Armies were forced to adapt their tactics and pursue new technologies as a way of breaking the deadlock. Here we explore some of the weapons used and developed by the British Army during the conflict.
Weapons played a big part in creating the difficult and unusual circumstances of trench warfare which the British Army encountered during the First World War The destructive power of modern artillery and machine guns forced soldiers to seek cover on the battlefield and dig in for protection.
Both sides dug in and a line of trenches soon ran from the Channel to the Swiss frontier. These early trenches were built quickly and tended to be simple affairs that offered little protection from the elements. But they soon grew more substantial.
The front line trenches were backed-up by second and third lines: 'support' and 'reserve' trenches. Communication trenches linked them all together. This system was strengthened with fortifications, underground shelters and thick belts of barbed wire. For commanders, the greatest tactical problem was to get troops safely across the fire-swept divide between the trenches to penetrate enemy defences. While modern weapons had helped create this problem, generals hoped that they would also assist the army in fighting their way out of it.
Artillery was the most destructive weapon on the Western Front. Guns could rain down high explosive shells, shrapnel and poison gas on the enemy and heavy fire could destroy troop concentrations, wire, and fortified positions. Artillery was often the key to successful operations. At the start of the war the British bombarded the enemy before sending infantry over the top, but this tactic became less effective as the war progressed.
Before the Battle of the Somme the Germans retreated into their concrete dugouts during the artillery barrage, emerging when they heard the guns stop. Later in the war, the British used artillery in a defensive way, rather than obliterate enemy positions. The army developed tactics like the creeping barrage, which saw troops advance across no-man's-land behind the safety of a line of shell fire.
They also made the most of new technologies like aircraft, sound ranging and flash spotting to locate and neutralise enemy artillery. The machine-gun was one of the deadliest weapons of the Western Front, causing thousands of casualties. It was a relatively new weapon at the start of the war, but British and German forces soon realised its potential as a killing machine, especially when fired from a fixed defensive position.
The Vickers machine-gun above was famed for its reliability and could fire over rounds per minute and had a range of 4, yards. With proper handling, it could sustain a rate of fire for hours. This was providing that a necessary supply of belted ammunition, spare barrels and cooling water was available.
When there was no water to hand, soldiers would urinate in the water jacket to keep the gun cool! It required a team of two gunners to operate it, one to fire and one to carry ammunition and reload. As gunnery practice improved the British were able to use this light machine gun to give effective mobile support to their ground troops.
Aircraft were a such a new technology during the First World War that no one recognised their potential as a weapon at first.
Pilots would even wave at enemy planes when they passed each other on aerial reconnaissance duties! Initially aircraft carried out artillery spotting and photographic reconnaissance. This work gradually led pilots into aerial battles against enemies engaged in similar activities. As the war progressed aircraft were fitted with machine guns and strafed enemy trenches and troop concentrations.
As the speed and flying capabilities of aircraft improved they even bombed airfields, transportation networks and industrial facilities. Mortars of all sizes were used on the Western Front. Their size and mobility offered advantages over conventional artillery as they could be fired from within the safety of a trench. They were also effective at taking out enemy machine gun and sniper posts.
The Stokes mortar above was the most successful British mortar. It consisted of a metal tube fixed to an anti-recoil plate. When dropped into the tube, a bomb hit a firing pin at the bottom and launched. Radios existed but they were too bulky for use in the trenches.
Artillery was forced to fire by meticulously developed fire plans, but they did not have the flexibility to shift targets based on the tactical situation, this deficiency would not be remedied until after the war when radio was perfected. Another shortcoming was the lack of battlefield mobility, even when a breach in the enemy line was opened the artillery that allowed the breach to be made was unable to support a continued advance because the ground was so broken it could not move up into new positions.
Until the advent of the tank in , armies had to rely on infantry alone to sustain the advance, and this they could not do in the face of prepared defense as developed by the Germans. Lastly, the Germans chose stalemate, the picked the line they would retreat to after the Battle of the Marne and they chose the most defensible ground in northern France to hold.
