World War I Flashcards
(98 cards)
1
Q
When was Verdun?
A
21st February to 18th December 1916
2
Q
When was the Somme?
A
1st July-18th November 1916
3
Q
What was the aim of Verdun
A
Attrition leading to breakthrough
4
Q
Who was the commander at Verdun
A
von Falkenhayn
5
Q
What were the estimated casualties at Verdun
A
300,000 German, 350,000 French
6
Q
Why the location of Verdun?
A
Great symbolic importance-used in defence of France during Franco-Prussian War; Joffre had removed most guns in 1915
7
Q
How was Verdun conducted in its early stages?
A
Heavy preliminary bombardment using artillery amassed, preempted military advance; infantry advanced in open order with support of grenades and flamethrowers
8
Q
Which new weapons were deployed at Verdun?
A
Phosgene gas in capture of Fort Vaux; flamethrowers used by artillery
9
Q
When was von Falkenhayn replaced?
A
28th August
10
Q
When was Fort Faux recaptured by the French?
A
2nd November
11
Q
Who was the commander at the Somme
A
General Haig
12
Q
What were the estimated casualties at the Somme
A
620,000 Allied; 500,000 Germans
13
Q
Casualties on the first day of the Somme
A
60,000 British casualties; 20,000 dead
14
Q
Tactics before the Somme
A
Preliminary bombardment for week prior to battle, intended to drive Germans from trenches and eliminate opposition; 1.7 million shells fired but many failed to explode; German trenches heavily fortified
15
Q
How many shells were fired in the week before the Somme?
A
1.7 million
16
Q
What happened on the first day of the Somme?
A
18 Allied divisions walked across no-man’s land in extended fire; 100 German machine-gun nests awaited; any unit which reached German trenches were driven back
17
Q
What percentage of officers were killed on the first day of the Somme?
A
60%
18
Q
When were tanks used for the first time?
A
15th September-Battle of Flers-Courcette, a subsidiary attack of the Somme
19
Q
New tactics developed during the Somme
A
Creeping barrage used at the Battle of Bazentin Ridge–great emphasis placed on element of surprise; troops advanced in darkness; German surprised by brevity of bombardment and proximity of attacking waves–successful capture of German position but Allies too weak to advance
20
Q
When was the Battle of Passchendaele (3rd Ypres)
A
31st July-6th November 1917
21
Q
What was Passchendaele
A
The major British offensive in Flanders in 1917
22
Q
What was the aim of Passchendaele
A
A decisive breakthrough, capturing Passchendaele Ridge then taking control of German-occupied channel ports, allowing the Allies to eliminate Ostend and Zeebrugge U-boat bases
23
Q
What was the result of Passchendaele
A
Ended with the capture of Passchendaele village; advance of 8km
24
Q
What were the casualties of Passchendaele
A
275,000 Allied; 200,000 German
25
What preceded Passchendaele?
Heavy artillery barrage and heavy shelling; 4.5 million shells fired in 10 days prior to attack
26
What was the consequence of heavy shelling at Passchendaele?
4.5 million shells fired in 10 days prior to attack; created shell holes which filled with water and became muddy due to heavy rain; made it difficult for soldiers to advance as they struggled through heavy mud, highly exposed
27
What was the distance between trenches?
Not the same distance along front; no man's land 8-10 km in some place,s 50 m in others
28
What were opposing trenches separated by?
Opposing trenches separated by no-man's land
29
What was it like in no-man's land?
Usually deep craters (mud, heavy rain, artillery bombardment-->quagmire), often mined, difficulties fighting/walking-Passchendaele
30
How many lines of trenches were there, and what were they called?
Usually 3 lines; front line, support, and reserve, linked by communications trenches which enabled movement out of enemy's sight
31
What was the support line for?
The line where soldiers, if possible, retreated during bombardment. Rear wall of support line contained dugouts
32
How long did soldiers spend in each line?
For British, men in firing line 15% of time, support trench 10%, reserve trench 10%, out of trenches for all other periods (other duties, rest+rec, leave)
33
How many men were there in the front lines of the Allied forces?
10% of a division at any time (1 division was 20,000 men)
34
What formation were trenches built in?
Zigzag formation
35
Why were trenches built in zig zag formation?
Defensive measure--minimised impact of shell landing in the trench, preventing attackers from having a clear line of fire
36
What was located between lines of trenches?
Around 35m of barbed wire-the average soldier could throw a grenade to 30m; if one line was overrun, the next line could take on the front line's role
37
What did soldiers often do as night activities?
