Warfare And Society In The Modern Era Flashcards
(91 cards)
1
Q
What is this period between ?
A
1900 - present
2
Q
Was there a change in the composition in the army ?
A
Yes
3
Q
Composition of the army . What was the infantry like in this period ?
A
65 percent in 1914 ; 25 percent in 2015 , still the troops most likely to fight on the ground
4
Q
Composition of the army . What was the cavalry like in this period ?
A
10 percent in 1914 , 10 percent in 2015 ( tanks ) tanks now lead the attack , and protect infantry
5
Q
Composition of the army . What was the artillery like ?
A
20 percent in 1914 ; 10 percent in 2015 ; bombarding the enemy is still key but aircraft and tanks now share this role ; artillery is now more mobile , such as satellite guided missiles .
6
Q
Composition of the army . What was the specialist troops like ?
A
5 percent in 1914 ; 55 percent on 2015 . They royal engineers and royal electrical and mechanical engineers , royal logistics corps and royal medical corps provide support to the front .
7
Q
What does logistics refer to ?
A
Refers to the transportation of troops , supplies , ammunition and post
8
Q
What were the events of the creation of the bomb disposal units ?
A
- Early 1940 , 25 army bomb disposal units were formed during the second world war 2
- Late 1940 , another 109 bomb disposal units were created : an essential part of modern war
- In 1972 , a remote controlled robot was developed that was able to move an explosive device
- In 2015 , the British army had about 2000 explosive ordinace disposal specialists .
9
Q
What was the Boer war ?
A
A conflict fought between the British empire and two independent Boer republics
10
Q
Who were the boers ?
A
They were descendants of dutch settlers who colonised parts of south africs
11
Q
When was the boer war ?
A
1899 to 1902
12
Q
Why did Haldane write reforms in 1908 ?
A
Because of the Boer war
13
Q
What was Haldane’s reforms ?
A
These reforms were designed to modernise the army after the weaknesses exposed in the second boer war where the british struggled against Boer guerrilla tactics
14
Q
Haldanes reforms . What was the territorial force ?
A
A part time army for home defence
15
Q
Haldanes reforms . What was the officer training corps ?
A
Introduced military training at schools and universities
16
Q
How many soldiers were in the British professional army at the time of haldanes reforms ?
A
150 ,000
17
Q
In 2020 , how many soldiers were in the professional army ?
A
82000
18
Q
What was the territorial army renamed as ?
A
The army reserve
19
Q
What kind of new weapons were made ?
A
Machine guns , tanks , chemical weapons , nuclear weapons and aircraft
20
Q
What were machine guns like ?
A
They were clumsy ; needed teams of men to cool them down , very effective in defence
21
Q
In 1914 how did the germans move their troops ? How many were there ?
A
By train . Two million men and 600 , 000 horses
22
Q
In
A
23
Q
In 1918 , what new transport was introduced ?
A
Motorised transport
24
Q
In the second world war , what new transport was very effective ?
A
Aircraft
25
What were military satellites used for ?
. Spot enemy forces and identify targets
. Predict weather conditions
. Photograph the impact of attacks
. Provide communication systems
26
What was the recruitment like in world war one ?
1914 : thousands needed to replace casualties - appeal for volunteers
1916 : military service act introduces conscription for unmarried men aged 18 - 41 , and later married men .
1918 : conscription ends
27
What was recruitment like in world war two ?
1939 : national service act introduces conscription
1941 : conscription also applies to men aged up to 51 and unmarried women aged 20-30
1943 : age limit for conscripted women increased to 51
1960 : return to permanent , volunteer standing army
28
29
What were other methods of recruitment ?
. Government propaganda encouraged men to enlist , but the scale of casualties put of recruits .
. PAL's Battalions were made up of local volunteers from the same community
. National service meant all aged men 17 - 21 has to complete 18 months military training and service , followed by four years in the reserves .
.
30
How many british people fought in world war one ?
6 million
31
How many people died in world war one ?
700 , 000
32
How many people died in the second world war ?
450 , 000
33
What was the home guard ?
