Western Front And Battle Of The Somme (1916) Flashcards
What were the nature of trenches in WW1?
Front line trenches were supported by support trenches and reserve trenches.
Trenches were zigzagged so enemy couldn’t just fire in a line
‘No-mans land’ meant going over the top was the only infantry tactic
How many casualties in trenches in WW1 were caused by artillery fire?
70%
What was life like in the trenches?
. Stagnant water and rats spread disease
. Lice caused trench fever and around 25% trench troops caught it
. Shell shock from constant shelling
Who was the British general in the Somme?
General Haig
What was the plan for the main assault?
Royal flying corps shoot down German observation balloons
Gas attacks on Germans at 40 places
1.7 million shell bombardment over 7 days
What happened on the 1st July?
120k British infantry left trenches and went ‘over the top’, walking to German lines. A ‘creeping barrage’ of artillery shells fired ahead to clear path.
How many British infantry dead at end of 1st July?
20k
How did tactics change?
Didn’t for five months.
How many people died by end of November?
600k allies and 500k Germans
What did the first months of the battle show?
Dominance of defence
What are reasons for the outcome of the battle?
Barbed wire made Brits easy targets
Artillery barrage made assauly obvious
British infantry were volunteers
Tanks had no impact
Why is General Haig often blamed?
For gaining so little at such a high cost
What do critics say about General Haig?
Failed to learn from earlier mass infantry failure
Didn’t use new technology well
Ignored advice of young generals such as Rawlinson
What do defenders say about General Haig?
All generals around the world believed mass attacks eventually worked
Allied deaths were almost compensated with German deaths
Old tactics had to be used as weapons such as gas weren’t effective by 1916
