1900 - present Flashcards
(30 cards)
Changes in composition to infantry in the modern army
65% in 1914,
25% in 2015,
still troops most likely to fight on the ground
Changes in composition to cavalry in the modern army
10% in 1914,
10% in 2015 (tanks)
now lead the attacks and provide protection for infantry
why did trench warfare start
-result of a stalemate (neither side could win)
as defenses were good making attacking difficult
-warfare became a war of attrition, where aim was to wear down the opponent through having more resources
what is MAD
-mutually assured destruction
-derived from use of nuclear weapons, which is used as a deterrent rather than actually used
-nukes made sure countries wouldn’t go to war w/ e/o
-this resulted in decline of army in peace times as nukes deterred from war
what does radar stand for and what does it do
-RAdio Detection And Ranging.
-Uses radio waves to locate the position of a solid object.
The RLC:
Royal ….. ……
Set up in 19..
Forms 15% of the formal army
-logistics corps
-93
-15%
recruitment in the WW1
-thousands needed to replace casualties, appeal for volunteers
-conscription introduced by Military Service Act for unmarried men 18 - 41, later married men
-1918, conscription ends
recruitment in WW2
National Service Act reintroduces conscription
-now applies to men aged upto 51,
and unmarried women 20-30
-age limit of women inc. to 51
the 1960’s saw a return to a ……
permanent, volunteer standing army
when did women start to serve alongside men in combat, but still excluded from some regiments of army?
-1991
…% of officers in Brit army are uni graduates
80
what was the home front and why was it significant?
-civilian sector of a nation at war (mobilising man power to assist with provisions of weapons, ammunition, food etc.)
-WW1: previously unseen effect of civilians; first total war, requiring civilians to play a key role for victory
-WW2: this role increased
Newspapers were able to produce reports quickly.
The Times newspaper reported on the first day of the Somme (1 July 1916) just two days after it happened.
However ……. …… was strong during WWI and WWII.
The ……. were keen to ….. ……, protect ….. and provide controlled information.
-government censorship
-gov
-boost morale, secrets
weapons in battle of somme, 1916
Lee-Enfield Rifles.
Grenades.
Tanks.
Combat knives and pistols.
composition in b. of somme
Both forces comprised mostly of infantry however, there was now an increase in specialised troops such as medics and engineers.
experince of civ. with somme
There was a major effect on civilians as any man between 18 and 60 had to fight in the war.
weaons in invasion of iraq, 2003
AK47(Assault Rifle).
Pistols.
Combat knives.
Rocket launchers.
Drones.
Tanks.
Missiles.
composition of iraq war
-both consisted of mainly cav. (tanks) and infantry
-US had more specialised troops, Iraqi used guerilla warfare such as IEDs
experience of civillains in iraq war
-fought in urban areas, many citizens attacked/ killed
how did science and tech dev. help weapons?
-inc. speed of fire
-power of weapons inc, (nuclear, chemical..)
life in the trenches
-trench fever, 25% of troops in trenches caught it
-trench foot
-shell shock
-improved treatment of wounds
-tedious daily routine of cleaning weapons
why were tanks unable to achieve a breakthrough in somme
-too few, only 49 used
-technically problematic, many broke down and only had a speed of 7km per hour
-didn’t use it as a massive attack, which may have been more effective
First day:
Most of the German trench defences had not been destroyed by the artillery bombardment, and found themselves advancing towards a hail of machine gun bullets
Barbed wire remained intact
Many infantry losses – ……. British casualties, 20 000 deaths on the first day alone
……. missing men
60 000
72 000
-overall outcome of somme
-weather made b. field swampy, logistics of supply hard
-impossible to transport artillery and shells
-no element of surprise
-infantrymen inexperienced recruits
-policy of attrition
-400k casualties
