WW1 Flashcards
new tech, tactics, trench conditions
What were the 4 main reasons of bad trench conditions?
waterlogged trenches, monotony, enemy fire and poor hygiene
What was trench foot?
- due to prolonged exposure to cold and damp environments resulting in uncomfortable and rotting feet
- sometimes resulting in amputation.
Why were daily tasks difficult in waterlogged trenches?
-dragging equipment like stretchers, other supplies through mud
Why was poor hygiene bad in trenches?
rats,lice, tench mouth and disease
Tell me about lice?
- in clothing
-spread rapidly - itching and irritation
- spread trench fever which made up 15% of all casualties in WW1
Tell me about rats?
-gorged on waste and dead bodies
-got used to humans and would snatch food and climb them
Tell me about trench mouth?
- due to not cleaning teeth
- sores, ulcers and bleeding gums
Tell me about cholera (disease)?
-from drinking dirty water
- vomiting and diarrhoea
How did food make trenches monotonous?
-food was repetitive
-meat ration dropped
-led to drops in morale
How did jobs make trenches monotonous?
-daily jobs were highly repetitive
-cooking, cleaning and fixing barbed wire
Tell me about heavy bombardment in the trenches?
-led to instant death
-could lead to shell shock
Whats shell shock?
-the reaction to the intensity of the bombardment
-tremors, confusion and fatigue
-wasn’t understood at the time
- thought to be cowards
What were 8 military tactics?
enfilade fires, night attacks, frontal assault, preliminary bombardment, combined arms, hold + counter attacks, tunnelling and gas
explain enfilade fire?
-when machine guns are positioned on the sides of the battle field which would create a ‘killing zone’
-was effective as if u missed ur target u would probably hit another
explain hold + counter attack?
- u weaken the attacking force then as they retreat launch an attack in hope that their defence would be weaker
-did little to break stalemate
-led to double sided slaughter
explain a night attack?
-large groups would go out at night into no mans land and attack
-friendly fire
-difficult to coordinate
explain combined arms?
-when tanks, artillery, aircraft and infantry would all attack at the same time
- effective
-troops could hide behind tanks
aircraft’s received info
explain frontal assault?
-attacking in waves across no mans land
-advancing troops got mowed down by machine guns
explain preliminary bombardment as a tactic?
-1 week barrage before long battles
-countered by deep concrete bunkers
explain tunnelling?
-digging under enemy trenches then setting off explosives before major attack
-long time to set up
-only used at the start of the battle
explain gas as a tactic?
-chlorine gas used to suffocate
-mustard gas used to burn
-at first caused panic
-provided cover
-unreliable
What were 6 new pieces of technology?
barbed wire, heavy artillery, tanks, aircraft’s, machine guns and gas
explain barbed wire?
-cheap and easy to mass produce
-slowed advancing troops
-funnel attacks
-purely defensive
-artillery tangled it
explain heavy artillery?
-used in barrages before battle
-countered by deep concrete bunkers
-failed to break stalemate
explain tanks?
-made in 1916 but only effective in 1917
-provided cover
-crushed barber wire
-attacking weapons mounted
-many broke down, easy target, slow
- cramped and hot environment
-many people t operate it
stuck in mud
explain aircraft’s?
-shot down enemy planes
-gave information about enemy locations
-not powerful enough to drop heavy bombs to break stalemate
explain machine guns?
-600 rounds per minute
-very accurate
-main reason for stalemate
-purely defensive
