History Flashcards
(36 cards)
What is a front
A stretch of land where warring countries confront each other and engage in battle.
Where was the Western Front
- A 400-plus mile stretch through France and Belgium and down to the Swiss border (Alsace).
- It was Germany’s western front line in the war.
- The Allies could not go around this line so they had to go through
- It started to liberate neutral Belgium which was already occupied by Germany.
Why were Trenches needed in WW1
Trenches were needed in WW1 armies because they were a defensive solution to modern weaponry.
What is a war of attrition
- A war where both sides try to wear each other down over a long period.
- Instead of quick victories, they make the enemy tired and weak by fighting lots of battles and using up their resources.
- It’s like a slow game of wearing out your opponent until they can’t fight anymore.
How was WW1 different to what soldiers expected?
Before the war, many people thought that the battles would consist of thousands of advancing in formation towards each other, like the ones they had read about from the previous century. The reality was very different.
Why was WW1 so different?
It had been over fifty years since the last war between the major powers.
In that time armies had modernised and developed new war-fighting technologies.
Attacking soldiers faced huge firepower.
Commanders were unable to use traditional military tactics without their battalions suffering enormous casualties.
Defence became the priority, the digging of trenches developed and they were employed for the duration of the war.
Describe trenches
- Initially just simple ditches.
- Then developed into more complex systems.
- They had three lines on the front:
- The front line - known as the fire trench
- The second line - known as the support trench
- The third line known as reserve trench
- Connecting these were the communications trenches
- Night attacks and watchmen
- Boredom long waiting
- ‘shell shock’
What type of illness was there in WW1
Trench Foot - Cold winters standing in muddy water for days
* small cuts and blisters on the feet would become infected, leading to numbness, swelling and even gangrene.
* Many lost toes and in extreme cases had a foot amputated.
In Gallipoli - it was flies. No protective clothing lead to infected bites, hygiene problems - dysentery
Also Lice and Rats - Rats as big as cats
What was ‘no mans land’
The strip of land between the 2 enemy’s Front was known as ‘No Man’s Land’, where the bulk of the actual fighting took place.
What was militarism, give an example
Militarism is the idea that a nation should increase the size of their army and military capabilities in order to protect or promote its interests.
The Anglo-German Naval Race before World War One is an example of militarism.
At the time, Britain had the world’s strongest navy. The ruler of Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm, wanted to build a navy that was bigger and stronger than Britain’s.
What was imperialism?
Imperialism is the claiming of another territory as one’s own. In the 19th century this was seen as an acceptable practice by the European powers.
Britain had an empire that covered one quarter of the world map and France had significant territories in Africa and Asia. Empire could increase trade and wealth and it also brought great prestige.
Germany wanted to rival Britain and France and have an empire of its own
Who was General Haig
Sir Douglas Haig after he took over command of the British Army on the Western Front.
His leadership during the battle made him one of the most controversial figures of the war and has been intensely disputed ever since.
The Battle of the Somme was the first campaign launched
Somme summary
Bloodiest clashes of the First World War
Five-month battle of the Somme – which took place between July and November 1916
Claimed over 600,000
Over 60k on the first day alone.
What were 2 major alliances in 1914
Triple Entente - UK, France, Russia 1906
Triple Alliance - Germany, Aust/Hung, Italy
Why trench warfare:
- Failure of Schlieffen Plan
- Race to the sea
- Battle of Marne
- Defensive positions
- Stalemate
Battle of Marne and Trench warfare
- After the opening exchanges of the war the German army was ready to advance on Paris.
- The British Expeditionary Force and French army launched a counter attack along the Marne River.
- The ‘Miracle of the Marne’ saw the German Army forced to retreat.
- Paris was saved.
- The consequence though was the onset of four years of Trench Warfare.
War at Sea
- When most people think of WW1 they think of trenches and machine guns.
- Another side to the WW1 – the war at sea.
- When WW1 broke out, Britain had the world’s most powerful navy.
- German Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, decided to build a navy to rival that of the British.
- He competed to build larger, deadlier ships that were faster and had larger guns onboard.
- In 1916, the Battle of Jutland saw the war’s largest naval battle as the navies of Britain and Germany fought for control of the North Sea.
Describe the U Boat Campaign
- Below the waves, German submarines sought to sink supply ships and starve Britain out of the war.
- War without warning
- They also attacked civilian vessels
- Famous boat sunk Lusitania killing 140 Americans (nearly bringing America into the war early)
What was the significance of HMS Lusitania sinking
- In 1915, the British passenger ship, RMS Lusitania, was torpedoed and sunk by a U-boat off the coast of Ireland. 1,197 people died in the attack.
- Several of those killed were American citizens. This lead American president, Woodrow Wilson to insist that Germany stop submarine warfare against non-military ships.
- Fearing that America might join the war against them, the Germans agreed to limit their use of U-boats
Explain why U boats were introduced and what were the tactics
- By 1917, the Germans realised that they were losing the war and needed new tactics to defeat their enemies. In response, they returned to submarines.
- Britain depended heavily on imports from abroad for necessities such as food.
- The new German plan was to use their U-boats to sink the merchant ships that carried these essential supplies.
- If the German plan succeeded, Britain could be starved out of the war.
Why was General Haig criticised
- Men inexperienced and underequiped
- Determined to win at any cost
- Made assumptions about enemy trenches
- Weather not take into account
- Main focus on attrition rather than breakthrough
- Soldiers ordered to walk
- He knew about the barbed wire
Why should Haig be praised for
- Attrition was the only tactic available in WW1
- There was very little info he could get on the front lines
- He drew pressure off Verdun
- Casualities high for Germans too
- He never gave up
Does Haig deserve criticism?
Summarise Reason criticised:
* Loss of life
* Poor planning
Due to
* Being put under pressure by the French and not given the right information
Describe the “Race to the Sea”
- The Race to the Sea is a name given to the period early in the First World War September – October 1914
- After the defeat of the German on the river Marne the Germans headed for the English Channel to seize ports instead.
- This would cut BEF retreat meaning no British reinforcements.
- Resulted in a stalemate
