WWI: What was WWI like? Flashcards
Why did men join the army?
- Recruitment campaigns were successful at highlighting the need to help your country
- Patriotism - people were very proud of their country and wanted to help.
- Anti-German feeling - since 1898, Britain and Germany had been in competition and so many wanted to fight against them
- Chivalry - A man’s place was seen as protecting the home/country
- Female pressure - some women handed out white flowers to men that had not signed up to fight yet as a way to shame them
- Travel - many men had never seen the world and war was often a way to see the world and experience new things.
- Pals Battalions - men were allowed to sign up together in order to be in the same battalion. Whole factories, sports teams and communities joined the same team. E.g. The Grimsby Chums.
What was life in the trenches like?
Life in the trenches was difficult. It was much easier being in a trench than out of it though.
The area between the trenches was called no mans land and consisted of mines and barbed wire.
- Trenches were often waterlogged which led to things such as trench foot.
- Shellshock affected around 2% of the army. It was largely brought about by the huge amount of bombing at the time.
- Trench rats were often seen. They were claimed to grow to the size of cats.
- Trench food was poor. Soldiers had to improvise a lot on the front life. The bulk of their diet was bully beef, bread and biscuits. Chefs often used weeds such as nettles in soups and stews.
What is the Schlieffen Plan?
The Schlieffen Plan was a plan created in 1905 that had the German army attack France first (within 2 weeks) and then turning round to take Russia.
They created the plan to avoid a war on two fronts which is what they were particularly worried about.
Why did the Schlieffen Plan fail?
- They expected Russia to take more than 6 weeks to mobilise. They took 10 days.
- They didn’t expect Belgium and France to fight back but they did
- They didn’t think Britain would get involved but they did after the invasion of Belgium
- Communication was outdated by the time it reached the leaders of the army back in Germany
- France and Belgium blew up their railways to stop the German advance which slowed them down.
- Prince Ruprecht of Bavaria did not want to divert his troops to the eastern front and there were many examples of troops not following orders.
- A captured German soldier gave up the plan
- There was no plan b if anything went wrong.
How did weaponry change in WWI?
- Tanks were first introduced in 1915. They were heavily armoured and could fire large shells. They were not particularly useful at the time but became a key development
- Poison gas - It was first used by the German army but both sides eventually used it. 1.3 million people died due to being exposed to gas.
Machine guns - Not fully developed but trench warfare lended itself well to machine guns. They fired quickly and were deadly.
How did medicine develop in the trenches?
- Blood transfusions - these were vital during WWI and the first blood banks were set up in 1917 for type-O blood.
- Plastic surgery - This improved during WWI with the amount of men needing to rebuild their faces. Harold GIllies pioneered some new techniques.
X-Rays - Discovered in 1895 by William Roentgen but WWI saw the need for mobile X-rays. Marie Curie developed the mobile X-ray machine for the French army near the front line which meant that men could be treated quicker and more precisely than ever.
What phrase is commonly associated with the Battle of the Somme?
Lions led by donkeys
What happened at the Battle of the Somme?
In July 1916, General Haig was ordered to divert the troops away from Verdun
The plan was continuous bombardment for eight days to ensure clear German trenches. This did not happen.
On the first day alone there were 57,470 casualties including 19,240 dead.
People at home were a lot more critical of the war after this.
How and why did the war end?
The war ended on the 11th November, 1918 (Armistice Day). Germany surrendered because they were starving, Germany’s allies were on the brink of collapse and the Triple Entente were pushing them back to Germany.