A part time , volunteer force formed in 1940
34
What was the civil defence ?
Defended the country from air raids
35
What service supported the civil defence ?
Women's voluntary service
36
What was living on the home front like ?
. Everything censored
. Rationing
. The Blitz - between 1940 and 1941 , two million british homes were destroyed
. Air raid precautions : During the second world war , gas masks were issued to every civilian and air raid shelters were set up everywhere
. Government had more control
37
What were the unexpected benefits of the world wars ?
Major medical advances due to the need to treat casualties and advancements in the equality for women
38
What were the attitudes in society in world war one ?
It was common that men that didn't go to war to be shunned , even by their own family members . Sometimes they receive hate mail or white feathers .
39
What were the attitudes in society in world war two ?
Men that didn't go, found alternative forms of work , they received hostility
40
What was censorship ?
Limiting information to the public
41
Why did the government use censorship in the first world war ?
To hide the worst news from the public and to keep the morale up .
42
What was propaganda used for ?
Used to build support for the war and encourage men to volunteer . It was used for moral support and support for the war effort .
43
What was blitzkrieg ?
Win by not fighting / identify weak point and defeat there
44
What was total war ?
Where a country directs its entire resources and manpower toward the effort
45
What is meant by a war of attrition ?
Where both sides gradually try to wear the other one down
46
How did chemical warfare develop in the 20th century ?
April 1915 : Germans used chlorine gas in WW1 - killed 1250 troops
1915 - 1918 : French British and German armies use chemical warfare
By the end of WW1 : 90 , 000 soldiers killed and 1 million injured
1925 Geneva protocol : 16 major nations pledge never to use them again
1997 : chemical weapons convention - 190 nations start using chemical weapons
47
What were and is the role of women in the army ?
. More accepted in the army
. 1 out of 6 troops was female in 2008
. Women's role in society also changing at the same time
48
When was the western and the somme battle ?
1916
49
What was the western and the Somme in world war one ?
An attempt to break the stalemate on the western front in the first war
50
What did the trenches lead to in world war one ?
Led to a static war of attrition
51
What were the events of the Somme offensive ?
1. Royal flying corps shot down German observation balloons to ensure surprise .
2. Gas attacks at 40 different places along the front
3. Week long heavy artillery bombardment
4. 'Creeping' barrage of artillery led the infantry to a clear way
5. About 120 , 000 infantry went ' over the top ' towards the german trenches
6. That first day 20 , 000 British infantry were killed and 40,000 injured of captured
52
What was the nature of trench of warfare ?
. Boring asf
. Frontline soldiers lived in dugouts
. Constant wet feet led to trench foot
. Dirty water and rats spread disease
. Trench fever
. Shell shock
53
What was the role of general Haig at the Battle of the Somme ?
. Under government pressure to recapture lost land needed to attack
. Wanted to pin down the German troops at the Somme
. Calculated heavy casualties would hit Germany harder than allies
. Used new weaponry badly
. Didn't listen to the advice of other generals
54
Why did the British lose at the Battle of the Somme ?
Tanks were useless
Incompetent leaders
Somme had no strategic position
55
Was the Somme the greatest loss in British history ?
Yes
56
When was the Iraq war ?
2003
57
Which countries fought against who in the Iraq war ?
Uk and USA vs Iraq
58
Why did the US and Uk invade Iraq ?
Because they believed that its leaders were building a nuclear weapon or atomic bomb
59
What kind of strategies were used in Iraq ?
. F-117 fighters bombed Iraqi leaders while missiles were launched at bases and special forces went in
. Air raids , two months of bombing
. Ground attack : 200,000 ground troops captured key cities with support from aircraft , helicopters , tanks and mobile heavy artillery
60
Are F-117 stealth fighter bombers detectable ?
No
61
What was the main aircraft the british used in Iraq ?
The Tornado
62
What were the Tornado's used for ?
To deliver smart bombs
63
What are pareway bombs ?
'Smart bombs ' guided using lasers and satellite guidance
64
What are storm shadows ?
Cruise missiles launched from an aircraft
65
How many days did it take to beat the Iraqi army ?
