Battle Tactics During World War I

Who were the German Sturmtruppen (Stormtrooper), and how did they affect modern combat? The German Stormtrooper were an elite force of soldiers trained to fight a fast-paced style of combat. In 1915, WW1 had come to a halt, with miles of trench structures set all over Europe. Both Allied and Axis forces were weary of fighting this war of attrition and were desperate to try new and diverse types of warfare to break these lines. As explained by Citino, “After much trial and error, the German army developed a new method of fighting. Stormtrooper (Stosstupp) or infiltration tactics was the solution to the trench warfare stalemate. Infantry could once more cross “no man’s land” and come to grips with the enemy” (16). Consequently,

A primary factor in the war’s high casualty and fatality rate was the advanced technologies and war tactics employed by the militaries. As products of the industrial and chemical advancements during the century proceeding the war, some were developed to directly aid combat, such as the machine gun, while others

The Allies rallied an offensive for the liberation of France in late September 1915. This resulted in a stalemate between the powers, inflicting heavy casualties on the Allied and Central Powers. This fierce battling with no progression continued into late 1916, when the Germans became concerned at the amount of the allied forces on the western front and the invention of the tank - technology that Germany

The tactics used in World War I were radically different than that of previous wars. The majority of the war was fought in the trenches, and the war itself seemed to have no end. Due to this, the psychological impact of the war was unlike anything that had been seen before. During the early days of the war, the soldiers, on both sides, seemed to lack the dedication that would have been necessary to exterminate their enemy. However, as the war progressed, the desire to avenge their fallen comrades overcame their ethics and they began to kill their enemy indiscriminately. Surviving soldiers experienced a phenomenon that was, at that time, referred to as shell shock. Today we refer to this phenomenon as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. At this time, this psychological condition was misunderstood and the doctors lacked the training necessary to effectively treat this condition.

The first world war was one of the most brutal and remorseless events in history; ‘the global conflict that defined a century’. Over nine million soldiers and a large amount of innocent civilians lost their lives. Empires crumbled, revolution engulfed Russia and America rose to become a dominant world power. Huge armies deployed new weapons of devastating effect from rifles and pistols to torpedoes and flame throwers. These weapons were used not only in the trenches but by tanks too. This was an advantage to those who were able to access such machinery as they could easily launch bullets and missiles at nearby enemy bases. The downfall of the tank was the fact it was unable to cross the trenches. Tanks were not the only pieces of equipment that could access this machinery but U boats and planes too. The British carried ‘bolt action rifles’ in which fired 15 rounds per minute at a minimum range of 1,400 metres away. This allowed the British to take out foes at a far greater range. By using machinery in which rules out the need for getting up close to the enemy was a great advantage during world war one. Soldiers ran from trench to trench attacking with all that they had. This resulted in a massacre as the soldiers running toward the trenches were shot down. Machinery such as machine guns and heavy artillery were the weapons used in the trenches. In modern day society, machine guns are the main weapons used by soldiers. This wasn’t the case around the 1914s. They took four

The tactics used in World War II had to come from somewhere and that was the past. The main reason for this was because most high ranking officers only knew old tactics. One of the biggest strategies that most are familiar with is the use of trench warfare. The many problems both sides faced when using trenches was how vulnerable soldiers were inside them. They were prone to constant chemical attacks, artillery barrages, and tanks. Trench warfare was not a pretty fight but it was one of the most used tactics throughout the war. An offensive at Somme was a prime example of the use and tactical advantage tools of war gave a side. In the summer of 1916, General Douglas Haig ad ordered and eight day artillery bombardment to soften up the German

Bodies flailing, ripped apart by machine guns. German Panzers destroying everything in their path. A blood soaked forest; the Ardennes. The Battle of the Bulge began on December 16, 1944. It was a hard fought allied victory that pitted American, British, Australian, and South African forces against the battle hardened Panzer and SS German divisions. In the heat of the battle, the American 101st division was surrounded by German forces at Bastogne. When asked to surrender, General Anthony McAuliffe only replied with one word; “Nuts!”. The 106th division was almost annihilated. This was a gallant allied victory, showing the force of the American soldiers. However, it came with great cost. Influenced by the beginning of the war and how the war turned against the Nazi’s, the Battle of the Bulge was a bloody battle, in which German defeat lead to their surrender soon after, proving to be an extremely significant event in WWII.

