Trench Warfare on the Western Front(1914-1918)

(a) What was the army of 1914 like? How does this compare to the army of 1899?

1914=well organised, khaki uniform, well-trained, modern tactics, strictly discipline, veteran officers(experienced)

1899=red inefficient uniform,purchasing of commissions, more people but less quality,low wages,poor quality

(a) What did the war in Western Europe(Northern France+Belgium) progress to?

From initial movement to attrition and entrenchment

(a) What did the stalemate on the Western Front demand?

Demanded the adjustment of strategy and expectations by politians and public at home.Armies required to adjust to new technolgies and explore new tech to win.

(a) Why was the Western Front called a 'revolution in miliary affairs'?

-new weapons and military orthodoxy became challenged
-it was seen as a war of machines,dehumanising the victims
-this new kind of warfare was shocking and challenging-adjustment through military adaption,conscription,anti-war protests
-at first most people were patriotic then as more deaths, attitudes changed

(b) What is mobilisation?

Mobilisation involves the placing of a country's armed forces in a state of readiness for military action. It is the final step taken before actual war.

(d) What was the French 'fire and move' tactic?

-in an attack, one group would rush forward under covering fire by supporting groups

(d) What tactic did the British prefer instead?

'wave and flow'
-each wave would advance in 4 lines and once in German trenches, the 1st wave would hold them until the next wave arrived, 2nd wave would push through to capture the next German trench and so on-attack would flow in waves

(d) What was a key breakthrough for shells?

British fuse 106 caused shells to explode sideways rather than bury themselves in the mud
-more effective at destroying barbed wire defences and could create a smoke-screen

(e) What did the Defence of the Realm Act say about reporting?

The generals and gov ministers could stop the press publishing anything they didn't like

(e) Why was censorship unecessary at the start of the war?

-mood and morale was high

(e) What did propoganda focus on in WW1?

-focused on war aims-not just defeating Germans but social reform(a better world for all)
-posters were patriotic and some VERY anti-german
-The Times and Daily Mail strongly anti-German
-royal family renamed itself House of Windsor(1917) formerly Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

(e) What was trench humour?

-gov had no control over Trench humour and soldiers on western front made the satrical cheery 'Wiper Times' in 1916
-cartoonist and soldier created 'old Bill' who was a grumpy infantryman with droopy mustache-very popular
-black humour abounded in the trenches while at home music-hall songs made light of the dangers

(f) What was the impacts of the Battle of the Somme?

1. although Germans were weakened, the allies failed to reach all of their objectives and war continued for 2 more years
2.over million men from both sides became casulaties
3.Somme was a strategic necessity fought to meet the needs of a international alliance
4.British commanders learnt difficult but important lessons that would contribute to the allied victory in 1918

(f) Can Haig be solely blamed for the defeat?

-to an extent
-not all his fault as higher ups could've stopped him but didn't

(i) What was the outcome at the Battle of Passchendaele?

-casulaties of a quarter million on each side
-heavy losses for limited gains
-PM LLoyd wanted to remove Haig but couldn't as many still thought he could win

(a) How are the 4 reasons for WW1?

1. militarism
-Germany VS Britian
-battle of who had best ships, weaponry,etc
-France scared of Germany so built forts on the borders
-this helped cause the war as countries getting lots of weapons and soldiers ready for an outbreak of war
2. alliances
-1879 Austria,Hungary+Germany formed alliance
-1882 Italy joined-became the 'triple alliance'
-1893 France+Russia and in 1907 Britian joined-'triple entente'
-Britian scared Germany would take over Europe+ Germany viewed Triple Entente as threat
3. imperialism
-competition between European countries about how much land+money they had
-countries unsure if they could trust eachother-causing tension
4.nationalism
-German nationalism:new country in 1871 so had to prove themselves
-Balkan nationalism: -Austria-Hungary huge empire
-some of the countries they ruled wanted freedom so willing to fight to change it
-helped cause WW1

(a) What event was the tipping point that caused WW1?

-assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungay/heir to the throne
-on the way to town of Sarajevo,archduke's car stopped, where he was killed
-the assassination started a chain of events that led to the Great War

(a) What was Belgium's role in causing the war?

-to get to France, Germans had the Schlieffen plan which said that they should first march through neutral Belgium
-then Britain and France got involved
-4th August war declared

(a) What is an overview of the war in the Western Front?

-many excpected the war to be short and a war of swift movement,however it was a failure of movement and very long, which changed public attitude
-the war became a stalemate with few victories
-the most emotive battleground for ppl in Britain was the Western Front in France and Belgium
-Germans VS British,French and later Americans in 1917
-after initial movement, the armies became static and entrenched-both sides failed to breakthrough

(a) What was the only way to end the stalemate?

Innovation

(b) What is attrition?

Attempts to win a war by wearing down the opposition to the point of collapse through sustained attacks.

(b) What was the Schlieffen plan?

-1897-shows Germany preparing for war long before
-based on the theory that Germany would be at war with France and Russia at the same time
-but in reality this was not the case

(b) How did WW1 begin?

-began with movement, a series of mobilisations
-Russia began to mobilise first to aid its ally Serbia after Austria-Hungary declared war on them
-French fearing being outnumbered by Germans mobilised fast
-Germany declared war on Russia and France @ start of Aug
-Belgians refused to let Germans move through to attack French so Germans declared war on Belgium
-Britian,France's ally, declared war on Germany on 4 Aug
-many strategists expected a war of movement to follow

(b) What was the German plan for France?

-defeat France in 6 weeks
-part of their army would tie them down while their mari forces attacked in the west and encircle Paris
-campaign of movement was used through roads and railways

(b) Why was there a failure of movement for the Germans?

-German plans for Belgium required them to cover atleast 15 miles a day for first 3 weeks but this too fast even for Germans
-troops pushed too far ahead of their railway supply system and further they advanced the worse their problems became
-field kitchens could not keep up so men and animals went hungry and they starved of supplies, so the German advance faltered
-poor decision making+lack of intelligence
-German high command lost radio contact with its army and has only one wireless receiver
-after the British Expeditionary Force landed in France on 13 Aug 1914, for more than a week Germans had little idea of their movement

(b) Why was there a failure of movement for the French?

--poor decision making+lack of intelligence resulted in lost opportunities
-not sure of German intentions
-by 29 Aug: 250,000 casualties-double the British

(b) How did the war of movement become a war of attrition (defensive entrenchment)?

-Germans swung away from Paris in Sept 1914,allowing the allies to launch a flank counter-attack at Battle of Marne
-both armies tried outflanking eachother in the 'race to the sea'(series of battles)
-Germans tried to push British out of Belgian town Ypres
-after 4 weeks the allies had held Ypres but lost 100,000+ casualties
-the 'race' ended in stalemate
-movement halted once again
-so both sides dug trench lines that streched from North Sea to French border with Switzerland

(c) What were the problems with Trench Warfare?

-how hard would it be for infantry to overcome the new fire power
-trench warfare allowed little freedom for individual initiative and intelligence
-commanders on both sides assumed that in a war of attrition, the winner would be the side that held out the longest

(c) Why was there a need for military adjustment?

-as entrenchment war needed constant reconstruction
-trench building took time and required huge amounts of labour,barbed wire,timber,etc
-trench systems were complex:e.g. forward trench,fire trenches,communication trenches(criss-crossing) and much more
-there's a constant flow of regiments with units being replaced,casualties shipped out,new men brought in
-railways constantly bringing new men in and supplies
-motor vehicles unrelaible-horses+mules instead
-battles now lasted weeks-months where b4 it was a day or 2
-1915 onwards-troops monitored by aircrafts, so led a part-nocturnal life
-soldiers dirty,hungry,scared,bored,relieved boredom and fear through black humour(e.g.making jokes about their commanders)

(c) What was trench fighting like?

