World War One Flashcards
when was the period of the Western front
1914-1918 in Belgium and France
what happened in the autumn of 1914
the Germans and the Allies realised that they couldn’t beat each other outright and instead of retreating they built a line of trenches that stretched through northern France to the coast of Belgium. These trench lines were developed throughout the war but their position mainly stayed the same.
who were the Allies
Britain, France and Belgium
when was the battle of the Somme
1st of July - November 1916
what was the battle of the Somme
the British tried to break through the German line in an area called the Somme, their attack aimed to take land from the Germans
- both sides had huge casualties
- British had 57,000 casualties with 20,000 deaths
- There were only 174 medical officers treating tens of thousands of serious casualties in first week of battle so many men died because they had to wait days for treatment
- two strategies were used: the creeping barrage and the first use of tanks in warfare
what was used in 1917 at both Arras and Ypres
mines were used in order to break through enemy lines and aim to avoid loses like in the battle of the Somme by making it easier for infantry to attack the enemy trenches
what did the army try to improve after the battle of the Somme
medical care after the casualties of the Somme overwhelmed medical staff
in 1917 more medical posts were set up to prepare for casualties before a big offensive on the Ypres Salient
During the third battle of Ypres from July-November 1917 there were over 200,000 casualties but this time there was 379 medical officers so many men were treated earlier than those at the Somme
what is a Salient
where one side’s line pushes into the other side’s line so their territory gets surrounded by the enemy on three sides
what had happened by April 1917
the Germans had retreated to the Hindenburg line
When was the battle of Cambrai
November - December 1917
what was the battle of Cambrai
the Allies broke its defences with tanks but they lost this ground again later
- about 45,000 British casualties
- artillery barrage was changed so the Germans had less warning
- First large scale use of tanks (nearly 500 used) because they moved easily across barbed wire and their machine guns were effective
when was the first battle of Ypres
October 12th - 11th November 1914
what was the first battle of Ypres
- BEF moved to the town of Ypres in Western Belgium in order to prevent the Germans advancing to the sea
- Autumn 1914 the Germans launched an attack on the British around Ypres
- British lost 50,000+ casualties in the battle
- Germans held Ypres and controlled English ports
when was the use of mines at Hill 60
April 1915
what was the use of mines at Hill 60
- hill 60 was a man made hill
- Germans captured it in December 1914 and height gave an advantage
- British used mining to take it back in April 1915
- tunnelling
- 5 mines blew the top off the hill to take the strategically important position
when was the second battle of Ypres
22nd April - 25th May 1915
what was the second battle of Ypres
- sequence of battles over a month
- first time the germans used chlorine gas on the western front
- 59,000 Britiish men lost their lives
- at the end of the battle Germans moved 2 miles closer to the town of Ypres on the Eastern side of the Salient q
when where the tunnels, caves and quaries linked at Arras
April - May 1917
what was the linking of the tunnels and caves and quarries at Arras
- British decided to link existing tunnels, caves and quarries to create an underground network to shelter German attack
- built to enable safe underground movement
- 2.5 miles of tunnels in 5 months
- 25,000 men could be stationed in the tunnels which ahd electric lights, water, a railway and a hospital
when was the battle of Arras
April - May 1917
what was the battle of Arras
- 24,000 men hiding in tunnels near German trenches attacked
- Aim to break through the German lines
- In the first few days it appeared this aim was acheived as the British advanced 8 miles
- But as the advance slowed eventually no further progress was made and at the end of May there was 16,000 casualties
when was the third battle of Ypres
July - Novemeber 1917
what was the third battle of Ypres
- Purpose - For the British army to break out of the Ypres Salient and remove Germans from having higher ground
- British had prepared for the main battle in Messines where they drove Germans out of part of the Ypres Salient
- On 31st July British marched East to Passchedde
- they advanced 2 miles but then men drowned in mud and rain
- 245,000 casualties
- but at this battle there was 379 medical officers so many people were treat earlier than those at the Somme
- 19 mines were blown up under the German Line and around 10,000 German soldiers died instantly
which of the battles do you think was the worst
I think the third battle of Ypres was the worst because the men died through drowning in mud and rain which is a horrific way to die because they weren’t even killed by humans it was mother nature that won and it had the largest number of casulaties at 245,000
what was et up before the battle of Cambrai
a blood bank was set up by Captain Robertson as he realised it would be easier to save lives during the battle if they had a ready supply of blood
name the design features of trenches that aimed to protect soldiers from enemy attack
- dug down
- sandbags
- breastworks
- duckborads
- parados
- parpet
- barbed wire
- firing step
- traverses
how were the trenches built
they were constructed by entrenching which was were lots of soldiers dug in a straight line into the ground and then one man would be spapping which is where one man would dig outwards from the end of the trench like tunelling
what were breastworks
most ytrenches wree dug down into the ground and their upper level was fortified with sandbags. In wet areas trenches wre built upwards using sandbags full of clay - these were called breastworks.
