WW1 - Life In The Trenches Flashcards
What was trench foot caused by
Exposing feet to cold water for too long. The soldiers foot could turn blue or red, a mass of severe chilblains and in extreme cases gangrene could set in
Why did solders develop lice, what disease could they cause, his did they attempt to prevent lice from spreading
The soldiers developed lice because they had to live close together, wearing the same clothes, for days on end and naturally lice spread in these conditions
Lice could cause a more serious disease, ‘trench fever’, its symptoms were similar to flu and typhoid and many soldiers suffered from its effects
They attempted to stop the lice from spreading by having bath houses set up behind the front line where men coming out of trenches could have a hot bath and a complete change of clothes
What did soldiers have to do at night
At night parties of men would venture into no mans land, to repair barbed wire, bring in wounded soldiers, or to lob grenades into German trenches
What is a war of attrition
War attrition was the main battles which lasted for weeks or months. (They involved he hundreds thousands of men backed up by new and more powerful weapons) they try to ware you down by killing as many soldiers as possible as well as destroying as much equipment
Why were cavalry (men on horse back) not successful during the war
As you can’t let cavalry charge until you have captured the enemy’s final machine gun
What new invention was designed by Colonel Swinton to replace the horse and why was it better
A power-driven, bullet-proof, armed engine, it was better than the horse because it was capable of destroying machine guns, crossing country and trenches, breaking through entanglements and of climbing earthworks, this invention was the tank
What did men crossing no mans land carry with them
They all carries a bayonet - a sharp blade that could be attached to the end of their rifle
Why was the machine fun so effective in killing the enemy
As of men tried to charge towards them, they were quickly mown down by the bullets from the rapid firing machine gun
What is an artillery bombardment
A series of high explosive shells, which exploded before the infantry and the shelling helped increase frightfulness
What different types of gas did they use during world war 1 and how did they injure soldiers
They used compressed liquid chlorine which burns skin and leaves you gasping for air.
Also phosgene and mustard gas which all had terrible effects.
The yellow gas was the most unpleasant, men were blinded, huge yellow blisters appeared on any exposed skin and lungs were stripped of their lining
What role did the fledging Air Force play during the First World War
They could survey great areas and then report back quickly. They soon became vital for observing enemy movements and finding targets for the artillery by having cameras on planes to catch images of enemy movement