-armies had to adjust tactics following the failure of movement and the war became a series of attacks and counter attacks
-enemy trenches target for artillery/machine gun fire
-trenches 8ft deep
-often face to face fights with bayonets+knives
-squalid conditions-raid and mud,dirty,rats,lice,trench foot got so bad soldiers ordered to change socks 3x a day,shellschock
-officers had to rely on runners for communication who risk being shot

d) What was one necessary adaption in 1915 now that the War of Movement was no more?

-issuing of metal helmets to soldiers
AND
-French finally ditched colourful uniform-all soldiers in khaki and grey

(d) What were the pros and cons of the use of machine guns?

pros=great killing power than rifle
cons=costly,had ammunition failures

(d) What were the pros and cons of the use of flamethrowers,grenades and mortars?

-Germany tried using flamethrowers but too bulky and make soldier carrying it an easy target

-mortars=could be fired within safety of trenches,light
-cons=had to carry ammo seperately which gets heavy

-grenades pros=useful for trench warfare,troops could throw them into enemy positions before entering
-cons=risky in confined places

(d) What were the pros and cons of the use of rifles? Attack strategies?

Lee Enfield Rifle
-pros=reload speed-15 rounds a min up to 800 yards away
-cons=overheating,accuracy,recoil and weight

Attack strategies
-soldiers no longer stood in lines but now shot from trenches

(d) What did generals cling to the motion of?

That stalemate could be broken by artillery which was supposed to destroy trenches,flatten barbed wire,demoralise enemy

(d) How had artillery changed by 1916?

-guns ranged from light 18-pounders to heavy howitzers
-gun accuracy improved using flash spotting
-aeroplanes relayed info to gunners
-confident of accuracy,artillery could lay a creeping barrage of shells
-this was effective as long as communication was strong-e.g. didn't work at Somme

(d) When was poison gas first used and what was its impact?

-1st used by Germans at Ypres
-by June 1915, first gas masks intoduced
-phosgene gas used by germans first-6x more toxic than chlorine
-1917-Germans first to use mustard gas-lung+skin damage+blindness
-less effective when shock element worn off
-8000 deaths-seen as 'more humane'
-cons=could be blown back in own direction

(d) What were the pros and cons of the use of tanks?

-little value in small groups or singly
-impact lay in numbers
-pros=impactful when used in numbers,hard to disable,could move on its own
-cons=slow,mechanical failures,hot,cramped,cant cross soft ground

(e) Who were Conscientious objectors?

-ppl who rejected military service on moral or religious grounds
-16,000 applied for exemption
-2 types:
1.absolutists=refused to do anything to help war effort
2.alternativists=those prepared to do non-combat work such as medics

(e) What was life like for journalists in the trenches?

-movements/what they wrote strictly policed
-required to wear officers uniform
-given honourary rank of captain, apart from green arm band, indistinguishable from real officers

(e) How did reporters convey the Battle of Somme?

-WW1's most notorious cover up conspiracy
-between press and gov+generals
-correspondents stayed in their quarters and given regular updates but it was watered down
-when reporters allowed to see the fighting themselves, they kept up the pretence, even though they could see thousands dying

(e) What was the public mood like throughout the war?

-As a whole public remained supportive and demanded victory
-opposition very small
-the little opposition came from pacifists,anti-war socialists
-suffragists said the war would benefit women's rights in the long term as many women joined the workforce

(e) What was government control and censorship like?

-gov let newspapers censor themselves
-soldiers letters home were read by army censors who would remove important info
-many papers publicised casualty lists from 1915
-battle of the somme screened in 2000+ cinemas acoss Britain

(e) How did the managing of the media change throughout the war?

