Section Two Total War to end Flashcards
(289 cards)
In the initial months of the war what strategy did the French focus on?
An offensive strategy
What did historians argue about the offensives of 1915 were a result of?
The Allied strategies of relieving pressure on Russia and coordinating pressure on Germany
What did generals believe was the key weapon of trench warfare?
Artillery
When did Britain introduce conscription?
In 1916
What is one of the counterintuitive facts about World War Two?
As the war continued the total number of men in arms grew
What was one of the central issues leading to an outburst of Irish nationalism in the Easter 1916 uprising?
The extension of British conscription to Ireland in 1916
When was Irish independence declared and recognized?
In January 1919 and recognized by the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921
What central power produced the most artillery shells?
Germany
What Entente produced the most artillery shells?
The United Kingdom
What central power produced the least artillery shells?
Austria
What Entente power produced the least artillery shells?
The US, we joined late
When were the new set of Russian conscription rules enacted?
September 1915 at the height of the German assault
The new Russian conscription rules lead to massive Russian uprisings where?
Central Asia with the Kiriz and other nomadic and Muslim tribes
By when had the forces of both sides decide that the crucial battles would be fought on the Western Front?
By the end of 1915
When did the Entente meet to decide on coordinating offensives focusing on a major push at the Somme?
At Chantilly in December 1915
What was the German Chief of Staff Falkenhayn’s decision in December 1915?
To lure the French into the exposed salient of Verdun
What did Joffre think about Verdun?
It should be abandoned
What did the French Prime Minister Aristide Briand think about Verdun?
It was important to hold for moral purposes
When did the Germans open the battle of Verdun?
February 21, 1916 with 1,200 guns
How many railway wagons of shells were rained on the French in a single day by the German 5th army?
17 1/2 wagons
Between February and December 1916 how many shells and how many million tons of steel were launched at both sides during the Battle of Verdun?
10 million artillery shells and 1.35 million tons of steel
What two new weapons were used by the Germans during the Battle of Verdun?
Flamethroweres and phosgene gas
What did the Germans hope would happen to the French after the railway to Verdun was destroyed?
That the French would be undersupplied and under-equipped
What was the French response to the Germans attempt to destroy the railway at Verdun?
Mobilize 3,400 trucks and 9,000 men to keep moving supplies