Key WW1 Battles Flashcards
(29 cards)
When was the battle of the Somme?
July 1916
When was the 3rd battle of Ypres? (Passchendaele)
July 1917
What were the key features of the battle of the Somme?
A big push by the British army to break through German trenches and relieve pressure on the French who were also fighting Germans further down on the Western Front
- A huge offensive across no man’s land followed by a
bombardment of heavy artillery - 420,000 casualties overall with 57,000 on day 1
- Overwhelmed medical staff/services
- Delayed evacuation route
- Shortage of medical equipment
- first time gas was used by the Germans
What were the key features of the Battle of the Somme?
A big push by the British army to break through German trenches and relieve pressure on the French who were also fighting Germans further down on the Western Front
- A huge offensive across no man’s land followed by a
bombardment of heavy artillery - 420,000 casualties overall with 57,000 on day 1
- Overwhelmed medical staff/services
- Delayed evacuation route
- Shortage of medical equipment
- uneven ground due to shrapnel, harder for stretcher bearers
How many British casualties were there overall during the battle of the Somme?
(ext: how many on the first day)
420,000 Overall
57,000 on the first day
When was the Battle of Arras fought?
April 1917 to May
What were key features of the Battle of Arras?
-It was fought on chalky soil which made tunnelling
very effective
- Rooms created from tunnels had running water and
electricity + accommodation for soldiers
- Some tunnels had up to 700 beds and many
operating theatres
- Tunnels provided shelter against artillery fire
- CCS could be built underground
- Soldiers and miners could be buried alive
Why was the Ypres Salient a vulnerable part on the Allied line?
The Town of Ypres stood on the most direct route to channel ports such as Calais and Dunkirk. So if Germany captured the ports they could cut off most supplies to the British army, meaning that the British had to defend the surrounding area of Ypres also.
What were key features of the 3rd Battle of Ypres?
- Heavy rain
- Soldiers fought over agricultural land which had a lot
of fertiliser (e.g. manure) - Stretcher bearers faced difficulty retrieving the injured
- Infected wounds were common due to the filthy and
waterlogged soil (e.g. gas gangrene)
When was the Battle of Cambrai fought?
November 1917
When was the Battle of Ypres fought?
July 1917
What were key features of the Battle of Cambrai?
- It was another British offensive; an attempt to break
through the German front lines - First large scale attack by tanks
- Over 450 tanks were used against the Germans
- Advances in surgery, X-rays and transfusions were
utilised in this battle - Had the first blood bank prepared in advance for the
battle
The Battle of Cambrai began in November, 1917. - Royal Flying Corps aircraft dropped bombs on German anti-tank guns and strongpoints to clear a path
for the Allied tanks and ground troops. - It is an early example of the ‘Blitzkrieg’ tactics destined to be used by the Germans so effectively in World War Two
- However tanks didn’t have much infantry support so
British eventually lost
How many stretcher bearers were there per 1000 men ?(a battalion)
16
What were the problems facing Regimental Aid Posts?
- There was only one medical officer per battalion
- It was often poorly lit and under fire
After what year were nurses available at dressing stations/ field ambulances?
1915
In what year were Casualty Clearing Stations performing more operations than Base Hospitals?
1917
What facilities did Casualty Clearing Stations have?
- Mobile X-ray machines
- Operating theatres
- Wards with beds for up to 50 men
- Kitchens and toilets
What problem was faced by Casualty Clearing Stations?
They often had over 1000 casualties at a time during the first 2 years of the war
Who invented the X-ray machine and when was it invented?
William Roentgen in 1895
How many X-ray units did the British have
EXT: How many were mobile
528, (14 were mobile. Mobile units were developed by Marie Curie)
Allowed surgeons to identify the location of bullets/shrapnel on the front lines without making an incision
What was the difference between direct and syringe cannula blood transfusions?
Direct transfusions involved directly hooking a person to a patient and transfusing their blood, while the syringe cannula technique involved taking blood from a donor in a syringe so it could be transferred to the wounded (A setback was that blood could clot in the syringe)
When did Karl Landsteiner discover blood types?
1901
What benefits did the Thomas Splint bring?
- Helped fractured bones heal by holding them in place
- Reduced death rate from femur wounds from 80% to 20%
- All RAP officers taught how to use
- Previously, doctors used simple splints to fix wounded legs, and
broken ends of bone would grind on each other, and cause blood
loss
Describe how blood was made to be stored for longer periods
In 1914, Albert Hustin discovered that using sodium citrate allowed blood to be stored for longer periods. However the blood deteriorated quickly and had to be used soon after being donated. Later scientists discovered that adding a CITRATE GLUCOSE SOLUTION allowed blood to be stored for several days after being collected. Geoffrey Keynes developed a portable machine for blood storage which could take blood to the front lines.
In 1917, US army doctor Captain OSWALD ROBERTSON argued that it would be better to collect blood prior to when it was needed, the first blood bank was set up before the battle of Cambrai in 1917
