Chapter 5 - The Defeat of Germany

Question 1

Why did General Ludendorff need to launch his offensive

Answer 1

• USA had declared war on Germany
• They wanted to greatly weaken the Allied soldiers before the new cavalry came
• War against the Russians had ended so they had 500,000 men to transfer to the Western Front (more strength)

Question 2

How many men were transferred from the Eastern Front (against Russia) to the Western Front in October 1917

Answer 2

500,000

Question 3

What was the other name of the Ludendorff Offensive

Answer 3

Operation Michael

Question 4

When was Operation Michael / Ludendorff Offensive by the Germans

Answer 4

March - July 1918

Question 5

When did the German Bombardment for the Ludendorff Offensive / Operation Michael start?

Answer 5

21 March

Question 6

How many guns were used in the German Bombardment for the Ludendorff Offensive / Operation Michael

Answer 6

600 guns

Question 7

How long did the German Bombardment for the Ludendorff Offensive / Operation Michael last?

Answer 7

5 hours

Question 8

What was released alongside the German Bombardment for the Ludendorff Offensive / Operation Michael

Answer 8

Deadly Mustard Gas

Question 9

How was the beginning of the Ludendorff Offensive / Operation Michael a success for the Germans?

Answer 9

Confused and Disoriented British soldiers climbed out of the trenches and retreated.
Thousands surrendered and were taken prisoner of war

Question 10

How many German infantrymen took control of the surrendered land after the Ludendorff Offensive / Operation Michael

Answer 10

100,000

Question 11

How far were the Germans able to advance by July during the Ludendorff Offensive / Operation Michael

Answer 11

65 km

Question 12

Which Rivers did the Germans pass / reach
Which city was in gunfire range after the Ludendorff Offensive / Operation Michael

Answer 12

River Somme (crossed)
River Marne (reached the banks)

Paris

Question 13

How many American Soldiers arrived to fight with the Allied in July 1918

Answer 13

20,000

Question 14

Failures of the Ludendorff Offensive

Answer 14

• Sent too many men into French territory
• 400,000 men were killed
• Others were exhausted - not enough troops to back up
• Too far, too fast
• Had to loot food from French Villages - Allies could easily cut that off
• Created a Salient (bulge) 130km long, 65km wide - could be attacked on 3 sides

Question 15

By November 1918, how many American Soldiers were in Europe?

Answer 15

2 million

Question 16

What did the new American soldiers do for the Allies / French

Answer 16

• Enlarged French ports to deliver more supplies and men
• Built over 1,600km of railway lines
• Laid over 16,000km of telegraph and telephone cables

Question 17

What prevented the capture of Paris during the Ludendorff Offensive / Operation Michael

Answer 17

2 divisions of Americans in the Second Battle of the Marne

Question 18

When did the Allies launch an attack on the salient caused by the Ludendorff Offensive

Answer 18

12 September

Question 19

How quickly did the Allies have the Salient caused by the Ludendorff Offensive under control?

Answer 19

4 days forcing the Germans to retreat

Question 20

Between when was there a huge final attack on the Western Front by the Allies

Answer 20

26 September to 11 November

Question 21

How many Soldiers (French + American), tanks and aircraft were used to advance to German border by 11 November 1918

Answer 21

1 million Soldiers
300 Tanks
500 Aircraft

Question 22

How far did the Allies have to advance towards the German Border by 11 November 1918

Answer 22

32km

Question 23

When was the 100 day offensive

Answer 23

8 August - 11 November 1918

Question 24

During the 100 day offensive by the allies with how many tanks did they advance to German borders

Answer 24

500+

Question 25

How fast were the tanks and infantry approaching the German lines during the 100 day offensive

Answer 25

92m every 3 minutes

Question 26

By the end of the first day of the the 100 day offensive on the 8th of August how far was the gap to the somme?

Answer 26

25km

Question 27

How many enemy soldiers did the Allies kill, wound or capture by the end of the 8th of August (first day of the 100 day offensive)

Answer 27

48,000

Question 28

Past which defence line did he Allies push the Germans?

Answer 28

Hindenburg Line

Question 29

When was the main attack on the Hindenburg Line

Answer 29

29 September 1918

Question 30

When was the armistice

Answer 30

11 November 1918

Question 31

Reasons for the defeat of Germany

Answer 31

- Farmers were conscripted to Army - no food being produced - famine - Political Turmoil - Keiser fled and revolutionary movement hit (strikes and riots)

Question 32

What was the Military Defeat of Germany

Answer 32

- Ludendorff Offensive stretched the army to its limits - army food and relief could not be given - British army learned how to combine artillery and infantry - Technology was used for effectively (eg. areal photography ) - 2 Million American troops gave allies a big boost - raised morale - Germany's allies surrendered