Repairing barbed wire defences, sabotaging enemy's defences with wire cutters
38
What was the structure of front line trenches?
Fire step, where could fire at attacking soldier; metre-thick layer of protective sandbags in front; behind them was the parados, which prevented them from being shot by those in support trenches, prevented troops from being silhouetted against skyline in daylight/when going OTT. Duckboards aimed to provide firm footing.
39
How were trenches reinforced?
Sandbags, timber, corrugated iron
40
What were dugouts used for?
Men slept in dugouts, reinforced by log rafters to prevent cave-ins.
41
What were the differences between German and British dugouts?
German-usually made from reinforced concrete; ranged from 3.6m to 3 stories. British-2.4m-4.8m
42
What was the main difference between German and Allied attitudes?
Allies-generally had minimal facilities in trenches, emphasised belief in cult of offensive. Germans-apart from Verdun/Ludendorff's Offensive, generally were on the defensive-dug in on gained soil
43
When were pill-boxes first constructed?
Late 1916-early 1917 by Germans
44
What were pill-boxes?
Concrete fortifications, often reinforced with steel and armed with machine guns
45
What were the advantages of pill-boxes?
Control of wide area of land with minimal resources
46
How did communication occur in the trenches? Normally, during an advance, and in battle?
Field telephones were preferred--signal personnel laid landlines linking HQ to battalions or artillery observers with gunners; compact telephone sets could be carried forwards. During battle, usually depended on runners carrying written messages. Animal messengers sometimes used (pigeons, dogs)
47
What was the combat experience of those going into battle?
Attacks usually began with bombardment of front trenches-->troops charged to capture enemy front trenches; needed to take all equipment required to hold trench after capturing (Brit soldiers usually carried ~30kg), which often slowed them down-->defenders would seek to man machine guns, prevent attackers from reaching trenches. Attacks could continue for months.
48
What was the experience of soldiers in frontline combat duty when an attack was not occurring?
Stand do (~1h before dawn, standing on firing shelf, weapon loaded+bayonet in anticipation of enemy attack), stand down (After sunrise-issue of rum, breakfast, trench repair), stand to (hour before sundown-standing on firing step), stand down (after sundown-rum, night activities, frequent exposure to sniper fire)
49
How was reconnaissance employed?
From 1915, observation from aircraft/fixed balloons to provide info on enemy positions and locations of shells. By 1916, aerial dogfights became common; pilots would dodge enemy attacks while an aerial observer mapped troop movements of enemy trenches
50
When was gas first used?
Germans-capture of Neuve Chapelle in October 1914-shrapnel shells containing a chemical irritant
51
When was the first highly successful use of gas?
2nd Ypres-chlorine gas-Allied troops panicked and an 8km gap opened; unable to exploit gains as German soldiers refused to push into territory where gas had settled
52
What were the 3 main types of gas used?
Phosgene, chlorine, mustard
53
What were 2 weaknesses of gas?
1. Changes in wind direction
2. Improvised gas masks soon appeared-urine soaked cloth-by 1918, effective gas masks-full rubber face masks, charcoal box respirators used by both sides
54
How effective was gas?
Did not have a significant impact on battle outcomes, but effective at spreading panic
55
When were tanks first used, and which type?
Battle of Flers-Courcette in 1916, a subsidiary attack of the Somme. Mark I tank
56
How effective were tanks
Initially ineffective-caused fear among German soldiers when first used (Mark I), but subject to mechanical failure, slow-6kph-could be taken by enemy artillery. Improved over time-first used successfully at Battle of Cambrai in Nov 1917 (Mark IV)
57
What was an example of the successful use of tanks?
The Battle of Hamel, a response to the Ludendorff Offensive. Mark V and Whippet tanks successfully used in combination with artillery
58
How effective were machine guns?
Excellent as defensive weapons. Initially difficult to transport-British Vickers weighed over 30kg, could not be carried forward easily to support assaulting troops. Later lighter versions used (Brits-Lewis; German-Bergman)-could be carried and fired by one man
59
How quickly could machine guns fire rounds?
More than 450 per minute. As effective as 80 rifles
60
What were artillery?
Large-calibre guns
61
How effective were artillery?
Mixed-Big Bertha, German Howitzer, used successfully at Leige; however, heavy-rail transport needed to move them; often inaccurate as reconnaissance not yet refined and gave enemy time to respond if mistimed; often inadequate defence against barbed wire, as would throw into tangled mess-->became more effective as reconnaissance and tactics improved
62
How was reconnaissance used by 1917-18 to increase the effectivness of artillery?
