Attempting to Break the Stalemate

What new weapons and tactics were introduced in an attempt to break the stalemate?

1. Creeping barrage 2. Use of mines 3. Flamethrower 4. Poison gas 5. Tank 6. Airplane 7. Submarine

What were some of the means adopted in an attempt to break the stalemate?

1. Enticing new allies into the war 2. Opening new fronts 3. Development new weapons and tactics 4. Blockade

Why can one refer to the Gallipoli campaign as a brilliant military concept badly bungled in its execution?

1. Loss of the element of surprise 2. Damage to fleet inflicted by minefields and submarines, causing its temporary withdrawal at a strategic moment 3. Inadequate commitment of forces in the opening phases (the campaign was a prime example of "too little, too late".) 4. German countermeasures: use of submarines, increase in supplies to Turkey, flurry of diplomatic activity eventually bringing Bulgaria into the war, the joint invasion of Serbia

What were the two major European neutrals to enter the war after its outbreak and what side did each join?

1. Ottoman Empire (Turkey) 2. Italy

What factors motivated neutrals to joine one side or the other?

1. Pre-war friendships 2. Decisions made by their traditional enemies 3. Extent of bribes offered by each side 4. Fortunes of war (how each side was doing militarily at the time they decided to come in)

What motivated the Italians to enter?

Although the Central Powers offered to turn these lands over to Italy following the wa, the Allies offered this as well as a share in the division of the Ottoman Empire. Since a victory by the central powers would prevent the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, Italy joined the Allies.

Which troops fought at Gallipoli?

British

What were the names given the two sides during the war?

Central Powers (August 1914) 1. Germany 2. Austria-Hungary Allied Powers (Allies) (August 1914) 1. England 2. France 3. Russia 4. Serbia 5. Belgium 6. British Commonwealth 7. Japan

What innovative Allied politician pushed for the Gallipoli campaign and then saw his political career badly damaged by its failure?

Churchill

What was the most famous (and costly) new front opened during the war?

Gallipoli

Why did Japan, with its strictly Asian-orientation, become involved in what was primarily a European war?

Japan became involved in part because of the 1902 treaty with Britain, but primarily in order to gobble up the German sphere of influence in China and the German island colonies in the Pacific.

Why did the British introduction of the tank in 1916 fail to impress the Germans?

The tank crews were only partially trained and Swinton's tactics for its use were ignored. Due to mechanical problems, most of the tanks never actually came into combat.

Did the involvement of any neutral alte the balance decisively enought to make victory possible for one side or the other?

US

Which two technological innovations ultimately combined to break the stalemate of trench warfare on the Western Front?

creeping barrage + tank attack

Which of these greatly contributed to the stereotype of "the Savage Hun"?

flamethrower and poison gas

How did the airplane first prove its worth?

intelligence gathering

Did either side control the skies of the Western Front for the entire war?

no

What was the key breakthrough in the development of successful fighter planes and which side led the way?

synchronized machine gun

Which side the the most opportunity to open up new fronts and why?

the Allies with their control of the sea who had the greater opportunity in this respect.

What was the Affair of the Cruisers which brought in the Turks?

the German cruisers Goeben and Breslau sought sanctuary in the straits. Despite the Treaty of London (1871) which demilitarized the straits, the Young Turk Triumvirate permitted the cruisers to enter, despite allied complaints. To satisfy legality, the Turks "bought" the ships from Germany and dressed the German sailors in Turkish uniforms. Since the ships were the best on the Black Sea, the Turks began using them against the Russians and were thus drawn into the war.

What was the silver lining of this failure from the Allied perspective?

the Germans were not impressed when they first encountered tanks on the Somme and so did not start a tank program. By the time they saw what the tank could really do in late 1917, it was impossible for them to commit any of their limited industrial resources to tank production; and so the Germans produced only a few tanks before the end of the war.

How did this successful use of the airplane lead to the development of fighter planes in 1915?

way to shoot down enemy obeservation planes