WWI

Question 1

Give a definition of imperialism.

Answer 1

When a country extends its power by use of colonialism, military or other means

Question 2

Give a definition of militarism.

Answer 2

The belief that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.

Question 3

Give a definition of nationalism.

Answer 3

An extreme form of patriotism marked by a feeling of superiority over other countries.

Question 4

Who killed the Archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand, and where was he assassinated ?

Answer 4

By Gravrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist, in Sarajevo, Bosnia

Question 5

Why was Franz Ferdinand killed?

Answer 5

Due to a dispute between Austria-Hungary and Serbia about who should rule over the Serbs of Bosnia

Question 6

Which countries where in the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance?

Answer 6

Triple Entente: Britain, France, Russia

Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy

Question 7

Who was the German Emperor in 1914?

Answer 7

Kaiser Whilhem II

Question 8

When was the Franco-Prussian war, and what did France lose due to it?

Answer 8

19 Jul 1870 – 10 May 1871, France lost the territory of Alsace-Lorraine

Question 9

When was the Schlieffen plan made, and give a brief description of the it.

Answer 9

1905. The Germans would defeat France within six weeks before Russia could mobilize, then be transported across Germany via train to face the Russians.

Question 10

What was nickname of Russia’s Army at the beginning of the war?

Answer 10

The Russian Steamroller

Question 11

Who was the French General during WW1?

Answer 11

Joseph Joffre

Question 12

When France learned of the outline of the Schlieffen plan, they formed Plan XVII. What was Plan XVII?

Answer 12

The French Army would launch a massive offensive on the Germany-France border, pushing the Germans back to Berlin, and take it

Question 13

Who replaced Alfred von Schlieffen in 1906 as Chief of Staff?

Answer 13

Count Helmuth von Moltke

Question 14

When did Germany first invade Belgium?

Answer 14

4 August 1914

Question 15

Why did Britain help Belgium?

Answer 15

Because of a treaty signed between the two in 1939 called the First Treaty of London, which stated that Britain had to guard the neutrality of Belgium in the event of the latter’s invasion.

Question 16

How many soldiers were in the first army that the BEF sent to France to help defend?

Answer 16

120 000 troops

Question 17

When was the battle of Liege?

Answer 17

4-16 August 1914

Question 18

How many days did the Germans expect it would take to capture Liege, and how many did it actually take?

Answer 18

The Germans expected to capture it in 2 days, when it actually took 11

Question 19

How many fortresses did Liege have, and how did the Germans eventually capture them?

Answer 19

twelve main fortresses, approximately 5km apart. The Germans unsuccessfully used infantry first and then used airships and artillery to bombard the forts.

Question 20

List a few ways which Belgium used to slow down the German advancement.

Answer 20

Destroyed bridges, blocked roads, fought off German advancement

Question 21

When was the battle of Namur?

Answer 21

20-24 August

Question 22

How many men did the Germans and Belgians lose at the battle of Namur?

Answer 22

Germans lost 900 and the Belgians lost 15000 men

Question 23

When did the BEF first arrive to mainland europe?

Answer 23

August 14th

Question 24

Who lead the BEF during WW1?

Answer 24

John French

Question 25

What did Wilhem Kaiser II describe the BEF as?

Answer 25

A contemptible little army

Question 26

When was the battle of Mons?

Answer 26

23 August 1914

Question 27

Who was the commander of the French army which the BEF were meant to join up with?

Answer 27

General Lanrezac who commanded the fifth army

Question 28

Who was the leader of the German army that the BEF engaged with during the battle of Mons?

Answer 28

The commander of the First German Army, Kluck.

Question 29

How many soldiers did the BEF have and how many did the Germans have during the battle of Mons?

Answer 29

The BEF had 70 000 men and 300 artillery guns whereas the Germans had 160 000 men and 600 artillery guns.

Question 30

How many machine guns did the Germans predict each BEF battalion had at the battle of Mons, and how many did they actually have?

Answer 30

The Germans thought each battalion had 28, whereas they only had 2

Question 31

What did Commander Kluck describe the BEF as after the war had finished?

Answer 31

‘An Incomparable Army’

Question 32

When was the battle of Marne and how long did it last for?

Answer 32

5-9 September, 4 days

Question 33

What did the British and French do as the Germans prepared to attack Paris in the battle of Marne?

Answer 33

150000 French soldiers attacked the German right flank

Question 34

How did the French bring soldiers to the battle front line of the battle of Marne?

Answer 34

600 Taxis carrying over 6000 men

Question 35

How far did the French and British push the Germans back on the 8th of September during the Battle of Marne?

Answer 35

40 miles back to the north of the River Aisne

Question 36

How many causalities were there on both sides after the Battle of Marne?

Answer 36

French: 250 000
British: Roughly 13 000
Germans: 250 000

Question 37

Where was Moltke while all the battles were occurring?

Answer 37

In his Luxembourg headquarters, isolated from the battlefield

Question 38

How long did Russia take to mobilise compared to Germans prediction, and when did they launch their first attack?

Answer 38

Germans thought it would take six weeks, when actually they managed to mobilize much faster and attacked on the 17th of August

Question 39

List a few reasons why the Schlieffen plan had failed, and why they caused it to fail?

Answer 39

-German advancement was forced to go east of Paris instead of west due to lack of soldiers.
- Did not expect Belgian resistance and British treaty to be honored
- Russians mobilized much faster than Germans expected
- Moltke was too far from front lines to control events
- Germans had to travel 20-25 miles a day
etc..
Schedule had to be rewritten due to these miscalculations which caused confusion and ultimately lead to the failure of the Schlieffen plan

Question 40

What did both sides do once Germany had failed to capture Paris?

Answer 40

Both sides rushed troops to the north to capture the Channel ports in the race to the sea (October 1914)

Question 41

Which ports were captured by the Germans and which ones by the Allies and when were they taken?

Answer 41

Germany: Ostend (8th Oct), Antwerp (15th)
Allies: Ypres(18th), Calais, Dunkrik, Boulogne

Question 42

Why were the ports so important to the allies?

Answer 42

The ports were the only way which Britain were able to send reinforcements and supplies. If they were captured, communicating with the Army from Britain would be extremely difficult, with not much support being able to come from Britain.

Question 43

What did both sides do after the ‘race to the sea’ was over?

Answer 43

They dug began to dig trenches

Question 44

How long was the line of trenches, and where did it span from?

Answer 44

470 km from the north sea to the French-Swiss border (North of Switzerland).

Question 45

What was the main cause of death in trenches that was caused by the enemy?

Answer 45

Shrapnel from shrapnel shells

Question 46

What are star shells and what were they used for?

Answer 46

Shells fired during night time to light up the battlefield (no man’s land) to reveal any activity or troop movements by the enemy.

Question 47

What was implemented to reduce the number of deaths due to Shrapnel Shells?

Answer 47

The trenches were dug in zig zags to prevent shrapnel and the shock waves of the shells from injuring or killing too many soldiers.

Question 48

Name the three types of trenches used during the war, and describe their uses.

Answer 48

Forward trench: Attacking troops advance along this trench to no man’s land; front line troops are stationed here.
Communication trench: Connects the reserve to the Forward, used to bring soldiers between the two
Reserve trench: Where reserve troops resided. Somewhat safer than front line, though not by much

Question 49

Describe the dangers and hardships the soldiers had to experience while living in the trenches.

Answer 49

Rats and lice, Disease (Trench foot and Cholera), Weather, Psychological problems, boredom

Question 50

The number of men who enlisted in august 1914 was 300 000, but in December 1915, it was only 55000. List a few reasons why this might be the case.

Answer 50

• Popular belief of war ending by Christmas 1914 so many left early on and there was lack of young men as all of them already left
• Stories of war could’ve have reached Britain and dissuaded those who were considering joining
• Those who were only looking for fame and honor were scared due to the dangers

Question 51

What was the 4:4:4 system which frontline troops were suppose to use? Why was it not very effective?

Answer 51

Troops spent 4 days in the front line, 4 days in the reserve trench, and 4 days resting. However this timetable was rarely followed, and some troops have to stay in the front line for weeks at a time.