Practices of war- Technological developments: land, naval, air warfare

Technological developments: land, naval, air warfare

War on land

fighting took place on several fronts but the WESTERN FRONT most important:

• operational theatre of war (entire 320km used as a continuous battlefield because of size + length of time)

• attacks continuous + failure to break deadlock

• key role in outcome- other fronts were created to break THIS WESTERN FRONT deadlock

tech developments LAND

MANY new tech created to try break deadlock:

• machine guns

• grenades

• heavy artillery

• chemical warfare

• tanks

machine guns (Br) + grenades (Br&Ger)

• far more lethal, required less accuracy

• grenades

heavy artillery

• responsible for 70% of casualties

• Commanders saw artillery as key to overcoming enemy defences; every major attack was preceded by a prolonged artillery barrage.

• REALITY: inaccurate, ineffective to destroy trenches COMPLETELY,

• Gave enemy warning- time to prep defense

• CHURNED UP LAND- harder for soldiers to attack

What was an example of artillery not being effective in breaking the deadlock?

The Battle of the Somme

• Br fired 1.5 million shells in 5 days- still failed to cut the barbed wire or destroy German trenches

Did artillery evolve?

Yes- signals could be covered- surprise enemy

chemical warfare

• useful for causing panic

• mustard gas most dangerous

• DIDNT PLAY ANY KEY ROLE IN BREAKING STALEMATE

• Gas can blow back from wind, gas masks developed- EVEN LESS EFFECTIVE

What was an example of chemical warfare used in the war?

The Battle of Ypres- Ger April 1915

tanks

• tanks effective except for their slowness + unreliability

• conditions inside tanks almost fatal

When were tanks first used?

• By British and French in the Battle of the Somme

What was the impact of the technological developments on land in the outcome of the war?

• allowed for changed improved battle tactics

• played a role in final success of allies advance in 1918- allies’ ‘Hundred day offensive’ utilised all tech + strategic developments on land- helped allies strategy, combined with German internal unrest + central powers’ exhaustion of resources- ALLIED VICTORY

War at sea

• control of seas crucial to both sides

• Britain needed to be able to transport men (from far places too) and supplies to the battlefields of Europe and Middle East.

• Britain is an island- depends on food + industrial supplies from other countries- SURVIVAL

• Ger needed food + supplies overseas too

• CONTROL OF TRADE ROUTES- for both sides + to stop enemies getting supplies

• For majority of war- allies able to sustain blockade on Ger + transport supplies

mines and submarines

• Ger tried to enforce blockade of Royal Navy with U-Boats

• U-boats: submarines

• Submarines + torpedos threatened allies

  • Germans wanted to use U-boats whilst keeping america out of war, launched unrestricted submarine warfare trying to starve Br + Fr before US intervention

U-Boat blockade

• attacked unarmed merchant ships

• u-boats less successful as US output helped allies

• tech progressed + could detect u-boats

Battle of Jutland

• Ger failure to lure Br boats out for an attack

• Br deciphered signals

War in air

major tech leaps: aircraft as military weapons

airships, bombs, civilian targets

• Ger zeppelins replaced with Gotha

• Br responded with RFCs

• Civilian attacks from air popular

aircraft

• speed + mobility

• photographs taken for detecting enemy bases

• communication made possible by aerial wireless between air and ground

• aerial ‘dog-fights’ developed- shooting via plane propellers

• control of skies became essential for victory

• politicians realised bombing civilians could greatly decrease enemy morale