Both sides collected data to predict enemy locations, more effective picture of where shells landed meant defensive/offensive fire became more precise
63
What were examples of artillery used by the British and Germans?
German Howitzer-short gun firing shells on high trajectories-Big Bertha; BL 9.2 for British
64
What were 3 ways offensive tactics improved in sophistication for the Allies?
1. Creeping barrage, 2. box barrage, 3. firing on reserve trenches or artillery to prevent reinforcement of attacked sector instead of only front line
65
What were creeping barrages?
Attempts to protect troops by providing artillery fire as a screen of cover while troops advanced-however, limited how quickly troops could move
66
What were box barrages
Artillery fire which surrounded an area, making it safe for advancing troops to move and retire after raid
67
What were 3 ways offensive tactics improved for the Germans?
1. Stormtrooper tactics, 2. defence in depth, 3. Bruchmuller tactics
68
What were Stormtrooper tactics?
Specialist assault infantry developed from 1915. Elite formations of shock troops which spearheaded attacks, broke through weak points to capture enemy guns.
69
What were Stormtroopers armed with?
Heavy/light machine guns, flamethrowers, light artillery, flamethrower
70
How effective was the flamethrower?
Limited-caused terror, but short range, short duration, and could sometimes explode, endangering its user
71
What was defence in depth?
Where enemies were lured into 'killing zones', where the Germans would yield ground; when enemy entered, ground regained using rapid counterattack.
72
Against which types of assault was defence in depth effective?
Wave assaults; less successful against mass tank attacks
73
When were Bruchmuller tactics adopted?
1916-17
74
What were Bruchmuller tactics?
Adapted version of box barrage, with use of heavy artillery and gas shells. Quite successful
75
What percentage British casualties did artillery cause?
60%
76
How did cold affect soldiers?
Frostbite, death from exposure to cold, trenches did little to protect soldiers from cold, clothes/blankets frozen solid, food almost inedible
77
When did cold most affect soldiers?
1916-17--one of the harshest winters, felt most strongly in France and Flanders
78
What psychological impact did trench warfare have?
Short term-anxiety, 'shirking'-lack of aggression in combat; long-term-shell shock
79
When was shell shock first diagnosed?
1915
80
What was shell shock?
Psychological disturbance of soldiers subjected to long periods of artillery bombardment
81
What percentage of discharged personnel from the British Army were due to psychological illness?
1/7 by 1917
82
How many German soldiers were estimated to have committed suicide?
At least 3800, although doesn't reflect those who simply walked into enemy fire
83
Why was severe exhaustion a common issue?
Repairing trenches/other operations often occured at night-soldiers generally slept in the afternoon or at night for an hour at a time, woken up frequently for chores or to fight
84
How did trench foot occur?
Swelling of feet due to constant immersion in water, which led to painful swelling and sometimes required amputation due to gangrene or foot rotting.
85
How was the food for British soldiers?
Generally, most food was tinned. Depended upon parts of the Front, time of year, location of soldiers, relationship with locals who could sometimes provide food
86
What was gas gangrene?
When spore-producing bacterial commonly found in northern France came into contact with wounds, caused gas gangrene.
87
What % British soldiers were affected by lice?
1916-~95% usual level of infestation, 5% dangerous level of infestation
88
Why were lice a problem?
Constant scratching led to breaking skin, development of sores, often secondary infections like boils, ulcers
89
What were 2 examples of specialist medical developments resulting from the war?
Plastic surgery pioneered; more widespread X-ray pathology including portable X-ray machines
90
What were death rates from mustard gas?
3%, but physical effects excruciating
91
What were symptoms of shell shock?
Anxiety, amnesia, headaches, tremors
92
What was the nature of medical care?
System was overstretched on both sides. For Germans, 32 stretcher bearers per 600 expected casualties
93
What was the triage system?
System of categorising casualties and prioritising medical treatment accordingly
94
What were the 3 tiers of the triage system?
Mild injuries-received treatment at first aid post then cont'd fighting; more severe requiring hospitalisation but thought to be survivable were given highest priority; fatal-made as comfortable as possible
95
What medical facilities were available?
First aid post, casualty clearing station-basic hospitals, stationary/general hospitals at bases
96
Were stretchers sterilised?
No
97
What were stretchers used for?
To carry severely wounded men from the front
98
Who was in charge of maintaining the health of forces, and to ensure evacuation in the event of illness or injury?
Royal Army Medical Corps
