How did the Generals try to deliver the decisive blow?
Generals on all sides were under considerable pressure to develop a strategy that would win the war.
Most of them were steeped in 19th century values and found the modern 20th century warfare
unfamiliar but nevertheless endeavoured to find a way. Germany’s tactic was to hit the southern town
of Verdun on 21st Feb 1916 with 2 million shells. They captured 3km of ground in 3 days but Petain’s
defence was ultimately to go down as one of the greatest in military history. Units were regularly
rotated so as not to become too exhausted or overwhelmed by the horrors they saw and supply lorries
were keeping the forces going at a regular 14 second interval! The casualty list rose to 700 000 after the
French counterattacked in October and December and regained all the earlier losses. The horrors of this
particular encounter were seared on the minds of all those who had witnessed Verdun. Further west,
The Allies launched their own massive offensive on the Somme with similar outcomes. These were the 2
monumental failures of 1916. Put simply, until 1 side had a distinct superiority at all levels military
effectiveness, it was not possible to overcome the stalemate that was the Great War. For most of the
war there was no distinct superiority. Both sides had strengths but also weaknesses. One cannot simply
blame the generals for failing to find a break though as this was an unprecedented situation
What impact did the navies have on the war ?
After the huge spending in the naval race in the 20 years or so before the war, it was expected that the
great dreadnought would play a major role. Ironically, the early naval engagements made it clear the
decisive role would be played by cheaper and less glamorous weapons eg The German U boat, U9, sank
3 British cruisers in Sep 1914 within a matter of minutes and HMS Audacious was sunk a month later by
a mine. The Germans sought to launch raids on the British fleets in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans with
considerable success led by Admiral Von Spee’s cruiser squadron. However the British counterattacked
in 1914/1915 and eventually put an end to Von Spee’s fleet and the threat of surface attack. The GB
enjoyed surface supremacy for the remainder of the war which was vital as it allowed 8.5 million Empire
troops to be moved to the Western Front and enforced a crippling blockade on Germany and facilitated
the conquest of Germany’s colonies. It also enabled the transport of US troops and resources in 1917,
which was to prove a decisive role in the eventual victory.
The one area where Germany did prove very difficult at sea was in submarine warfare. They were used,
at their peak, to sink much merchant and Royal navy shipping equivalent to 1 in 4 ships leaving British
ports by 1917. The British countered with a convoy system that was also costly but able to reduce losses
which allowed GB to make good their losses in the ship yards. By the end of the war, new counter
technology such as mines and depth charges were able to wipe out half of the German U Boat fleet. The
submarine proved to be a flawed strategy especially after its role in sinking the US ship Lusitania which
brought America into the war. It had been a dangerous weapon but ultimately a flawed one.
Task – Why did the war of movement become a static war?
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What did each side hope to gain from the war?
Why did the ‘war plans of Germany and France go wrong so quickly?
What impact did new technology have in the way the war was to be fought?
What was done to try and deliver the decisive victory and ultimately why did it fail to do so?
How important was GB’s navy in the war?