Why Was There A Stalemate On The Western Front Flashcards
Where did men in the trenches sleep
Dug outs
What were the main problems with life in the trenches
Weather, disease, rats, lice
How many British soldiers were admitted to hospital with frostbite in 1917
21,000
How big were the rats
Size of a cat
What problems did lice cause
Boils and skin infections
How many cases of Trench foot were there in 1917
70,000
How many cases of disantry in 1917
6000
What problems did rats cause
Ate rations, spread disease
What were the roles of aircrafts in ww1
Reconnaissance, leaflet dropping, air defence of Britain,
What was Verdun
A fortress with 20 large forts and 40 smaller forts around
Why was verdun weaker than it looked
Guns + ammo had been removed
Who was the General that led Germany at the time of verdun
Falkenhayn
When did the attack in Verdun begin
Feb 21st 1916
Who was appointed to lead the Verdun army
Pétain
What was the road that supplied Verdun and how many vehicles per day would travel on it
La voie sacrée
6000, 1 every 14 seconds
Where was the combined British and French offensive to save verdun
Somme
What weapon was first used in verdun
Flamethrowers
How many Germans died in verdun
337,000
How many French were killed or injured in verdun
362,000
Why did the Germans chose to attacked verdun
It had powerful symbolism and they wanted to bleed the French white
Would open the way for an attack on paris
When did Douamont fall
25th feb 1916
How much of the French army served at verdun
2/3
When did the French retake douamont
24th oct 1916
When did verdun end
18th dec 1916
What was the first tank called
Little Willie
When was the first successful tank design
Jan 1916
When were tanks first used
Sept 1916 Somme- flers
Big willie
What were the disadvantages of tanks
8 man crews - poorly trains + bad conditions
Only move 4 miles an hour
Germans built anti tank ditches
First tanks unreliable
When was the first use of poison gas
22nd of April 1915 - 2nd Ypres
When and where did the British first use poison gas? What happened
Sept 1915 - Loos
The wind turned against the British
What % of deaths did poison gas cause
4%
When was artillery used
Before a bombardment
3 types of poison gas
Chlorine, mustard and phosgene
What % of casualties did artillery cause
70%
What range did Paris guns have
75 miles
Name a plane
Sopwith camel
How many rounds did machine gun fire
400-600 bullets per min
Disadvantages of machine guns
Bogged down trenches
Helped create stalemate
What was the battle of Somme plan
To bombard Germany with artillery for 7 days and nights to break barbed wire
Then send in troops to kill of the rest
Why did the battle of the Somme plan fail
Faulty weapons
Well built German trenches
Inexperienced British troops
Haige given wrong info
What happened during the battle of Somme
German troops hid in bunkers
Barbed wire unscathed - shells didn’t go off
Large part of British infantry by machine gins
Who took over from sir John French in late 1915
Sir Douglas Haige
Why was the Somme intended to achieve
Relieve pressure off french
What date did Joffre insist Somme should be on
1st July 1916 - French couldn’t hold out any longer
When did the Somme bombardment start
24th June
How long was the front at Somme
18 miles
How many causalities were on the first day of the somme
57,470
Who replaced Falkenhayn in 1916
Ludendorff and Hindenburg
When did Somme end
Nov 1916
What were the allies loses at Somme
415,000 British
200,000 french
When was the Nivelle offensive
April 1917
When was Passchendaele
July 1917
When was Cambrai
Nov 1916
Where were tanks first used effectively
Cambrai
What were the German casualties at the end of the battle of Somme
650,000
What was the outcome of the Battle of the Somme
Germans retreated to Hindenburg line
What was the use of tanks like in Somme
49 - shipped
9 made it to no man’s land
How many tanks were used in Cambrai
381 tanks used
