Key battles Flashcards
(16 cards)
3 main battles
-Battle of Verdun
-Battle of the Somme
-Battle of Passchendaele
When was the battle of verdun
21st feb to 18th December 1916- 11months
When was the battle of the somme
1st July to 18th nov 1916- 5 months
When was the battle of Passchendaele
July to November 1917- 4 months
Where was the battle of verdun
… north of v…-s…-M…, N… France
Hills north of verdun-sun-Meuse, northeastern France
Where was the battle of the somme
Near the river Somme in France
Where was the battle of Passchendaele
Near the city of Ypres in Belgium
Plan of battle of verdun
-German offensive against the French
-to force the French to defend it, with the intent of “bleeding France white”
The battle of verdun
-…st feb German … began bombing French …
-later that day the … son, Prince … led an … on French …
-French …
-new French … General P… was to … as much … as possible on the …
-fighting continued through the …
-came to an … when the … attacked the German line at the river … and the … attacked in the …
-21st feb German artillery began bombing French trenches
-later that day the kaisers son, Prince Wilhelm led an attack on French troops
-French retreated
-new French commander General Pétain was to inflict as much damage as possible on the attack
-fighting continued through the summer
-came to an end when the British attacked the German line at the river Somme and the Russians attacked in the east
Results of the battle of the somme
-… had fired over …million …
-destroyed the city of …
-French lost …k men
-Germans lost …k men
-neither … made significant … gains
-Germans had fired over 23million shells
-destroyed the city of verdun
-French lost 315k men
-Germans lost 280k men
-neither side made significant military gains
Plan of the battle of the Somme
-… and French … against … forces
-under the … of of General … the British planned an … of German l…
-haig knew there would be a lot of …
-to … the … on the battle of …
-British and French offensive against German forces
-under the command of of General Haig the British planned an attack of German lines
-haig knew there would be a lot of casualties
-to relieve the pressure on the battle of verdun
The battle of the somme
-over … million … took part
—>making it the … battle on the … front
-on …th June … the German … were b… with … shells
-Germans were … of the attack and …
-after the bombings the … will still at full …
-1st of … the first … of British soldier went … the …
-German … guns easily … them out
—>on the first day there was …k British …
-attacks continued for … months
-over 3 million men took part
—>making it the largest battle on the western front
-on 24th June 1916 the German trenches were bombarded with artillery shells
-Germans were aware of the attack and prepared
-after the bombings the German will still at full strength
-1st of July the first wave of British soldier went over the top
-German machine guns easily wiped them out
—>on the first day there was 60k British casualties
-attacks continues for several months
Results on the battle of the Somme
-…k British casualties
-the … and French gained a … piece of …
-German lost …k men
-… was widely … and called the “… of the …”
-some … him as he helped save … and … the … army
-620k British casualties
-the British and French gained a small piece of land
-German lost 500k men
-haig was widely criticised and called the “butcher of the Somme”
-some praised him as he helped save verdun and weakened the German army
Plan for the battle of Passchendaele
-a battle for … of the … to the south and … of …
-fought by the … and French against the …
-the British put … under a hill in M… and were able to … Germans …
-a battle for control of the hills to the south and east of Ypres
-fought by the British and French against the Germans
-the British put explosives under a hill in Messines and were able to push Germans back
The battle of Passchendaele
-… ordered … troops to continue … to …
-the attack began on the 18th … with … bombardment
-heavy … meant the … turned to thick …
-when the ground … started lots of … died by … in the …
-haig ordered British troops to continue advancing to Ypres
-the attack began on the 18th July with artillery bombardment
-heavy rain meant the ground turned to thick mud
-when the ground attack started lots of soldiers died by drowning in the mud
Results of the battle of Passchendaele
-within a … the … has lost …k men
-in total they lost …k men
-…k Germans were killed
-the British and … gained …km of land
-within a week the British has lost 30k men
-in total they lost 40k men
-300k Germans were killed
-the British and French gained 8km of land
