The context of the British sector of the Western Front Flashcards

All 8 cards in this deck

Where was the British sector of the Western Front?

In Flanders (Belgium) and northern France.

What was the Ypres salient?

A bulge in the British line around Ypres in Belgium, surrounded by German-held higher ground on three sides.

When was the Battle of the Somme, and why did it matter medically?

1916 – tens of thousands of casualties needed care on the first day alone, overwhelming the medical services.

Give one way the terrain of the Western Front made moving the wounded difficult.

The ground did not drain well and explosives churned up the soil, so the mud and flooded trenches made recovery and transport hard.

Give one way the trench system itself made transporting the wounded difficult.

The trenches were narrow and built in a zig-zag pattern, which made it hard for stretcher bearers to move along them.

True or false? Motor ambulances could usually be driven right up to the frontline trench.

False. It was difficult to get motorised transport or railways close to the battleground, so horse-drawn ambulances were often used.

What was the purpose of the support trenches in the British trench system?

They were behind the frontline trench and held troops and supplies who could reinforce or relieve the front line.

How were tanks used at the Battle of Cambrai (November–December 1917)?

In the first large-scale tank attack (over 400 tanks). They broke through at first, but a German counter-attack won back most of the ground.