P., Jr. (n.d.). American and German field artillery in the Battle of the Bulge. Retrieved May 9, 2018, from http://99div.com/olddirect/american_and_german_field_artillery_in_the_battle_of_the_bulge cb01biggio 416d65726963616e20616e64204765726d616e206669656c6420617274696c6c65727920696e2074686520426174746c65206f66207468652042756c6765

The battle of the bulge is an military battle that took place in northern France over the course of December 16, 1944 to January 18, 1945. The beggining of the battle on December 16 the U.S. Army VIII Corps including the 106th Infantry Division. The 28th Infantry Division and also the reduced 9th Armored Division. The 4th Infantry Division set up from north to south. The VIII Corps headquarters was located in Bastogne. The VIII Corps were holding the southern edge of the U.S. First Army front lines adjacent to the U.S. Third Army. By 12:00pm on the first day of the attack, December 16, there were twice as many German divisions, including two panzer divisions, identified in the sector moving against VIII Corps. By December 18 there were two

The Germans had deployed the 352nd infantry division in a defensive doctrine on Omaha beach , Normandy. In hopes of

     In the first phase of World War II in Europe, Germany sought to avoid a long war. Germany's strategy was to defeat its opponents in a series of short campaigns. Germany quickly overran much of Europe and was victorious for more than two years by relying on a new military tactic called the "Blitzkrieg" (lightning war). Blitzkrieg tactics required the concentration of offensive weapons (such as tanks, planes, and artillery) along a narrow front. These forces would drive a breach in enemy defenses, permitting armored tank divisions to penetrate rapidly and roam freely behind enemy lines, causing shock and

World War II was the first war to heavily employ tanks. The tanks ranged in variety for each of the individual nations. It has been said that the German Panzer tank was top dog on the battle field during the war but especially at the beginning of the war. This statement although true is not because the common belief that they were built better than other nation’s tanks but because German strategy and the preparedness of the tanks themselves and the crews operating them was vastly better than competing nations such as France and the Soviet Union.

Leading into the Fall of 1914, tactics on both sides of the line involved the rapid mobilization, maneuver and envelopment of the opposing side.10 Pre-1914 doctrine took little into account the effects of emerging new technology and their impact on both defensive and offensive operations. This disconnect between doctrine and technology contributed to the failure of early offensive operations in the Fall of 1914 and resulted in staggering casualties.11 Both sides developed doctrine that took into effect the unique terrain and technology that had been developed prior and during World War I. However by the end of the war, a combination of flexibility, decentralized control, and counterattack at every echelon made the German defensive system the most effective.12 This “elastic defense” had three unique characteristics; dedicated counter-attack force at all levels, decentralized command and control, fluid defensive belts and integrated artillery support at the Division level. Under this new doctrine, Corps headquarters had the role sustaining subordinate units, but not directing their actions during battle.13 This defense-in-depth and the lessons learned during the Verdun battles of 1918 were so successful that British forces adopted many of the German tactics with a special emphasis on their counterattack capability.10 Utilizing the new doctrine, by August 1918, Germany had made substantial gains, however had

Throughout the war most of the countries were racing to develop the most technologically advanced tanks so they could dominate the battlefield (WW2 Museum 2010). To counter all the tanks, counties also developed anti-tank artillery and tank-destroyers, also tanks, so they could fire and destroy tanks from a range longer than a tanks range. Two of the most advanced tanks of their time were the American Sherman M4 and the German Waffen SS (Tanks of War 2013). The Sherman m4 was the fourth generation of the medium tanks made by the United States and it was very easy to produce and maintain (WW2 Museum 2010). The Waffen SS was a tank that had thick armor and was only allowed to be operated by the SS, making their numbers way less than the American Sherman (Tanks of War 2013). Tanks quickly became one of the most important assets on the

The Sturmpanzerwagen was used in action from March to October 1918, and was the only tank produced by Germany in World War I to be used in combat. This tank was designed by Joseph Vollmer in 1916 to be used by the German Empire. In service, it required no fewer than eighteen men to operate, these proved hard to maneuver and unreliable and was therefore not deemed a success. The A7V-U was presented as its improved model and attempted to correct the mistakes made in the making of the original A7V. It was used in battles such as St. Quentin Canal, Villers-Brettoneux, and the third battle of Aisne. The Sturmpanzerwagen was the first tank used in combat, and tanks have since evolved greatly.