Interpretations

• How does Interpretation A differ from

Interpretation B in their account about
the Battle of the Somme?
• Why might the two interpretations
differ about the Battle of the Somme?
• Which interpretation do you find the
most convincing and why?
 Battle of the Somme
Source Analysis

Our artillery hadn’t made any impact on those barbed-wire

entanglements.   The result was we never got anywhere near the
Germans.   Our lads were mown down.   They were just simply
slaughtered.   You were either tied down by the shelling or the
machine-guns and yet we kept at it, making no impact on the
Germans at all.   And those young officers, going ahead, they
were picked off like flies.   We tried to go over and it was just
impossible.   We were mown down.

Memories of Corporal WH Shaw, Royal Welsh Fusiliers

 Battle of the Somme
Source Analysis

John Terraine, The Smoke and the Fire: Myths and Anti-Myths of War
1861-1945, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1980

'By the end of July, responding to every British or French advance or

attempt to advance, the German soldiers had made not less than sixty-
seven counter-attacks, large or small, that I can identify. Probably they
had made a great many more, now lost over time- possibly twice as
many. This was the make up of the battle: attack, counter-attack;
attack again, counter-attack again…
That is why it is so utterly dreadful to dwell constantly on the freak of
1 July, and to associate the whole battle with the image of that day…
The Somme was the turning point. The first dim indication of the still
far-distant victories of 1918.'
 Success criteria
Wow factor! Explains the viewpoint of both interpretations using
the Content, Nature, Origin and Purpose of the
author and links it to the time it was written.
Makes a judgement about which is the most
convincing.

Amazing Explains the viewpoint of both interpretations using

the Content, Nature, Origin and Purpose.

Great Explain why the author of the viewpoint has that

interpretation.

Good Describe the message of an interpretation. What is the

interpretation saying?
 Key question: Was the Battle of the Somme a
success or failure?’

Explain why
there are
Identify three Describe the
different
key facts different
interpretation
about the interpretations
battle. s of the
about the battle and
battle.. evaluate
reasons for
the different
accounts.
Starter – What do you think happened to this boy in
WW1?

The epitaph to Jack

Cornwell on his grave
monument reads,

"It is not wealth or

ancestry
but honourable conduct
and a noble disposition
that maketh men great."

John Travers Cornwell V.C.

This Photo was taken in 1916 shortly before the Battle of
Jutland where Jack Cornwell was mortally wounded on May
31, 1916.
 War at Sea
• Learning objectives
• To describe the events at the Battle of
Jutland.
• To explain the importance of the Battle of
Jutland.
• To interpret the sources on the Battle.
 John Travers Cornwell V.C.
Cornwell's gun on display at the Imperial War Museum.
War At Sea
Blockading Germany and supply lines to
Britain.
 The U-boat campaign: restricted
submarine warfare

• Germany made very effective use of its small U-

boat fleet (only 23 at the start of the war).
• At first, the Germans stuck to the rules of war by
sinking only merchant ships belonging to Britain
and her allies.
• This resulted in a small number of sinkings: only
ten by Feb. 1915.
• After Feb. 1915 the Kaiser ordered a change of
tactic.
The Battle of Jutland, May 1916

• This was the biggest sea battle of

the war, fought between the
British fleet of Admiral Jellicoe and
the German fleet of Admiral von
Scheer.
• Von Scheer decided to take his
fleet out to sea to break the Royal
Navy blockade of Germany which
was causing such hardship
among German civilians.
• The British were waiting for him,
as they had cracked the German
code and knew his plan.
The Battle: a German victory?

