How many were killed at the Battle of the Somme?
300 thousand
Who won the battle of the Somme?
Battle of the Somme
| Date | 1 July 1916 – 18 November 1916 (140 days) |
|---|---|
| Result | Franco-British victory All allied objectives achieved at a cost of high casualties German forces retreat towards Péronne and Bapaume |
| Territorial changes | Bulge driven into the Noyon salient |
How many shells were fired in the Battle of the Somme?
1.5 million shells
Why was the Somme so bad?
The main problem was the huge British artillery bombardment had failed. Although the German defences at ground level had been smashed, many of the barbed wire defences remained. This had horrendous consequences for most of the men in the British battalions advancing towards them.
What were the main causes of death in ww1?
Most of the casualties during WWI are due to war related famine and disease. Civilian deaths due to the Spanish flu have been excluded from these figures, whenever possible. Moreover, civilian deaths include the Armenian Genocide.
What was the number one killer in WW1?
On Armistice Day, 1918, the world was already fighting another battle. It was in the grip of Spanish Influenza, which went on to kill almost three times more people than the 17 million soldiers and civilians killed during WW1.
What diseases killed soldiers in WW1?
The occurrence of such illnesses was exacerbated by poor sanitation in the trenches, and many more soldiers died of illness than of gunshot wounds, gas attacks or shell fire. Respiratory diseases such as influenza, tuberculosis, pleurisy and pneumonia were rife, as were scabies, pediculosis (lice) and other parasites.
What was the worst disease in the trenches?
But the majority of loss of life can be attributed to famine and disease – horrific conditions meant fevers, parasites and infections were rife on the frontline and ripped through the troops in the trenches. Among the diseases and viruses that were most prevalent were influenza, typhoid, trench foot and trench fever.
What was the most common injury in ww1?
gunshot wounds
What does the M in main stand for?
The M-A-I-N acronym is often used to analyse the war – militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism.
How did they treat infections in ww1?
Antibacterial solutions, such as those of Dakin-Carrel and sodium hypochlorite and boric acid, the tincture of iodine as well as the surgical and dressing approaches and techniques used to remove pus from wounds, such as ignipuncture and thermocautery or lamellar drainage are reported in detail.
Can you kill medics in war?
And it’s just as illegal for a medic to shoot at you — while they have weapons to defend themselves with, the moment they initiate combat, they are classed as combatants and can be freely shot at in response.
How did surgery improve in ww1?
Emergency surgery made spectacular progress during the war with the systematic use of pre-emptive suturing to avoid the immediate amputation much practised in past wars, and laparotomies to save soldiers with abdominal wounds.
What were medics called in ww1?
They had medical corpsmen, called immunes. They practiced front-line treatment, with evacuation through well-organized supply and logistics chains. Because of their improved sanitation, their armies suffered somewhat less from the epidemics which swept military camps.
What happened to injured soldiers in ww1?
The seriously injured were taken by ambulance to a casualty clearing station. This was a set of tents or huts where emergency treatment, including surgery, was carried out. They were then transferred to a hospital away from the front, where they would be looked after by nurses, most of whom were volunteers.
What did the Ramc do in ww1?
During the First World War it expanded to a significant branch of the military, as the hundreds of thousands of casualties the war created required an ever-growing medical corps. The RAMC provided not only front-line medical assistance but also hospitals, ambulances and rehabilitation support during the conflict.
What did Fany stand for?
First Aid Nursing Yeomanry
What does Ramc stand for?
The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is responsible for maintaining the health of servicemen and women. The Corps is represented wherever British Soldiers are deployed, providing medical support to operations, exercises and adventurous training expeditions all over the world.
What is Ramc and Fany?
RAMC: Royal Army Medical Corps. Founded in 1898, responsible for army medical care. FANY: First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. Founded in 1907 as a woman’s voluntary organisation, working as ambulance drivers, they washed soldiers, and e.g. set up cinemas to entertain the troops.
Why was it difficult to transport injured soldiers on the front line?
As there were a number of bombings and shells often the terrain near the trenches made it very difficult to cross. If you were injured you needed to be moved ASAP away from the trenches. Stretcher bearers would carry them away when they were stable enough. This meant they would have to avoid gunfire and shelling.
What happened at Hill 60 near Ypres?
When the mines were detonated at 3:10 a.m. on 7 June 1917, 990,000 pounds (450,000 kg) of explosives went off under the German positions, demolishing a large part of Hill 60 and killing c. 10,000 German soldiers between Ypres and Ploegsteert. Many of them lay dead in the great craters opened by the mines.
Who were the Ramc?
The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace.