WWI: Stalemate Flashcards
When was General Count Alfred von Schlieffen born and where?
Berlin in 1833
At what age did Count Alfred von Schlieffen join the Army?
21
Which war did Count Alfred von Schlieffen take part in?
Franco-Prussian War (1870 - 1871)
When did Count Alfred Von Schlieffen become head of Germany’s army?
1891
When did Count Alfred von Schlieffen retire?
1906
When did Count Alfred von Schlieffen die?
1913
How long did Schlieffen predict it would take for Paris to be taken and the French army to be defeated?
Around 40 days
How long did Schlieffen assume Russia would take to get its army ready?
At least 6 weeks
Who was Schlieffen replaced by in 1906?
General von Moltke
How many British soldiers, part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), landed in France when WWI began?
120,000
How many soldiers did Germany send to fight Russia early in the war?
Around 100,000
Who commanded the German 1st Army in WWI?
General von Kluck
Who commanded the German 2nd Army in WWI?
General von Bülow
Who commanded the British and French during the Battle of the Marne?
General Joffre
How many soldiers fought and were injured or killed during the Battle of the Marne?
Over 2 million soldiers fought, over half a million either injured or killed
When did the Battle of the Marne take place? (From book and sources)
6th - 12th September 1914
How much did the Battle of Liège delay the German invasion of France?
4 or 5 days
How far did the Germans advance to Paris during the Battle of the Marne?
They advanced to 40 km from Paris
When did French and British forces under General Joffre attack von Kluck’s forces from the west?
6th September 1914
During the Battle of the Marne, how large of a gap was created in the German lines?
50 km gap
Which river did the Germans reach by late August during the Battle of the Marne?
River Marne
How long did the Russians take to get their armies marching towards German and Austria-Hungary?
10 days
Where did the Germans retreat to during the Battle of the Marne?
River Aisne
When did the First Battle of Ypres take place?
19th October - 22nd November 1914
How many British, French and Belgian soldiers were killed or wounded during the First Battle of Ypres?
Over 120,000
How long did trenches in the Western Front stretch for during WWI?
Over 400 miles
How large was the Russian Army early in WWI?
Over 1 million soldiers
Which two German generals faced Russian forces in WWI initially?
Ludendorff and Hindenburg
When did the Battle of Tannenberg occur?
26th - 30th August 1914
Which two battles did Russia lose early into the war?
Battle of Tannenberg, Battle of the Masurian Lakes
How many men did Russia lose at the Battle of Tannenberg?
125,000
How many men did the Germans lose at the Battle of Tannenberg?
13,000
How many men did Russia lose at the Battle of the Masurian Lakes?
100,000
Which war plan had Austria-Hungary followed by late August?
Plan R
How far did Austro-Hungarian forces retreat in how long at the sight of Russian forces early in WWI?
Over 120 miles in less than a week
How many Austro-Hungarian forces were killed, wounded and captured (individual) in their retreat from the Russians early in WWI?
100,000 killed; 220,000 wounded; 100,000 captured
Where did the Eastern front line run from in WWI?
From Baltic Sea near Riga to Black Sea in Ukraine
What types of trenches were there?
Front line trenches, support trenches, reserve trenches, communication trenches
How far behind the front line was long-range artillery positioned?
About 10 km behind the front line
How far were two enemy front-lines generally?
50 - 200 m apart
What were dugouts (also called “bunkers”)?
Underground living areas in German trenches
How deep were dugouts built by Germany?
More than 10 m below the surface
Who was the youngest British soldier to join the Army and how old was he when he did?
Sidney Lewis, 12 years old when he lied about age to join Army
When did Sidney Lewis die?
1969
What proportion of soldiers did what in the everyday routine of the trenches?
One third of men on guard duty; another third repaired trench and collected food, water, letters, ammunition and first aid supplies, other third rested, wrote letters, drew, painted, played cards or cooked
What would a typical monthly routine be for a soldier?
