WW1 1916-17 Flashcards
why did the British Army need to play a larger role by 1916?
the Russians had failed on the Eastern Front
the Germans hd launched a massive offensive into Verdun which was causing the French major problems
to deal with German pressure at Verdun what did the British and French decide upon?
a joint operation at the Somme which would wear down the German defences and relieve the pressure on Verdun
when did the Battle of the Somme begin?
1 July 1916
what did the British first do at the Battle of the Somme?
a heavy bombardment of the German positions
how many shells were fired in the first week?
1.7 million
why was the artillery bombardment a failure?
it had failed to destroy the German barbed wire
it notified the Germans of a British attack and allowed them to prepare and fortify their positions
it had made the terrain of no mans land very difficult to pass
how many shells were unexploded?
1/3
how many British were killed or injured on the first day at the Somme?
60,000
when were tanks first used at the Somme?
September 1916
how did the 36 tanks fare at the Somme?
almost all of them broke down
when was the Somme offensive called off?
19 November 1916
how many casualties had the British suffered at the Somme?
420,000
what was the outcome of the Battle of the Somme?
it did relieve pressure on Verdun
BUT
massive casualties
little ground made
when was the British failure in Mesopotamia?
April 1916
what was the British failure in Mesopotamia?
General Townshend surrendered to the Turks defending Kut
what was a major breakthrough in the naval war in 1916?
the British had obtained the German code books which allowed them to decipher German communications
when was the Battle of Jutland?
31 May 1916
who was in charge of the German High Seas fleet?
Scheer
what were Scheer’s plans for the battle?
he was hoping to lure the British Grand Fleet into open waters and destroy them
this would have ended Britain’s naval blockade of Germany and would have allowed Germany to attack British troop convoys
why had Jellicoe and Beatty been separated?
breakdown in communication as well as a mistrust in the intel from London informed Jellicoe that the German High Seas fleet was still in port
how many battleships did Jellicoe have?
28
how many battleships did Scheer have?
16
what was the outcome of the Battle of Jutland?
the German High Seas fleet retreated back to port
the British Grand Fleet had suffered more losses
why was the Battle of Jutland seen as a victory for Britain?
maintained the blockade of German ports
asserted naval dominance in WW1
why was the Battle of Jutland seen as a disappointment for Britain?
the much anticipated Grand Fleet and Admiralty had failed in having a major impact on the German Navy
the government lost trust in the Admiralty
who replaced Jackson as the First Sea Lord after Jutland?
Jellicoe
who replaced Falkenhayn as the commander of the German armed forces?
Hindenburg
Ludendorff
when was USW restored by Germany?
1 February 1917
what did Germany hope would happen by restoring USW?
they hoped that they could destroy Britain’s supply lines and force them to surrender before the Americans arrived
how many U-boats did Germany have by 1917?
over 100
in April 1917 how many ships leaving British ports did the U-boats sink?
over 1/4
what caused a major dent in American-German relations?
the reintroduction of USW
what caused the anti-German sentiment in the USA?
the discovery of the Zimmerman telegram
what was the Zimmerman telegram
a telegram from the German Foreign Secretary to the German ambassador in Mexico
it promised Mexico that if it declared war on the USA then they could have American territory when the war was over
what was another major reason why the USA entered the war?
once the Russians had left the war after the March revolution, USA saw the war as a war between democracy and autocracy
when did the USA declare war on Germany?
6 April 1917
how did Britain deal with the U-boat threat?
laying mines near German ports to prevent the U-boats leaving port
introduction of the convoy system
why were the Admiralty sceptical of using the convoy system?
merchant ships would struggle to hold position
convoys gave a larger threat to German U-boats
2500 ships were leaving British ports, so too many ships needing a convoy
who pushed through a new convoy system?
Lloyd George in April 1917
what was the new convoy system composed of?
convoys of destroyers and patrol boats
supported by aircraft and airships
how were aircraft important in containing the U-boat threat?
they could destroy U-boats
they could alert the navy of any U-boat presence