The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the extent to which the Allied success in overcoming German submarine warfare and land invasions in the first world war can be attributed to Britain’s military tactics and resources. The method in this investigation is to first explain what Britain had that could have led it to contribute to Allied success. This includes an evaluation of different British tactical procedures such as ship camouflage, cartography and early naval operations in particular events from the war. Then, Britain’s contribution will be compared against an economic and military viewpoint of the success of the Allies in World War One. This investigation will not discuss all of Germany’s land invasions during the war nor will it discuss the situation of all of Britain’s allies. Instead, Britain’s contribution to the war will be compared with that of the United States.
The two sources that will be evaluated for their origins, purposes, limitations and values are Jon Tetsuro Sumida British Naval Operational Logistics, 1914-1918 and Mark Harrison’s Why The Rich Won: Economic Mobilization and Economic Development in Two World Wars.
Summary of Evidence
Following the declaration of war, Britain took measures with its navy and Royal Geographical Society (RGS) in an attempt to gain a military advantage against future attacks. The RGS began to work on two projects. One project was to create an index of strategic locations on the large scale maps of Belgium and France which were already at hand and issued to officers in the British forces (Heffernan 508) and the second project was to produce a new skeletal wall map of Britain showing its “railways, principal towns, rivers and county boundaries” (Heffernan 508). After b...
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...rsity of Warwick working paper, 2005. http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/ fac/soc/economics/staff/academic/harrison/public/whytherichwon.pdf
Heffernan, Michael. “Geography, Cartography and Military Intelligence: The Royal
Geographical Society and the First World War.” Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. Vol. 21, No. 3 (1996), pp. 504-533. http://www.jstor.org/stable/622594
Keylor, William. “World War 1.” Encarta. 2001. http://www.is.wayne.edu/mnissani/WWI/ encarta.htm
Shimshoni, Jonathan. "Technology, Military Advantage, and World War I: A Case for Military
Entrepreneurship." International Security. Vol. 15, No. 3 (1990) pages 187-215. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2538911 Sumida, Jon Tetsuro. “British Naval Operational Logistics, 1914 -1918.” The Journal of Military
History. Vol. 57, No. 3 (Jul., 1993), pp. 447-480. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2943988
"Queen's University Archives - World War I." Queen's University Archives - Home. Web. 23 July 2010.
Storey, William Kelleher. First World War : A Concise Global History. Rowman & Littlefield Pub., Inc, 2010. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed March 11, 2012).
In this essay I will explain the battle between Germany and Britain, discuss how important winning this battle was, what Britain had that the Germans did not have, and what could have happened if Britain would have lost. It is known cleverly as “the Battle of Britain”.
After the exhausting efforts required in WWI the United States and Great Britain were war weary. This war weariness affected the political climate and manifested through extreme budget reductions in military expenditures. Military institutions of both countries continued training and sought to prepare for the Second World War. The contrast between the preparation of the navies of the United States and Great Britain represent a remarkable dichotomy of the interwar period; with the US a model of innovation and Great Britain remarkably complacent. The reasons why can be explained in how the two countries saw the threat after World War One, their assessment where the potential naval conflict would arise and what capabilities their own navy would need to be successful in the next war.
Sister Claire Evelyn Trestrail was the eldest of five being born on the 10th of December, 1877 in Clare, South Australia. Trestrail served in the First World War as a nurse following in her mother’s footsteps who was a trained nurse, Acting Matron of King Edward Hospital in Perth and also had involvement within the Red Cross and the Saint John’s Ambulance Services. Trestrail’s younger siblings also had involvement within the First World War with her two younger brothers; John Henry and Amarald Glen, serving in the royal Flying Corps and respectively, 1 Machine Battalion. Amarald was also presented with a Military Medal for Gallantry at Villaret. Sister Ella also served as a nurse, got married, but tragically returned as an amputee. It was only her youngest sister Amy who did not serve during the war.
