WWI and stalemate Flashcards
Why did the Germans have the Schlieffen Plan?
- Germany sandwiched between F+R
- Franco-Russian alliance (1892)
- Germany wanted to avoid a war ‘on two fronts’
- Believed they could win in 6 weeks by using the plan
What was the Schlieffen Plan?
- Defeat France first, as they would mobilise a lot quicker
- Then turn to the East (Russia)
- It was assumed Russia would take a lot longer due to lack of roads/railway
Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail?
- Expected that Russia would take at least 6 weeks to prep; couldn’t guarantee
- Wanted to invade Belgium first to get to Paris, but didn’t want to pull Britain into war yet and make ‘two fronts’ more likely
- Wasn’t guaranteed that France would get involved, but wanted to attack regardless
How did the Schlieffen Plan lead to war?
- All of the risky problems actually happened
- This pulled both France and Britain into war
What role did Belgium play in the failure of the Schlieffen Plan?
- Managed to slow down and delay Germans; gave BEF time to arrive
- Germany had to use heavy guns to break defences down
- Took until October for Antwerp to surrender their forces that protected them
What role did Britain play in the failure of the Schlieffen Plan?
- British arrive in France quicker than Germans expected
- Germany had to transfer German troops
to Western Front to fight BEF - BEF outnumbered against 160,000 men and twice the no. of artillery guns
- Used rifles; BEF so effective Germany thought they were up against machine guns
- Held up German advance before being forced to retreat
What role did Germany play in the failure of the Schlieffen Plan?
- German soldiers exhausted as they advanced through Belgium; long battles and resistance made reaching France slower than expected
- Kaiser dismissed the BEF, who arrived in France quicker than expected
- 100,000 soldiers short when they invaded Belgium
- Attack was narrow; only advancing through Belgium and Luxembourg rather than also going through Netherlands
What role did France play in the failure of the Schlieffen Plan?
- Aided by the delays caused by Britain and Belgium
- Moved troops to Paris thanks to these delays, where they made a stand against the German troops at the Battle of Marne
- Attacked Alsace-Lorrain (French-German border) but suffered heavy casualties
What was No-Man’s-Land?
- A dangerous stretch of land between enemy trenches
- Near impossible to traverse without resulting in death; men going over the top would run straight into barbed wire, enemy machine-gun fire and snipers
How did soldiers attack enemy trenches?
- Fire shells from artilleries to blow holes in trenches and barbed wire
- Soldiers with guns and grenades head towards the enemy from NML
- Soldiers jump into enemy trenches and attack
Why was attacking an enemy trench rarely successful?
- Shells hardly destroyed enemy trench systems
- Shellfire made barbed wire harder to get through as it re-tangled it
What was the war of attrition?
An attempt to win the war by wearing down the enemy team to the point of collapse
What health problems did soldiers have in the trenches?
- Diseases like tuberculosis and trench foot
- Trenches hot in summer and freezing in winter
- Shell shock from trauma (PTSD) which caused paralysis and uncontrollable shaking
What was hygiene like in the trenches?
- Very poor
- Lice was common
- Rats fed off food supplies and corpses
- Bucket used for toilet
What was food rationing and water like in the trenches?
- A lot was tinned, so many soldiers gained weight
- Water tasted of chlorine, which killed most germs
What happened to many of the soldiers fighting in trenches?
- Many died or faced serious injuries/trauma
- 346 soldiers in Britain were also executed for cowardice
What was artillery?
Large guns that fire bombs (shells) over large distances.
What was artillery used for?
Weakening enemy trenches before going over the top.
How effective was artillery?
- 60% of all wounds
- Not effective; would not explode, German soldiers built trenches too well, tangled the barbed wire making it harder to cross
What was gas?
Gas released from cylinders that can be carried from the front line (wind)
How was gas used?
Germans used it first, initially French panicked and ran away before using it themselves
How effective was gas?
Not effective; need decent wind to carry it over to enemy trenches
What were machine guns?
Deadly weapons that could fire up to 10 bullets per second.
How were machine guns used?
To kill large amounts of soldiers; French lost over 200,000 men mostly from machine guns
How effective were machine guns?
- 60% of all British wounds
- One equivalent to 100 rifles
- Heavy; needed crew of two to four people
What were some common firearms used by soldiers?
Rifles, bayonets, grenades and flamethrowers
How effective were firearms for an ordinary soldier?
- Effective as most could be used by unexperienced soldiers
- Some people had to be trained to use flamethrowers
- Your aim had to be good for flamethrowers and grenades
When did the Battle of Verdun take place?
In 1916 from February to December.
Who did the battle of Verdun take place between?
France and Germany.
Why did a stalemate last for so long at Verdun?
The pattern from both sides was attack and counter-attack (back and forth!)
Why were the tactics on Germany’s side so bad during the Verdun?
- They planned to attack all the French forts defending Verdun until all French soldiers were dead
- However, the French were not an easy opponent and both sides suffered equal losses of men (over 200,000 men on both sides)
- Germany had to call off the attack.
Why did the Battle of the Somme occur?
To relieve the pressure on the French at Verdun.
What did Britain do to Germany the week before Somme?
They bombarded them with 1.7 million shells.
Were the shells used before the Somme effective?
No. The Germans had secretly pulled from the front line and placed wire in front of the trenches. The British advanced very slowly during the attack.
What happened on the first day of the Somme?
- Machine guns cut down unsuspecting British troops.
- 57000 casualties, 20,000 killed.
What was General Haig’s tactic?
Keep sending men ‘over the top’ until a major breakthrough happens (it didn’t)
How many people died from the Somme?
Over a million.
Why is Haig criticised?
He ordered his men to walk and go over the top even if it meant certain death. He also refused any new ideas and didn’t listen to those who said the shelling had failed.
Who won the Battle of the Somme?
Britain and France, as they gained 25km of land as the end result.
Why was the Battle of Passchendaele at Flanders such a disaster for the Allies?
- Tanks were getting stuck in the swamp surrounding Flanders
- German were prepared and used gas
- Allies only made a few gains but lost over 300,000 men
- However they did manage to capture the village
Why did Churchill want to attack Gallipoli?
- To reduce pressure on the Western Front
- It could break the stalemate and knock Turkey out of the war for good
Why was the attack on Gallipoli a huge failure ?
- Turkish mines sank three ships
- Land assault failed as over 80,000 prepared Turkish troops gunned the Allies down upon arrival at the Anzac Cove
- By December, many soldiers had died from poor trench conditions e.g. frostbite
- It was clear the Allies were not well-equipped so they had to withdraw