4 days in front-line trench, 4 days in support trench, 8 days in reserve trench, remained of time behind lines in local town
When were soldiers on both sides on “stand to”?
Before sunlight
What did soldiers do during “stand to”?
On high alert, guns loaded, on the lookout for enemy attacks
When were “The Wipers Times” started?
1916
What illnesses and conditions did soldiers suffer from?
pneumonia, tuberculosis, bronchitis, diarrhoea, trench foot
How many letters were sent to soldiers each week?
Around 12 million
What food and drink did soldiers have (all)?
Stew, bread, hard biscuits; bacon, cheese, jam (treats); British troops got drink of rum in harsh weather, Germans drank beer and brandy
In 1915, how many artillery shells were fired every month on the Western Front?
400,000
What were different types of artillery shells?
Contained high explosives, gas, smoke, shrapnel shells contained red-hot pieces of metal
What percent of wounds was artillery responsible for?
About 60%
How many losses did the French report in the first 2 weeks of the war, mostly from what?
Over 200,000 men, mostly through machine gun fire
How fast could machine guns fire bullets?
Up to 10 bullets per second
How many rifles was a machine gun equivalent to?
Around a hundred rifles
When was the first use of poison gas and by which side?
April 1915, by the Germans
A rifle was deadly accurate up to which distance?
About 600 m
How many bullets could a soldier fire per minute?
15 - 20 bullets per minute
How long was a bayonet?
40 cm
How far could flamethrowers reach?
About 15 m
When were tanks first used?
1916
How many tanks had the British produced by the end of the war?
2,636
How many tanks had the French produced by the end of the war?
3,870
How many tanks did the Germans produce in WWI?
20
When did the Battle of Verdun take place?
21st February - 18th December 1916
When did the German assault on Verdun begin exactly?
7:15 am on 21st February 1916
On the first day of the Battle of Verdun, how many shells were fired by how many guns?
2 million high explosive shells fired by 1,400 guns
How many German soldiers, led by who, attacked how many French defenders on the first day of the Battle of Verdun?
1 million troops, led by Prince Wilhelm (German Kaiser’s eldest son), attack about 200,000 French defenders
By 24th February, during the Battle of Verdun, French forces had retreated to a line of trenches that were how far from Verdun?
8 km
Who had been the French Commander at Verdun initially?
General Joffre
Who planned the attack on Verdun?
General Erich von Falkenhayn, commander of the German Army
Who was French Prime Minister during the Battle of Verdun?
Aristide Briand
Who was General Joffre replaced by as the French commander at Verdun?
General Philippe Pétain
Out of the 330 infantry regiments of the French Army, how many fought at Verdun?
259
The “Sacred Way”, during the Battle of Verdun, was used by how many vehicles a day (average every how many second)?
6,000 (average of 1 every 14 seconds)
When was the German advance brought to a halt in the Battle of Verdun?
Late February
On 6th March 1916, during the Battle of Verdun, how far did the Germans advance due to a new attack?
3 km
How many forts and of what type was Verdun surrounded by?
20 major forts, 40 smaller ones
When did German soldiers take a large fort during the Battle of Verdun?
Early June
When the German attack on Verdun ended, how many shells had they fired?
Over 23 million shells
How many French soldiers died during the Battle of Verdun?
Around 315,000
How many German soldiers died during the Battle of Verdun?
280,000
Are area of farmland how large around Verdun after the Battle of Verdun was declared a Zone Rouge (Red Zone)?
170 square kilometres
How many villages around Verdun were entirely destroyed due to the Battle of Verdun?
9
Why was an area around Verdun declared a Red Zone after the Battle of Verdun?
Number of unexploded bombs left in ground
When did the Battle of the Somme occur?
1st July - 18th November 1916
How many men took part in the Battle of the Somme?
More than 3 million
Since when had the British and French been planning a coordinated attack (which would become the Somme Offensive)?
