered mobile artillery gun, no need for horses
Caterpillar tracks could get over most obstacles/trenches
Most importantly, destroyed barbed wire
Battle of Amiens 1918 allied advanced 9 miles in 1 day
Tanks/aircraft now supporting infantry on ground
New ‘all arms’ attacks - infantry, artillery, tanks and aircraft
Old waves of infantry/rifles/bayonets evolved into.
Small combat infantry groups/machine gun/tank/air support
Allies had superiority in motorised transport/aircraft numbers
what were the cons of tanks
Early tanks slow/ineffective/couldn’t deal with craters
49 used at Somme - only 3 got more than a mile
Conditions inside tank horrendous/lack of communication etc
Supporting/facilitating victory but ‘poor bloody infantry’ win
what was early WWI artillery like
Generals - stalemate could be broken by artillery
Quick firing guns e.g. French 75mm, seen as future
Weapons such as Howitzers, to pulverise trenches
Artillery to destroy trenches/barbed wire/machine guns
Troops demoralised/potentially easier to defeat
BUT shells didn’t explode/wire not destroyed/not
‘surprise’ attack/inaccurate/targets mainly sighted
Answer = more artillery
what was Mid-late artillery like
MID/LATE
By 1916, using 18-pounders (range 6000yds) and heavy
Howitzers (range 10,000yds)
Now hitting long range/unsighted targets
Accuracy improved with flash-spotting/sound ranging
Planes spotted where shells landed/informed gunner
Primitive at first later spotter planes with wireless
Artillery becoming more accurate as war progresses
what were the principles of the creeping barrage
CREEPING BARRAGE
If confident of accuracy, lay creeping barrage ahead
Barrage moves in sync with infantry - push enemy back
Effective if communication good/recon/gunnery accurate
Danger to own men if fell short
Waste of time if landed too far ahead
Failed at Somme/perfected by 100 Days
what were the pros of the Lee Enfield rifle
can fire up to 15 found a minute and hit a target up to 800 yards away. the smokeless powders didn’t give away positions and was good for fire and move/wave a flow/ bite and hold
what were the cons of the lee enfield rifle
no tell-take puff made it hard to locate enemy, the entrenchment made it hard to aim accurately and both sides have the same technology. soldiers have to shout over the noise
when was fuse 106 created
1917
what was one downside to artillery
it was said to have created a stalemate between the two sides
what % of casualties did artillery create
70%
what were the two type of effective shells
shrapnel shells and high explosives (ie. fuse 106)
why were trenches so hard to destroy
the barbed wire
how did accuracy improve of weaponry
improved recon due to planes, the reduced windage by changing the shape of the bullets
why were many shells unreliable
many didn’t explode and there was a shell shortage for part of the war
in the later stages of war, what was the main use of artillery
tactical damages such as supply lines to be able to neutralise the enemy
what did the British target to neutralise the enemy
rail tracks, supply lines, horses carrying supplies
how did Field Survey Units find their targets
flash spotting
what was an issue for long range artillery
wind, humidity, rain, recoil etc
who was the first to utilise the long barrel guns
the French
what was produced to help reduce the recoil
hydro-pneumatic recoil – like elasticated cradle for shel
how many anti-recoil guns were used by 1914 and in 1918
4,000 in 1914 and 12,000 in 1918
what was the first large scale attempt at the creeping barrage
The Somme
what was the best plane out there
