WW1 Flashcards
(12 cards)
1
Q
How many British casualties were there at the Somme
A
- 57,000 casualties, 19,000 deaths on first day
- 420,000 casualties in total
- Haig labelled the ‘butcher’ as the British only gained 7 miles in 4 months
2
Q
Technological/ tactical issues at the Somme
A
- 1/3 of shells produced by Ministry of Munitions did not explode
- shells went of in no mans land, making the land harder to cross
- bombardment did not cut through German wire
- General Rawlinson encouraged wave and flow method to build confidence of soldiers; however artillery was too far ahead of troops, giving Germans time to reach their machine gun dugouts
3
Q
Technological advancement at the Somme
A
- 2200 British guns fired 1.7m shells
- troops armed with shovels, sandbags and 200 rounds of ammunition
4
Q
Did the Somme 1916 wear the Germans down?
late june to november
A
- They suffered 465,000 casualties
- took pressure off the French at Verdun
5
Q
Where is the evidence that Haigh was a ‘butcher’ at Passchendaele 1917?
A
- 250,000 casualties (however this was the same as the Germans) to only advance 9km
- however knew the Germans could afford these casualties less as America had entered the war
6
Q
What other factors could be blamed for the failures at Passchendaele 1917?
A
- lack of reconaissance - Haigh attacked using tunnel mines to destroy German defences, yet the Germans had prepared bunkers
- heavy rains turned the ground to mud
-American committee on low German morale due to deterioration in uniform and supplies misleading, gave Haig false confidence
7
Q
How far was Haigh to blame for the defeat at Passchendaele?
A
- needed to make changes after Somme: replaced General Gough with Plumer, focused on defence rather than attack - however tactic failed, only advanced 9km
- innovated and used tanks
- wanted to reach the Belgian coast to destroy German submarine bases, but at what cost
8
Q
How did Haigh use improved technology during the Hundred Days Offensive 1918?
A
- deployed 500 tanks in secret and used aircraft to drown the noise - Royal Flying Corp outnumbered the Germans
- great intelligence from aerial photography and from radio to listen to German messages
- Haig’s army was better equipped with guns and shells, advanced miles a day capturing German guns
9
Q
To what extent was Haig responsible for victory in 1918? (Hundred Days Offensive August to November)
A
- over a million casualties on both sides - yet broke through German lines and won
- Haig was successful due to infrastructure, technology and fresh troops from the empire
- Haig successful under new allied commander Marshall Foch
10
Q
Success of Haig tactics
A
- attrition warfare and continuous pressure on the Germans wore them down over time - won the war
- ## shaped by the constraints and pressures of the time, e.g lack of communication and intelligence
11
Q
Failures of Haig’s leadership
A
- attrition warfare led to huge human cost for little reward (Somme, Passchendaele)
- most criticised decision of using cavalry in a mechanised war
- ## failed to understand the effectiveness of machine guns and barbed wire, which made mass infantry assaults more deadly
12
Q
Lions led by Donkeys debate
A
disparity between the soldier’s bravery and the leadership that failed to protect them
