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Technology and the Nature of Warfare in the First World War (The War at…
Technology and the Nature of Warfare in the First World War
Intro
industrialisation shaped the military technology in the First World War
industrialisation transformed the destructive power of weaponry
increased its range, accuracy and speed of fire
increased the scale of production of weapons and ammunition
most generals believed the deployment of mass infantry alone would win wars
there hadn't been a general war in Europe since the Napoleonic Wars (ended in 1815)
technology had changed since and the population had increased massively
Technological Stalemate
at the start of the war, military technology favoured the defender
machine guns and artillery could be deployed more effectively in defence than attack
barbed wire
trenches
Machine Guns
early in the war, machine guns were too heavy to carry into attack
favoured defence
600 rounds a minute, range of 2,000-2,500 metres
1915: Britain set up the machine gun corps
to coordinate the deployment of machine guns across its armies
1918: there were 120,000 men in the corps
all nations developed light machine guns in the late stages of the war
Artillery
accounted for 70% of total casualties
in first half of war, favoured the defender
artillery too inaccurate to cover advancing infantry
became increasingly more important as the war progressed
all countries experienced shell shortages in the first year
industry failed to keep up with demand
Britain made Ministry of Munitions to combat this
most countries addressed this problem in the late stages of the war
Germany effected the least
artillery bombardment sacrificed the element of surprise
not successful at clearing barbed wire
Battle of Somme (July 1916): heavy bombardment for a week of German defences by 1.7 million shells
Germans survived in 10m deep trenches
Neuve Chapelle
Britain launched a successful offensive
slow communication meant 9 hours were wasted before the British troops were ordered to advance after the offensive
Attrition
cavalry at first were useful in reconnaissance
later useless - in a war of attrition
except in some cases on the Eastern Front
trench system and race to the sea meant the war became mostly a war of attrition
the wearing down of an enemy, morally and economically, by a series of offensives
Battle of Verdun (1916): large losses of men on both sides, but little changed in the front
classic example of war of attrition
Technological and Tactical Developments in WWI
Gas
April 1915: poison gas first deployed
by Germans
in the Second Battle of Ypres
from July 1915: gas shells fired by artillery used
both sides developed gas masks and equipped their soldiers with them
addressed the problem of gas quickly
gas feared - killed about 1 million men
Tanks
February 1915: Churchill set up Landships Committee
by 1916: a limited number of primitive tanks had been manufactured
didn't have a massive strategic advantage - but terrified Germans
slow and prone to mechanical breakdown
1918: Germans began to deploy tanks
by 1918: British and French tank development had reached the stage where it was providing a noteworthy advantage
massed tank formations contributed to the success of Allied counter offensives in the summer and autumn of 1918
Artillery
British had developed silent registering by 1917
meant targets could be register for bombardment without the need for test shots
Trench and Infantry Tactics
concrete pillboxes camouflaged
when the front lines were penetrated, pillboxes picked off the advancing men
double/triple trench lines
Radio
developments in radio helped communication
helped coordinate infantry, artillery and airplanes together
The War in the Air
Aerial Reconnaissance
took over role of the cavalry
photographic reconnaissance = cartography
benefitted from communication improvements
could guide artillery
Design Developments
aircrew at first had revolvers
July 1915: the development of forward-firing machine guns
Fokker developed an interrupter so that machine guns would not hit the propellers of the plane
for Germany
superiority in the air oscillated often
by the end the Allies had a great advantage
mostly due to the large number of US planes
Strategic Bombing
September 1914: Royal Navy Air Service carried out strategic bombing
bombing became accurate with the invention of bomb sights in 1915
the small payload of bombs that planes could carry meant they didn't make a significant impact on the war
civilians learnt that the war could affect them too
Germans dropped bombs from zeppelins over London
1916: Britain developed anti-aircraft guns
Tactical Bombing
the use of bombs to support ground troops
was employed to a limited extent - Third Battle of Ypres
helped more so in Turkey and the Middle East
Aircraft's Role in the War at Sea
Germans used zeppelins to scout
Britain used Royal Navy Air Service to observe German u-boat movements
from 1917: planes began making take offs and landings from ships
convoys protected merchant ships
The War at Sea
only one major battle
ironic that the Anglo-German arms race had contributed to the war
British and German ships interacted across most of the world
British Naval Blockade
Britain captured German naval codes
monitored German naval operations
Britain continued to apply a long distance blockage on Germany
patrols by cruisers intercepted German supplies
short range blockades may have been more effective
but this would be costly
Impact
Germany increasingly short of raw materials and food
Malnutrition and food shortages in Germany
Britain used its empire and control of the sea to
keep its people well fed
obtain plenty of raw materials for wartime industry
u-boats still a threat to Britain
The Battle of Jutland
May 1916: Jutland in the North Sea
Submarine Warfare
by January 1917: Germany had a fleet of 110 U-Boats
Germany announced unrestricted submarine warfare
intended to starve Britain
spring-summer of 1918: Germany inflicted heavy losses on Allied and Merchant shipping
Britains Response to U-Boat Threat
decoy ships sent out
amphibious aircraft given torpedoes
convoy system
Total War
the mobilisation of all resources of a country for war
civilians were targets now
Home Front important in the outcome of the war