5.2 Flashcards
(41 cards)
When was the start of the world war and why was it started
4th August 1914
Due to the German advance through Belgium.
What were the BEF
British Expeditionary Force
What happened when the BEF joined the french arm
They were met by a German force 2x their size.
- They stopped the German regiment from advancing breifly then retreated back to the river marine to prevent the german advance into paris.
What was the trench system and trench warfair
By 1914 France had been occupied by the Germans except for Paris
Trench warfare was static.
- trenches were spread as far as from the English channel to Switzerland in the south
- there was a reserve trench, a communications trench, front line trench,
and a support trench.
Where was the support trench
80 metres behind the frountline, troops would gather here is the frountline was broken and captured.
What was the Reserve trench
Reserve trench was 100m behind the support trench it.
Communications trench
Placed in the middle of the other trenches.
What were some of the features of the trenches
- Duck boards
- Dugouts
- sandbags
-wooden periscope
-Djg at 2.5 metres depth
-Barbed wire
-Machine guns - Zigzagged to prevent against shelling
- Fire step for people to sleep
- There was an ammunition shelf.
What happened in the first battle of ypres and when was it
BEF moved into Ypres in Belgium to prevent German advances towards the sea.
Autumn 1914
When did the first battle of ypres start how long did it go from
12 October 1914 to 11 November 1914
What was the result of the battle of ypres first
- Germans extended there control of the Ypres salient as far as the village of Messines.
How many British casualties were there in the first battle of Ypres
50,000
Why was it so important for the British troops to hold ypres
It had the major access to the ports allowing extra troops(reinforcements) and supplies to enter.
What was used hill 60 in order to take control
Mines
What was hill 60
where was it and who occupied it
A man made hill to provide higher ground advantage. Hill 60 was made in the south east of Ypres.
- Germans captured it in December 1914
How did mines help to take hill 60 from the Germans
British tunneled under the hill placing 5 mines into the tunels this blew the top of the hill
- This was done by men from tunnelling companies who all worked in tunnelling companies previously. E.g., tube tunnel diggers from London, coal miners or sewage drain diggers in Manchester.
what impact did height have for these the tunnel diggers in hill 60.
These men who dug the tunnels were often shorter than the minimum height requirement for the army, these tunnel diggers often experienced high death rates.
What was one key feature of the second battle of ypres 1915
It was the first use of chlorine gas by the germans in total chlorine gas killed 6,062 british soildiers.
When was the second battle of ypres
29 April - 25 May 1915
- happened straight after hill 60
What was the result of the second battle of ypres
Germans moved 2 miles closer to the town of Ypres on the eastern side of the salient
When did the battle of somme take place and who was it launched by
1St July 1916
The British
Number of British casualties in one day
20,000 deaths on one day
57,000 causualtys in total.w
What new strategies did the British try that lead to increased casualty rates.
The Creeping Barrage and tanks.
What was the creeping barrage
A slowly moving artillery attach as a slowly moving defensive curtain for soldiers to follow closely behind.
