Question 1: Study source A. What can you learn from Source A about tanks at the Battle of the Somme?

Skill: TWO supported inferences

Inferences / Support
Tanks very effective
Germans unprepared
Impressive

Question 2: Study source B. What was the purpose of this poster? Use details of the poster and your own knowledge to explain your answer.

Skill: Supported purpose

Skill / Example
Purpose
Source / It shows the success of tanksin creating a breakthrough in the trench system, and in bold
letters stresses that it is a matter of pride to help to build thetanks
Knowledge / This was especially important as up to the battle of Cambrai, November 1917,tanks had not been very effective, with many breaking down or getting stuck in the mud so more were needed.

Question 3: How far do Sources A and C support the evidence of Source B about the use of tanks on the Western Front? Explain your answer, using the sources.

Skill: Cross referencing and evaluation

Exemplar extract: Source A agrees with Source B about the use of tanks onthe Western Front. Source B suggests the tanks have been veryeffective in achieving a breakthrough in the trenches, with thetanks pictured crossing no-man’s – land and the barbed wire. Thisis supported by Source A which says that the tanks “rolled overthe barbed-wire entanglements”.

Source A strongly supports the evidence of Source B aboutthe use of tanks. This is not surprising as both are typical of theFirst World War. Source A is a typical eyewitness reaction to theuse of the first tanks and Source B is a typical example of agovernment propaganda poster.

Answer to finish:

Source C does not agree with the evidence of Source B…

The sources strongly disagree. This is not surprising because of where the sources come from…

Question 4: How useful are Sources D and E as evidence of the effects of artillery attacks on the Western Front? Explain your answer, using Sources D and E and your own knowledge.

Skill: Reliability of CONTENT and NATURE, ORIGIN and PURPOSE

Start of exemplar answer: Source D is useful because it provides details of the horrificeffect of an artillery attack on a British trench. This was typical ofmany attacks which killed or wounded a significant number ofBritish soldiers, arguably more so than any other weapon (As shown in F). This account mentions the death of at leastthree of his comrades including his ”Sergeant Major”.Source D’s origin is also useful because it is an extract from thediary of a British officer who would be giving his genuinethoughts and feelings about the effects of an artillery barrage.

Useful / Not
E CONTENT / Germans had deep (up to 10m) dugouts that resisted much of the artillery bombardment before the Somme attack
E NOP / Official government photograph
CONCLUSION: WHICH BEST AND WHY

Answer to finish using planning grid:

Question 5: ‘New weapons were very effective on the Western Front during the First World War’. How far do the sources in this paper support this statement? Use details from the sources and your own knowledge to explain your answer.

Skill: BALANCED argument that has been evaluated

Exemplar answer supporting statement: Sources A, B, D and E suggest that new weapons were veryeffective weapon on the Western Front. Source A suggests thatthe first tanks successfully crossed no-man’s-land and “scared the guts” out of the terrifiedthe Germans. This same effect is shown in B with tanks crossing trenches and barbed wire in No-Man’s Land. D and E both agree on the impact of artillery, with D claiming it was as effective as “400” bullets and that the deaths causes “horrible”. E clearly shows the damage causes by the aftermath of shelling, with the trench dugout caved in.

This evidence in A and Dis strengthened by its reliability – itis an eyewitness account. Source B provides further support forthe hypothesis suggesting that tanks were a great success.However, this evidence is weakened by its reliability. It is agovernment propaganda poster which deliberately exaggeratesthe success of the tank in order to encourage people to volunteerto work in tank factories. The same problem also occurs in D, which is clearly a carefully chosen photograph to show the success of the artillery bombardment on the first day of the Somme – which is known not to have worked.

Skill / Disagreeing – New tactics ineffective.
Strong / C - Tanks were ineffective onthe Western Front – Tank commander
F - Gas did not lead to breakthrough
F – Tanks ineffective – proven by knowledge
F – Machine guns not effective – mainly defensive– textbook
Weak
OK / Gas – Changed direction according to wind
Arrival of Americans really led to breakthrough
Tanks –Battle of Cambrai – used successfully.
3rd Battle of Ypres - they got stuck in the mud and they had toleave behind over two hundred derelict tanks
Conclusion

Answer to finish using planning grid: