Modern Warfare c.1900 to Present Flashcards
What weapons were used at the start of the MP?
-Lee Enfield Rifle, Mk I and Mk II tanks, machine guns, mustard gas, mills bomb
What were features of the Lee Enfield Rifle?
-Used by infantrymen trench warfare
-500m range, 15 shots/minute, rifled barrel so more accurate, bayonet (not used).
What were features of tanks in WW1?
-Early stage tanks, very slow, 7km/hr, unreliable, overheated and broke down, attracted gunfire
What were features and examples of machine guns?
-Gatling gun, automatic rapid fire, stops infantry from advancing, causing casualties on a vast scale, heavy and immobile, required 2-3 people to carry
What were features of mustard gas?
-Colourless and odourless gas, used successfully until use of gas masks, making it obsolete.
What weapons/communications were introduced in the middle of the MP?
-Radios in 1930s, RADAR, nuclear bombs (atomic bomb, H-bomb), developed bombs: incendiaries, V1 V2.
-Improved tanks, mechanised vehicles, 1970s PGMs UAVs: first reconnaissance then mounted with weapons
What weapons/communications were introduced in the middle of the MP?
-Radios in 1930s, RADAR, nuclear bombs (atomic bomb, H-bomb), developed bombs: incendiaries, V1 V2.
-Improved tanks, mechanised vehicles, 1970s PGMs (not ballistic trajectory) and UAVs: first reconnaissance then mounted with weapons.
What weapons/communications were introduced at the end of the MP?
-Improved tanks: Challenger II 40 mph, automatic rifles: telescopic site, 400m accuracy (M16), mobile and light, IEDs for suicide bombers, computerised tech, armed UAVs, PGMs guided by GPS, no chemical weapons.
How did the size of army change?
-Went from 4.5 million in WW1 to 200,000 (c.2015) due to more powerful machinery.
How did infantry change?
-Went from 65% to 25%. Charging and gaining land to being used to consolidate land gained.
How did cavalry change?
-Stayed around 10%. Horses only used for scouting and transport, machine guns rendered obsolete. Replaced by tanks.
How did artillery change?
-20% to 10%. Used in bombardments, eg Somme, but now aircraft share bombardment as battlefield becomes more mobile.
How did specialist troops change?
-5% to 55%. Medical and admin units to Royal Engineers, Bomb Disposal Unit, SAS.
-As technology diversified and became more advanced, more specialised troops were required.
How did recruitment change in early MP?
1914- voluntary. Recruitment campaign by Lord Kitchener using propaganda.
1916- conscription. Volunteers dropped as people knew horrors of war and excitement wore off. 2.8m conscripted.
1920- voluntary after WW1 ended, no need for large army
1939- conscription in WW2. Lots of soldiers need. Over 3.5m conscripted.
How did recruitment change in middle and at end of MP?
-1948: National Service, form of limited conscription, threat from Cold War.
-1961 to present: voluntary, recruits can join from 16, fight from 18, minimum 4 years service.
-1992: women recruited and allowed to fight. 1/6 army women by 2008.
