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Western Front: Theatre of war (Impact of the terrain on helping the…
Western Front: Theatre of war
Ypres
Scene of many battles during the first world war
On the way to the Channel ports of Calais and Dunkirk
Germans wanted to capture these ports to cut off supplies to the British army
Ypres Salient= An area around Ypres in Belgium where many of the battles took place in the First World War
Ypres salient= vunerable
Germans had advantageous position on higher ground
Germany army could see the Allied movement and build stronger defences
Tunneling and mines were used by the British at Hill 60, a man-made hill captured by the Germans, to regain control in April 1915.
1st battle of Ypres took place between October and November 1914
2nd battle of Ypres (April to May 1915) saw the first use of chlorine gas by the Germans
The third battle of Ypres took place in July to November 1917
The Somme
Lasted from July to November 1916 and took place along the river Somme
Remembered for its high casualty rate
On the first day of the battle the British army suffered nearly 60,000 casualties and 20,000 dead
In total there were over 400,000 allied casualties
Put an enormous pressure on the medical services on the Western Front
Arras
Took place in April 1917
Before the Battle, Allied soldiers had dug a network of tunnels below Arras
The tunneling was made easy by the chalky ground
New tunnels joined with existing tunnels,caves and quarries
Rooms were created with running water and electrcity
There was also a hospital
These tunnels were used for safety and to allow troops to the front in secrecy
Cambrai
Took place in October 1917
During this battle over 450 large-scale tanks were used by the Allies to launch a surprise assault on the German front line
Unfortunately the tanks did not have enough infantry support- the British lost the ground they had taken
Trench system
The trenches dug in 1914 developed into an effective defensive network from 1915
The trenches were about 2.5 metres deep
They were dug in a zig-zag pattern and contained dugouts for men to take protective cover in when needed
The system
The front line- The trench nearest the enemy where the soliders would shoot from
The command trench- 10-20 metres behinde the firing line
The support trench- 200-500 metres behinde the front line
At least 100 metres behinde the support trench. Reserve troops would be here ready to mount a counterattack if the enemy entered the front line
The communication trench- Linked the front line with the command, support and reserve trenches
Impact of the terrain on helping the wounded
Trench system was complicated and made it hard to move the wounded from the trenches to the hospitals
Difficult to move through the trench system
Contained equipment and men
Communication about the wounded was difficult, especially during major battles
It was hard to move around at night
Collecting the wounded from No man's land was dangerous because it was frequently done under fire
No man's land and the trenches were often deep in mud, which made movement difficult
Stretcher bearers found it difficult to move around the corners
Transport of the wounded was difficult because of these conditions