-the Times stopped giving long casulaty lists as it was 'demoralisjng'
-by 1917-18 gov/army learned its more useful to direct reportage rather than deny-so did more to keep the press on their side

(e) How were cameras and war imagery used?

-soldiers would take small cameras and take pics
-those taken at xmas 1914 of British and Germans meeting in No Mans Land worried the authorities

(f) What happened during the Battle of the Somme in 1916?

-Haig rigid/set on outdated tactics
-year began with german attempt to bleed french at Verdun
-french lost 300,000+ men
-to relieve pressure on Verdun, joint British-French attack on River Somme began in June 1916
-Haig faced formidable defences but believed gains could be made if had enough artillery
-he expected 40,000 casualties in 3 days but lost 58,000 on 1st day
-delusional he believed he had shaken the enemy but little ground actually gained
-new warfare experiences gained by soldiers-tanks,aircraft,light machine guns etc

(f) Why did British attacks fail?

1.Brits didn't know Germans were well entrenched
2.they had insufficient big guns-1 in 3 shell fires didn't explode
3.Germans survived barrage and still full of fight

(f) What were the casualties at the Somme?

British=400,000+
French=194,000+
German=500,000+

(h) Who was Douglas Haig?

-in charge of British army from 1915-18
-general
-went from being hero to butcher
-reputation was destroyed by the war and his failures
-over-confident

(h) What was Haig's job?

-directed offensives
-oversaw supplies
-dealt with French allies and gov at home

(h) How was Haig viewed?

-he divided opinions
-some saw him as unimaginative and insensitive,ordering more attacks despite mounting casualties
-however he was also responsbile to new ideas-such as tanks
-he made mistakes but it was clear by 1918 he had learnt
-the Hundred days battle was described 'greatest British military victory in history' and Haig 'the man who won it'

(h) What was Haig's offensive strategy?

-he was a fomer cavalryman and a believer in attack
-army not as well trained as he would like
-his army mainly volunteers so he'd need detailed orders to maintain the continuous forward flow of the textbook attack
-he sought to releive pressure on French with a major offensive in 1916(somme) to restore the war of movement
-by 1916 he had 56 infantry divisions
-some generals favoured less ambitious 'bite and hold' strategy to make limited gains but Haig was more ambitious

(i) What was the significance of the Battle of Passchendaele (1917)?

-shaped perceptions of WW1
-both sides suffered heavy losses and appalling conditions
-mud,blud and futility

(i) What was the aim of the Battle of Passchendaele?

-To break out of the Ypres Salient which had been occupied by the allies since 1914.
-Haig aimed to drive Germans out of Belgium

(i) Why was Haig optimistic about a new attack in 1917?

-he believed Germany would be exhausted in 6 months as their industrial output was falling to under 60% of pre-war level
-his optimism partly due to report by American relief committee to Belgium who said said German morale was low

(i) What happened at the Battle of Passchendaele?

-began with a spectacular attack using tunnel mines to blow up German defences
-then the offensive stalled as German artillery proved more formidable than expected and heavy rain turned ground muddy
-transport became a nightmare
-Haig replaced Gough with Plumer who was an advocate for 'bite and hold' tactic
-while the French wanted to wait for US armies to build full strength,Haig continued to urge offensives on a massive scale
-Haig excited by the new tech of tanks but rushed and sent 49 into battle-losing the element of surprise
-tanks impact on german morale however was significant and made them feel unsuperior and small

(j) What happened at the Hundred Days Offensive in 1918?

-full scale allied advance which Haig much better equipped with 6500 new guns in 1917 and 10,700 more in 1918
-technology and preparation weakened german artillery through aerial reconnaissance,flash-spotting and sound raging
-troops advanced miles in a day, capturing thousands of german prisoners and guns as they broke through the line
-these successes were won thanks to Haig's improved infrastructure,experienced commanders and fresh divisions
-still at a cost though-1 million+ casualties each side
-by October the end was in sight
-Haig's army celebrated victory in November 1918