“Twentieth Century: Military The First World War 1914-18.” Dartford Town Archive. 13 April 2003 <http://www.dartfordarchive.org.uk/20th_century/military_ww1.shtml>.
Marshall Cavendish, Corporation. "Tactics and Weapons on Land." History of World War I 3.(2002): 808-827. History Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
There were many factors in the war which contributed to the Allied victory in 1918, one of these being the war at sea. It is important to compare the effectiveness of the war at sea with the other factors affecting the victory of the Allies in the First World War; these factors being the American entry into the war, the war on land, the war in the air and the development of weapons. I will be trying to evaluate the extent to which the war at sea was the most important reason for the Allied victory, because I believe that it was the most significant factor that aided the Allies in winning the war in 1918.
Morley, Joyce Anne Deane. "War Memories: Plotting the Battle of Britain." Letter. 9 Dec. 2003. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. BBC WW2 People's War. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Field, Frank. British and French Operations of the First World War. Cambridge (England); New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
During W.W.I the Austrian wore the pike gray 1909 pattern tunic and trousers. They have three white stars on the collar which indicate Sergeants rank. Some have leather gaiters worn by mountain troops; others wore the ordinary trousers with the integral gaiter which fastened around the ankle with two buttons. Men and women wore tunics made of khaki serge flannel or cord. Most men, and some women, also wore leather cartridge pouches and a slouched hat. Women were seen wearing long, more fuller skirts. Blouses usually had a high neck line and the sleeves were full length. Women also wore their hair longer but usually pulled it back into a bun or pony tail. Fashions were very conservative. On the Eastern Front, German infantry wore white coats with fur on the inside. They did this for warmth and camouflage. They wore the field gray cap with black/white and red at the top, and state blockade on the band. The band was red for infantry, black for rifles and artillery, and brown for machine gun battalions. The German Army uniform began to change in 1915. They went from buttoned cuffs to a simple turned back cuff. During W.W.I. tobacco was not frequently used, but drinking tea and whisky was used more for entertainment and relaxation. During W.W.II. materials were scarce. Skirt hems were much shorter and skirts were more form fitting. The clothes could not have any cuff, ruffles or flap pockets. Pants could be no more than 19 inches wide. There were also shortages of fabric such as silk, rayon and nylon. American women were starting to become fashionable by wearing military hats, men's pants, and patches. Women also stopped wearing large jewelry such as bangles and beads. Short haircuts were considered much safer at work and less trouble. The short hairstyles became popular during the war. Men's suits were rationed and each man was only allowed one suit per year. Men were allowed to only have four cigarettes per day. The styles during W.W.I were not as conservative as the styles during W.W.II. The styles during W.W.II. indicate a shortage of products which mandated the fashion industry during that era for both men and women. The changing of the fashions from W.W.I. to W.W.II. show that men and women were becoming more in tune with fashion. Styles were not as conservative as they used to be.
Often times the Second World War over shadows the First World War when it comes to discussing a total war because the First World War may be considered a limited war. A limited war has specific goals while a total war involves the entire nation and its destruction. An examination of pre-1914 events and events that occurred from 1914 to1918 reveal the ways in which the First World War was a total war.
O’Neill, William L. World War II A Student Companion. 1 ed. William H. Chafe. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
This statement begins to expose the fear felt by Britain of the imposing German fleet. Due to the militaristic views of Europe, many countries desired to have more power and control, by any means possible. This hunger initiated the Naval Arms Race, in which nations believed as one country increased its naval powers, they too were obliged to increase their armed forces, to maintain a balance of power. The British had dominated the seas and many far off colonies because of their naval fleet, granting them immense power. As the Germans began to propose a new and vast naval fleet, and France and Russia formed a new alliance sparking suspicion in Britain, Germany quickly became a threat to British supremacy. This created a chain reaction of stressed importance upon naval arme...
Prior to the Second World War the British and German militaries were studies in contrast. The British military was a small, professional army designed to win quick victories using mobility and technology...