History WW1 Flashcards
Where was the Somme?
Beaumont Hamel
What was the Danger Tree?
A tree by the hole in the barbed wire in the British lines, where all Newfoundland attacks stemmed from. Germans trained their machine guns at the tree.
What percent of British deaths happened on the first day of the Somme?
15%
What issues were there with preparation for the Somme?
British underestimated German defences - complicated trench systems, dug deep.
British lacked time - Germans knew British were coming, mines exploded 10-15 mins before assault, failed to destroy barbed wire.
How did rationing affect Britain?
Britain was low on food, people had to ration and prices increased. People going hungry bc of price.
How was the role of women affected by WW1?
Women given a chance to probe their capabilities and independence. Some women lost their jobs after war but it was the starting point of gender equality.
How did the First Blitz affect Britain?
Bombs and aircrafts killed and injured many British. Making people not involved in the fighting affected.
Positives of DORA?
British summertime, some protection from horrors of war
Negatives of DORA?
People’s lives restricted, less fun bc of longer working hours, less socialising bc of pub opening times. More production, government is controlling.
How many casualties in the Somme day 1?
57,500
How many deaths in the Somme day 1?
19,200
Impressions of Haig?
Somme - doesn’t learn from his mistakes.
Quite stubborn - can’t admit failure
He cares less about soldiers than beating Germany and regaining France, land and objectives put over individual lives.
Any reasons it wasn’t Haigs fault?
Haig might not have known how deep the Germans were dug in.
There were language barriers, British Army made up of lots of different nations.
Weather, spotter planes not effective.
Faulty ammunition, 1/3 of shells didn’t work.