They chose the defensive in order to free troops up for use in the east in hopes of knocking Russia out of the war. Creation of Stalemate The stalemate on the Western front had developed by December because of the new advances in defensive weaponry where both sides had developed lethal weaponry like the machine guns and artillery, which subsequently led to trench warfare.
It could kill hundreds of men a minute due to its rapid firing rate of bullets a minute. However the machine guns that were used in the First World War weighed between 30kg — 60kg, would require a four to six operators and could heat up extremely quickly; clearly not very effective as a offensive weapon Duffy, Michael.
This made it severely difficult to attack and move with machine guns. Artillery was even deadlier as a defensive weapon and was one of the most important weapons of the First World War as it was the cause of the majority of human losses.
The artillery ranged from field artillery to heavy and long range artillery that could fire long distances and would trap the enemies in their trenches. All these new advances in technology made trenches almost impossible to attack yet also kept each side trapped in their trenches.
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Weapons of World War 2. Good Essays. The Occurence of the Stalemate on the Western. Warfare during the Renaissance Words 3 Pages. Warfare during the Renaissance. The Development of a Stalemate on the Western Front. The operation would be an 'all arms' battle, using tanks, cavalry, aircraft, artillery and infantry. On 20 November , the Germans were surprised by a brief but intense artillery attack on a mile front.
Soon after, more than British tanks advanced across the ground, supported by infantry. A creeping artillery barrage assisted their assault and 14 Royal Flying Corps squadrons attacked trenches, supply convoys, artillery emplacements and other front-line installations. Many tanks were fitted with huge bundles of sticks, known as fascines, to be tipped into the deep ditches of the enemy lines.
These would form bridges over which the following tanks and infantry could crawl. The initial attack went well, with some units advancing more than 5 miles from their starting points. Thousands of enemy prisoners were taken and all three lines of the Hindenburg defences were penetrated.
But the success was short lived. Many tanks broke down or were destroyed by German artillery. Adequate reserves had not been allocated for any major breakthrough.
Indeed, the huge numbers of men stationed at Passchendaele meant there were insufficient troops available. Units also became isolated and there were communication difficulties amid the intense fighting. British progress slowed. These advanced deep into the British lines, causing panic in some areas and threatening to cut off several divisions in a trap. After a period of bitter fighting, the British retreated, keeping only some of the gains they had made at the start of the operation.
The German assault eventually ran out of steam. They suffered similar difficulties to those faced by the British at the start of the battle, such as problems getting reinforcements and supplies forward and battlefield communications and command breaking down. Overall, British casualties amounted to 44, killed, wounded or captured. The Germans sustained around 45, casualties. Cambrai demonstrated that the British could break deeply and quickly into the German defences with relatively few casualties.
But it also showed that better communication was needed if reinforcements were to exploit the success. This first massed deployment of tanks and aeroplanes, along with the ferocity and speed of the German counter-stroke, indicated the potential for a new form of offensive operation. It was a lesson that both sides sought to implement in the campaigns of First World War Europe s. Both resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties for both the Allies and Germans on the Western Front.
The bitter struggle that followed came to symbolize the horrors of trench warfare. In September , the face of battle changed forever. On an unsuspecting enemy, Britain unleashed its new secret weapon - the tank. But for many his leadership was marked by unacceptable losses. Despite early gains, the Germans exhausted themselves, setting the stage for a successful Allied counter-offensive. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Be the first to hear about our latest events, exhibitions and offers.
Simply enter your email address below to start receiving our monthly email newsletter. To find out more about how we collect, store and use your personal information, read our Privacy Policy. National Army Museum 10am - 5. Toggle navigation. First World War Year of stalemate In , Germany adopted a defensive strategy on the Western Front to counter the growing strength of the Allies.
View this object. Warrington Road in the Ypres Salient, German withdrawal Efforts to contain the Allied offensives of proved costly for the Germans. A German pillbox at Bullecourt, Belts of wire on the Hindenburg Line near Heninel, May Allied plans Initially, the Allies had planned a joint offensive with the Russians in the Spring.
Loading an 8-inch howitzer, A Canadian 8-inch howitzer at Vimy Ridge,
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