World War 1 Military Innovation

The Germans had definitely revolutionized naval with the introduction of their U-boats. If it had not been for them, there may not have been any good offensive weapons to use at sea. The Germans had created much more powerful weapons by implementing torpedoes into their U-boats. This was a very smart idea by the Germans as it allowed them to catch many enemies off guard and be much more successful at sea. It was smart of them to take a more offensive approach to naval battles instead of their usual defensive approach. Not only was a new approach taken towards naval battle, but land warfare was also highly improved.

In February 1891 Count Alfred von Schlieffen was appointed Chief of the Prussian General Staff, a post which he held until the end of 1905. The most important responsibility of the General Staff was to produce the annual deployment plans, which stipulated how the German army was to be drawn up ready for battle in case of war. The initial pattern of deployment was the basis of the operational plan for the conduct of the war itself. The General Staff routinely tested these war plans in studies and exercises. During most of Schlieffen’s time as Chief of Staff, the essential strategic problem for Germany was indeed the likelihood that the next war would have to be fought against two enemies on widely separated fronts, the French in the west and the Russians in the east. Schlieffen never found a convincing solution to this problem. His suggestion was to deploy much greater forces on one of the fronts in order to defeat that enemy quickly and decisively, and then to use rail mobility to reinforce the other front and win a decisive victory there too. That sounded fine in theory, but when it was tested in exercises it proved hard to achieve. An initial victory on one front could not be fully exploited because of the need to switch forces promptly to the other front. Once that happened, the first enemy

In document B, Article 160 of the Versailles Treaty states, “Germany must not exceed one hundred thousand men, including officers. The total effective strength of officers, including the personnel of staffs, whatever their composition, must not exceed four thousand.” Germany was de-militarised to to protect France from future invasions. Germany’s military was reduced to weaken them and to make sure they never harmed other countries. According to the German political cartoon, Troop Levels, 1920 (doc B), Germany’s military was under the control of the Allies. Poland, France, Belgium and Czechoslovakia all had greater military reserves which made Germany the weakest. They also put restrictions on Germany’s military which also decreased their

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.

There is a sense that modern weapons during the 20th century proved to be the most technological advancements and thus created competition in which sprawled into a new stage of warfare enlightenment. At the brink of the war and the salient of forces perhaps the most technological tool used had been the trenches. The pursuit of territorial conquest would halt at the trench lines inventing a new progression in how war is envisioned today. The disadvantages often outnumber the benefits of war, however, war managed to create a boosted in advanced warfare starting as early as the Franco-Prussian War. As the war progressed during 1914, items such as uniforms called for change. The sense of pride in nationality struck in numbers and not in bright colors. For the sake of duty and country was the most powerful drive including those who sought ground in the western lines.

The technology of World War II, which lasted from 1939 to 1945, was a big part of the determination of the outcome of the war. Much of the technology was developed during the interwar years. Some of it was developed because of failure and hindrance in war progression, obviously because of inefficient technology. Still some was in the beginning stages of development as the war ended. Though earlier war greatly utilized science, mathematics, and innovation, World War II had the largest impact on the innovation in technology of the current lives of Americans. Furthermore, no war, preceeding or succeeding, was as profoundly affected by science, mathematics, and technology as World War II. Science and technology have always made

Another important reason for the defeat of Germany is the effective integration of technologies which the Allies had employed by the end of the war. By the end of the war Allied (particularly British) command had improved technologies and had learnt to use them better than earlier in the war. Technologically, the Allies had a great advantage in 1918 onwards: Germany had some very high quality, but very few tanks and aircraft. By the war's end, Germany had 45 tanks whilst the Allies had almost 3,500, and even Germany's 45 tanks were mostly Allies tanks in disrepair or Germany's notoriously unreliable A7V. The Allies also had an air advantage: by late 1918

World War 1(WW1) introduced many different types of machinery and weaponry to the world. It was known to be the greatest enhancements technological warfare. It introduced many different types of machinery and weaponry to the world. Some examples would include the first models of tanks, machine guns, airplanes and aircraft carriers(History 1). As the war progressed in years, the weapons and machines got substantially better. These improvements contributed and influenced modern war tactics which in the end, results in an overall more deadlier war.

Technology played a key role in determining the outcome of World War II. The high military demand for more advanced technology acted as a catalyst for the development of technology in the interwar years of the 1920’s and 1930’s. Scientists and Engineers alike poured massive amounts of research and development time into supporting the war effort, and more advanced technology was developed at an alarmingly rapid rate. One notable fact about technology in World War II is that World War II is the first war in which many military attacks were designed

Unique systems of finance such as nation state resources, levee en masse, and alliances provided the means to build, strengthen, and maintain military forces for war. Innovation was used to change organizational design and maneuver practices which allowed the command and control of large military forces and successful engagements of the enemy. Discipline allowed forces to understand and study tactics through Bildung and Nationalism among troops allowed forces to move great distance by pillaging for logistic resources without deserting their units.

The period after World War I was known as the Interwar period. During this time nations such as France, the United States, Russia, and even Germany made changes in their armed forces. The changes included the reduction of force structure to technological improvements in weaponry. Britain became a leader among nations in military, particularly Army or ground innovations during the interwar years. Their ingenuity led to other nations taking all or some of the ideas to improve upon or add to their army. However, Britain's army was unable to achieve greatness from their innovations in armored warfare during the Inter-War period because of political constraints and an inability to foresee their future needs.

In comparison to the Islamic world, China, India and the Byzantine Empire, European technology was more progressive. Their knowledge of newfound technology techniques was mainly borrowed from other civilizations. They adapted to these new techniques rather than developing them. From 600 to 1,450 C.E in Western Europe, the use of military techniques remained the same while innovations in agricultural techniques changed extensively.

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

A graduate of King’s College, Cooper has worked at the Imperial War Museum and the Tower of London, and is an officer of the House of Commons at the time this book was published. Overall, the book thoroughly supports its thesis. Each chapter supports this main idea in a different way, be it preparation, leadership, resources, or overall battle plans and strategy. Moreover, the book takes a deep look at how all these facets combined turned a formable fighting force into a shadow of its former self. One of the largest issues the Luftwaffe faced according to Cooper came from the First World War in the form of the Treaty of Versailles.

American army officer Omar Bradley once said,“If we continue to develop our technology without wisdom or prudence, our servant may prove to be our executioner.” The meaning of this quote lies in the destruction and devastation of humanity and geography during war. If we do not stop advancing in ways of killing and causing suffering, we will soon face the consequences of these technologies. Throughout World War I and World War II, there was a ginormous technological boom in which countries were competing to invent new weapons or vehicles used in warfare. Specifically, World War I could be blamed for the start of the creating of new technologies used in warfare even today. These technologies were often invented or created during World War I,