20
66
Once the British and US had got to Iraq did they find weapons of mass destruction ?
No
67
When war broke out in 1939 , what city in England was expected to be bombed the most ?
London
68
When did the Blitz begin ?
7th of September 1940
69
Why did Hitler decide to bomb London in WW2 ?
London was the seat of the government
Capital city
Home of the royal family
Major port and transport hub
Densely populated
70
What were the preparations made before the Blitz in Britain ?
. Gas masks issued
. Air raid precautions
. Fire , ambulance and heavy rescue services
. Drive to recruit volunteers
. London children evacuated to the countryside
71
What was propaganda used for in WW2 ?
To keep morale and encourage support for war
72
What was the government policy toward air raid shelters before the war ?
That there had to be one per household
73
What were the main types of air raid shelters in WW2 ?
Anderson shelters , communal shelters and the Morrison shelters
74
What were the stages of the Blitz in WW2 ?
1. 25th August - 19th September 1940
Targeted bombing of military bases , industry , energy supplies and communications
2. 20th September 1940 - 10 May 1941
Shift to attacking morale , civilians and homes , national treasures , industry and communicstions
3. The 'Lull' May 1941 - January 1944
Irregular , regulatory raids
4. The Baby blitz January - April 194d
Few raids got through in these last attacks , but monthly casualties jumped from 58 to 948
5. V1 AND V2 RAIDS JUNE 1944 - MARCH 1945
german attacks , switched to pilotless aircraft
75
What were the types of bombs used in WW2 in the Blitz ?
Incendaries
High explosives
Mines
76
What were incendiaries ?
Dropped mainly by the first wave of bombers , starting the first fires used by bombers as targets
77
What were high explosives ?
Were mainly dropped by later waves ; some had delayed fuses to harm rescue workers
78
What were mines ?
The most powerful ; dropped by a parachute so attacks were silent and hard to detect
79
In 1944-1945 what kind of bombing did the germans shift to ?
Pilotless rocket attacks
80
When Germans used pilotless rocket attacks , what were the rockets used ?
V1 and V2
81
What was the V1 bomb ?
Hit London targets in daytime ; caused extensive damage and deaths ; didn't trigger air raid warnings because they flew so low ; so getting to air raid shelters was difficult ; most casualties caused by flying glass .
82
What was the V2 rocket ?
The first ballistic missile ; so fast that it exploded before people heard it coming
83
What were the impacts of the V1 and V2 attacks ?
. Civilian morale very low and factory workers were often absent from work
. More evacuations began and the underground filled with civilians seeking shelter
. Over 30,000 houses destroyed
. 29,000 people died or injured
84
What was the V2 attack on Deptford in 1944 ?
On 25th November 1944 , the first V2 attack to be widely reported hit new cross deptford . Woolworths , a large store was struck on a saturday lunchtime when many were shopping . About 160 killed and 200 injured .
85
How come underground shelters were opened in WW2 ?
Because of public demand
86
What was the South Halls ville school disaster and when was it ?
1940 . About 1000 homeless londoners were staying at South Halls ville school on 10th september 1940 when it was hit in a bombing raid . They had been due to evacuate the day before . The reporting of the incident was banned because of the impact on morale . Casualties reports varied .
87
What was the Bethnal green disaster and when was it ?
On 3rd March 1943 , after a heavy allied raid over Germany , 1500 people used the Bethnal green tube shelter as they expected a revenge attack . New anti - aircraft rockets were fired nearby , causing panic . A woman with a baby fell , and 173 people died as people pushed to get to safety . Government investigations were kept secret until after the war .
88
What were the continuing leisure activities in WW2 ?
Cinemas , dance halls and football
89
What was the disruption to daily life and work in London in ww2 ?
Limited transport
More than 54 000 people were killed or injured
Bombing disrupted gas , electricity and water supplies
Rationing food
90
What was Londons response to the Blitz
Continued presence of the royal family
The government stayed also
Safeguarding art and buildings
91
What were the cabinet war rooms ?
Sheltered Churchill and his wartime government from the Blitz