• Unfortunately for Jellicoe, the battle went Germany’s

way. Three British battle cruisers were blown apart
when their magazines were exploded by German
shells (see next slide)
• German gunfire was both more accurate and more
damaging because of a design fault in the British
ships.
• The British losses were 14 ships and 6000 sailors;
the Germans 11 ships and 2500 sailors.
• However, the Germans had a much smaller fleet
and could not afford these losses, so Scheer broke
away from the battle and returned back to port.
 Who did win the battle?
• In the short term – it was German victory: they sank
more ships and killed more British sailors.
• But, in the long term, it proved to be a British victory
because the German fleet never came out to sea
again. It spent the rest of the war bottled up in its
ports at Kiel and Wilhelmshaven.
• This left control of the seas to the Royal Navy and the
British blockade remained in force.
• The effect of the blockade was devastating on civilian
morale (and so on the morale of the troops, as well):
750,000 German civilians died during the war as a
result of the poor diet forced on the by the blockade.
• It could be argued that the blockade (and therefore
Jutland) was the real winner of the war for Britain.
 Create a storyboard to show the
events of the Battle of Jutland.
• Explain why the battle was significant.
 The results of the ‘U’ Boat Campaign
Sinking of passenger Q ships – warships
ship Lusitania (1198 disguised as merchant
people killed) in 1915 ships to attack Convoy system
caused outrage in UK submarines. introduced by
and USA. Lloyd George in
May 1917.
Huge minefields laid in Merchant ships
the English Channel. sailed in large
numbers, guarded
Millions of tons of by war ships.
shipping lost. 500,000
Depth Charges
tons in April 1917
Developed to attack
Alone.
U-boats
Britain had 6
weeks supply of
wheat left in USA joined war
1917. in April 1917.
THE WAR AT SEA - JUTLAND

Source A – Official German statement, June 1916

The Kaiser addresses the crews of the High Seas Fleet. The British
Which
fleet was beaten. The first great ha mmer blow was struck, and the
ha lo of British world suprema cy disappeared.
interpretation do
you find the most
Source B – American historian, 1964 convincing and
Jutland gave no cheer to England. If not a defeat, it was a disastrous
victory. The German High Seas Fleet had struck down 117,025 tons of
British warships. The Grand Fleet had sunk about 61,180 tons of
why?
German na va l power. Germa n armour had stood up better: German
gunnery had shown itse lf more accurate.

Source C – British newspaper headlines about Jutland

FACTS OF THE SEA BATTLE

ADMIRAL BEATTY FIGHTS THE WHOLE GERMAN FLEET

COMPENSATION FOR OUR HEAVY LOSS:

ADMIRALTY COUNTS 18 GERMAN SHIPS SUNK AGAINST OUR 14

Source D – An historian
The Kaiser insisted on regarding the battle as a victory. He was quite
wrong. Jellicoe had not won a great victory but he had not suffered a
defeat. He rema ined ready to proceed at sea at four hours notice. The
Ka iser was warned that the High Seas Fleet needed a month to ma ke
good the damage it had suffered. The German Fleet never e merged
from port aga in.

Source E – American newspaper

The German High f leet has assa ulted its ja ilor; but it is still in ja il.
 Success criteria
Wow factor! Explains the viewpoint of both interpretations using
the Content, Nature, Origin and Purpose of the author
and links it to the time it was written. Makes a
judgement about which is the most convincing.

Amazing Explains the viewpoint of both interpretations using the

Content, Nature, Origin and Purpose.

Great Explain why the author of the viewpoint has that

interpretation.

Good Describe the message of an interpretation. What is the

interpretation saying?
 Complete some research on the
sinking of the Lusitania.
• Answer the 5w questions.
• Why were the Americans so concerned
about the sinking of the Lusitania?
How do the two interpretations differ?
Why do you think there is a difference?

Interpretation A
A report in a German Interpretation B - A British artist’s
newspaper. impression of the sinking of the
Lusitania. (Norman Wilkinson)
‘ The sinking of the giant
English steamship has
been a success. With
joyful pride we
contemplate this latest
deed of this navy. It will
not be the last.
 Success criteria
Wow factor! Explains the viewpoint of both interpretations using
the Content, Nature, Origin and Purpose of the author
and links it to the time it was written. Makes a
judgement about which is the most convincing.

Amazing Explains the viewpoint of both interpretations using the

Content, Nature, Origin and Purpose.

Great Explain why the author of the viewpoint has that

interpretation.

Good Describe the message of an interpretation. What is the

interpretation saying?