Summer of 1915
When did Sir Douglas Haig take command of British forces?
December 1915
How many fresh recruits had the British Army gained from its recruitment campaign before the Battle of the Somme?
About 1 million
When did British and French artillery begin a bombardment before the Battle of the Somme?
24th June 1916
How many shells were fired in how many days in the bombardment before the Battle of the Somme?
1,500,000 shells fire in 8 days
When did the first wave of British soldiers go “over the top” in the Battle of the Somme?
7:30 am on 1st July 1916
How many casualties and deaths did the British suffer on the first day of the Battle of the Somme?
Around 60,000 casualties, 20,000 dead
How large was the strip of land British and French troops gained during the Battle of the Somme?
25 km long, 6 km wide
How many men did British and French troops lose during the Battle of the Somme?
Around 620,000 men
How many men did the Germans lose during the Battle of the Somme?
Around 500,000 soldiers
Which African war did Douglas Haig serve in, when did this war occur?
Boer War (1899 - 1902)
What was the Battle of Passchendaele also known as?
Third Battle of Ypres
When did the Battle of Passchendaele occur?
31st July 1917 - November 1917
When did the Battle of Arras occur with British forces attacking German defences near the French town of Arras? (IWM)
9th April - 16th May 1917
During the Battle of Arras, which ridge did Canadian troops capture and how large and tall was this?
Canadian troops captured Vimy Ridge, an 8 km long, 60 m high hill
What was the Nivelle offensive, in which year did it occur and what was its outcome?
An attack by French troops against German lines in 1917 which failed
Which mutiny occurred after the Nivelle offensive and how was it stopped?
Mutiny in French Army, half of entire army refused to follow orders, stopped when hundreds of mutineers sentenced to death, improved food rations prevented further mutiny
When the British attacked at Messines, miners had been digging under how tall of a hill since when, how many tunnels were dug, how many explosives were put inside?
Miners digging under 140 m high hill since 1915, 19 tunnels dug, filled with around a million tonnes of high explosives
When were explosives detonated under a hill at Messines at the time of a British attack?
7th June, 1917
How many tanks were involved in the British attack on Messines?
72
When did the artillery bombardment before the Battle of Passchendaele begin?
18th July 1917
How long did the artillery bombardment before the Battle of Passchendaele occur?
10 days
How many shells were fired from how many guns in the artillery bombardment before the Battle of Passchendale?
Over 4,500,000 launched from 3,000 guns
Within a week of the Battle of Passchendaele , how many men had the British lost?
30,000
How far was the village of Passchendaele from the starting point of the Battle of Passchendaele?
About 8 km
How many soldiers from Britain and its empire were killed and injured in the Battle of Passchendaele?
400,000
How many soldiers did the Germans lose in the Battle of Passchendaele?
Over 300,000
What were the causes behind the Gallipoli Campaign?
Open sea route to supply Russia, force Germany to send soldiers to help Turkey, get countries like Greece, Romania and Bulgaria to join war on Britain’s side
When did Britain’s war council agree that an attack on Turkey should occur?
15th January 1915
When did British and French ships begin their attack on the Turkish forts?
19th February 1915
By which date was the entrance to the Dardanelles clear of Turkish forts and mines?
25th February 1915
When was the main naval attack launched against the Dardanelles during the Gallipoli Campaign?
18th March 1915
How many and what types of ships sailed into the Dardanelles during the main naval attack of the Gallipoli Campaign?
18 large battleships supported by smaller warships and minesweepers
How many ships were sunk and severely damaged in the main naval attack during the Gallipoli Campaign?
3 ships sunk, 3 severely damaged
Who led the troops invading Gallipoli and destroying the Turkish forts in the Gallipoli Campaign?
General Ian Hamilton
Who was head of the British navy during the Gallipoli Campaign?
Winston Churchill
How many troops did Greek army leaders tell the British would be needed to take Gallipoli?
Around 150,000
Who was Lord Kitchener?
Leading army general and Minister for War
How many soldiers did General Ian Hamilton gather for the invasion of Gallipoli during the Gallipoli Campaign?
70,000
How many troops did Turkey move along the coast to prepare for the land invasion during the Gallipoli Campaign?
84,000
Where did the troops prepared for the invasion of Gallipoli during the Gallipoli Campaign come from?
Mainly ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps), Britain and its Empire, France
How many Indian troops were included in the forces prepared to invade Gallipoli during the Gallipoli Campaign?
15,000
When did the landings in Gallipoli begin during the Gallipoli Campaign?
Early morning of 25th April, 1915
Where did British and allied troops land in April during the Gallipoli Campaign?
Cape Helles, Anzac Cove
Where did Britain land troops in August 1915 during the Gallipoli Campaign?
Suvla Bay
When did Britain land troops in Suvla Bay during the Gallipoli Campgain?
August 1915
How many troops did Britain land in Suvla Bay during the Gallipoli Campaign?
60,000
What percent of the ANZAC Army contracted dysentery during the Gallipoli Campgain?
80%
When was Ian Hamilton replaced by General Munro?
14th October 1915
When were groups of soldiers secretly led away at night to waiting boats during the Gallipoli Campaign?
12th December 1915
How many soldiers were evacuated without a single death during the Gallipoli Campaign?
More than 80,000
How many Allied deaths were there during the Gallipoli Campaign?
Over 200,000
How many Turkish deaths were there during the Gallipoli Campaign?
Around 300,000
How many Germans starved to death during the war?
Estimated around 420,000
When did the Battle of Heligoland occur?
August 1914
How many German ships were destroyed and where during the Battle of Heligoland?
3 German ships destroyed in the North Sea
How many British ships did the Germans sink off the coast of Chile?
2 British ships
When did the Germans sink British ships off the coast of Chile?
November 1914
How many German warships did the British sink near the Falkland Islands?
4
How many German sailors drowned and who specifically died when the British sank German warships near the Falkland Islands?
2,000 German sailors drowned, including admiral in command and his two sons
When was a German warship destroyed in the North Sea at Dogger Bank?
Early in 1915
When was Admiral Reinhard Scheer been put in charge of the German Navy?
January 1916
Where was the main base of the British navy?
Scapa Flow (in the Orkney Islands)
What were some locations of British naval bases?
Portland, Dover, Rosyth
Which British towns were bombarded by German warships in November 1914?
Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft
Which British settlements were shelled by the German navy in December 1914?
Scarborough, Hartlepool, Whitby
What casualties did the shelling of British settlements by the German navy in 1914 cause?
Nearly 600 casualties, mostly civilians, of whom 137 died
What were some German U-boat bases in Belgium?
Ostend, Zeebrugge
What industrial impact did Britain’s naval blockade have on Germany?
Coal, oil and steel couldn’t reach Germany, so industry suffered
When did the Battle of Jutland start?
31st May 1916
Who commanded the German “bait” ships in the Battle of Jutland?
Admiral Hipper
Who commanded the small British fleet which met the German “bait” ships initially in the Battle of Jutland?
Admiral David Beatty
When the British and German small fleets initially met in the Battle of Jutland, at what range did they open fire?
15 km
Within how many minutes of the start of the Battle of Jutland was a British ship destroyed?
20 minutes
How many British ships were destroyed in the different stages of the battle of Jutland?
4 British ships sunk before rest of German ships arrive under Admiral Scheer, another British battleship destroyed before rest of British fleet arrived
How many ships of each type did Britain lose at the Battle of Jutland and how many British sailors were killed?
0 Battleships lost, 3 battle cruisers lost, 3 cruisers lost, 8 destroyers lost, 6100 sailors killed
How many ships of each type did Germany lose at the Battle of Jutland and how many German sailors were killed?
1 Battleship lost, 1 battle cruiser lost, 4 cruisers lost, 3 destroyers lost, 2550 sailors killed
What were Q-ships?
Heavily armed warships disguised as supply ships that lured U-boats into attacking before firing upon them
How many supply ships did U-boats sink on average?
2 two supply ships a day
When did a German U-boat sink the British passenger liner, the Lusitania?
May 1915
How many deaths did the sinking of the Lusitania cause, and how many of these were Americans?
Over 1,000 passengers drowned, including 128 Amricans
How many supply ships were destroyed in how much time by Germany when the second U-boat campaign started?
500 supply ships heading for Britain destroyed in 8 weeks
How did Britain respond to the second U-boat campaign by Germany?
Convoy system, depth charges, long-range airfract
Between July and August 1917, how many ships bringing supplies to Britain out of the total were sunk?
5 were sunk of the 800
When were aeroplanes invented?
1903
In August 1914, after two British pilots spotted German soldiers preparing to surround British troops on the Western Front, British Army leaders ordered their soldiers to withdraw, saving possibly how many lives?
100,000 British troops
By which year had the Germans developed the Gotha bomber?
1917
When did a 20-bomber raid on London occur?
June 1917
How many people in London, including children at a primary school in Chelsea, were killed in a 20-bomber raid?
162 people killed, including 18 children
What was the name of the British long-range bomber?
Handley Page
By the end of the war, how many bombing raids had long-range bombers flown over Germany?
More than 200
In 1915, how many Zeppelin raids were there in Britain causing how many deaths?
20 raids resulting in 188 deaths
What were Zeppelins?
Large bomber airships
How long were Zeppelins?
About 200 m
How many tons of bombs could Zeppelins carry?
27 tons
How many raids did Zeppelins make over British towns in total, killing and injuring how many people?
57 raids, killing 564 people and injuring over 1300
How many litres of fuel could the petrol tank of a Zeppelin hold?
700 litres
When did the Siege of Kut occur and who won?
December 1915 - April 1916, Ottoman victory
Who was T E Lawrence and what was he known as?
A British army officer, known as “Lawrence of Arabia”
Which German colonies did troops from Australia and New Zealand capture within a few weeks of the outbreak of the war in the Pacific region?
Western Samoa (today Samoa), New Guinea
When did Japan declare war on Germany?
August 1914
Which German colonies in the Pacific Ocean did Japan capture?
Mariana, Caroline and Marshall Islands and German-controlled territory in eastern China (Kiaochow)
How many German forces were there in German East Africa, and how did Africans and Germans compose these forces?
12,000 men (3,000 German and 9,000 African)
Who commanded German forces in German East Africa?
Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck
How many Allied troops did German forces in German East Africa manage to keep occupied until the end of the war?
Around 200,000
Which German African colony did South Africans, fighting for the British Empire, conquer?
German South West Africa
When was German-controlled Cameroon attacked and when was it captured?
Attacked in August 1914, captured in February 1916
The German colony of Togoland was captured by British and French forces how quickly in the war?
Captured in first month of the war
When did Italy join WWI and on whose side?
Joined on side of Britain, France and Russia in 1915
Where did Italy attempt to attack Austria-Hungary in WWI?
Through the difficult Julian Alps mountain range around the Isonzo river
How many battles were fought between 1915 and 1917 by Italy against Austria-Hungary with limited successes (limit of advance too)?
11 battles fought, Italians never advanced more than 10 miles
When did Germans score a major victory over the Italians in the Battle of Caporetto>
November 1917
When did Bulgaria join WWI and on whose side?
Joined war on side of Germany and Austria-Hungary in October 1915
Which countries sent troops to help Serbia in WWI?
Britain, France, Italy and Russia
Where was the Salonika Front located and which sides was it fought by?
Located in Salonika in Greece, fought between Allied troops (Britain, France, Italy and Russia) and Bulgarian troops with German support
