Women and turning points Flashcards
WAAC
Women’s army auxiliary corps
Women’s land army
Organisation of women who worked on the land during the war
WRAF
Women’s Royal Air Force
WRNS
Women’s royal naval service
Munitionette
Young female munitions worker during the war
Why were women key?
Encouraged men to enlist, provided 80% of munitions
Contribution of women:
Munitions (doubled), volunteer work (comfort boxes), nursing, non-combatant roles (clerical, drivers), police force, farming, drivers etc.
Impact of women on the HF:
Shift from domesticity, higher pay, more valued work, taste of independence and freedom, suffragette methods changed, middle class women benefited most (no lower class women’s accounts- couldn’t read/write)
Reasons for US entry
Resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare- Zimmerman telegraph to German minister in Mexico suggesting action against US- intercepted and caused outrage
Impact of US entry
No immediate military of economic impact
Fresh troops = morale, more lively
Immediately helped morale for allies- Germans knew they now had to face the worlds strongest economy and unlimited fresh troops
Us navy= effective cooperation, effective convoy tactics (2 ships built for every 1 the Germans destroyed)
Helped hold off Ludendorff offensive
Impact of Russian withdrawal:
Germany given a ‘window of opportunity’ - no longer a 2 front war
Time to recover, gaining new industry and weapons
gave birth to operation Michael
Millions of German troops left behind would’ve been put to better use on the WF
What was ludendorff’s spring offensive?
Commander knew Germany could only win if they acted before full power of US entry was felt
Captured more land than the allied had in the entire war, huge advances, not giving in any ground
Tactical not strategic gains, lacked supplies and men — allied counteroffensive- no backup plan or defence options it plan failed
Allied counteroffensive?
Allied swept forward taking Germans by surprise, bulge of Germans had emerged (they didn’t progress evenly), cornered- hit in different spots with no time to recover then attacked strongest points of the Hindenburg line
Reasons for allied victory:
Germany fighting a 2 front war Allied economic and military superiority Weak German home front US entry Allied naval blockade German allied liabilities Low morale
Long term factors contributing to defeat of Germany:
Failure of schlieffen plan- 2 front war, superior resources of enemy and Impact of blockade on home front- gamble of submarine warfare- US entry
