This tactic was used, for example, at battles such as the Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme in 1916, and the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917. This tactic, however, tended to result in huge casualty rates and neither side made significant gains. New weapons were also used in an attempt to break the stalemate on the Western Front. At first, artillery barrage was used to inflict constant barrage on the enemy and preceding front offensives. As the war drew on, other weapons such as gas and tanks were used by the Germans for the first time at the First Battle of Ypres in 1915, and became a major tool of warfare on the Western Front.
How were these battles similar or different from each other? 2) If wars have been fought for thousands of years, why is the war between 1914 and 1918 commonly referred to today as the “First World War?” 3) Due to its length and intensity, new weapons and technologies were introduced and improved upon during the First World War in the hope of delivering victory. List them and briefly describe how they affected the outcome of the war. 4) Why did First World War armies dig trenches? Did this happen by accident or by design?
Albert Speer – rise to prominence Albert Speer was a significant figure in German history due to his various architectural projects and his appointment as Minister for Armaments. Although he claimed to be apolitical, Speer joined the Nationalist Social party on March 1st, 1931 and from they’re his career in the Nazi party prospered. Speer’s first contribution to the Nazi party was as a chauffer, as district head of the Nazi Motorist League, where he met Karl Hanke. A recommendation by Hanke to Goebbels, gave Speer his first architectural assignment of decorating Goebbels headquarters in Berlin. Hitler approved the finished result, however Goebbels did not like its simplicity and had it redecorated.
America, despite its efforts, could not remain neutral and was forced to enter World War 1. Germany did not respect America’s decision to stay neutral and purposely sunk their ships in the British Isles. They sent the Zimmerman Telegram uniting other countries against America. Lastly, they blockaded British ports and prevented American trade with France and GB. Over 100,000 Americans died during WW1, but were rewarded with patriotism, an Allie victory and trade which once again
His first move was to test the other European powers by inserting troops into Germany’s coal mining area next to France. This was ofcourse forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles and Hitler wanted to see how far he could push his adversaries before they would strike back. If Britain had not been so passive to Hitler they might have stopped this war before it ever started. They, however, allowed Hitler to do this because they did not want to start another war. Hitler then pushed the European powers further and further until he invaded Poland and Europe had no choice but to react.The results of the vote were fixed and showed that 99% of Austrian people wanted Anschluss (union with Germany).
In 1914, cannons were positioned in the front line and fired directly at their targets. By 1917, indirect fire with guns (as well as mortars and even machine guns) was commonplace, using new techniques for spotting and ranging, notably aircraft and the often overlooked field telephone. Counter-battery missions became commonplace, also, and sound detection was used to locate enemy batteries. Germany was far ahead of the Allies in utilising heavy indirect fire. The German Army employed 150 and 210 mm howitzers in
Battle of the Bulge Essay Germany was clearly losing the war. The Red Army was marching in on the Eastern front and the Allied Forces were decimating German occupied cities with heavy bombing on the Western front. Hitler knew that unless the Allied Forces could be stopped, the war would be over in a matter of months. He soon came up with an attack plan. Hitler sat down with Wilhelm Kertel and Alfred Jodl to give a status report on the German Army.
New inventions that were discovered in the era of World War I made fighting techniques more efficient. This war was the turning points for new and useful weapons. Before this point the methods to warfare were very simple and straight forward, now with planes in the air creating a whole other dimensions to tactics and strategy, tanks that covered the ground, and torpedoes in the water. Times were changing and if you were lagging behind you may have been defeated by other nations. Some of the biggest changes to the scenes was the invention of machine guns, poisonous gases/ chemical warfare, and trench warfare.
When Hitler became the chancellor of Germany, he issued conscription and also began to rearm his army and build up his army capacity in order to invade both countries such as Czechoslovakia and Poland. In conclusion , even though increased militarism was one of the reasons why the second world war started , it was not the main cause of it. I believed that Britain and France hadn’t followed the policy of Appeasement, Hitler would not have the confidence to implement his plans to take over Eastern Europe. By allowing Hitler to reoccupy the Rhineland (which was against the Treaty of Versailles) Britain and France gave the impression that they were weak, and this allow Hitler to rebuild his army to invade other countries. (Note: the title is from a gcse paper but the essay is
Russia’s early hopes were soon dashed however. Russia’s best chance of victory came at the very beginning of the war when a large number of German troops were invading Belgium and France, but instead of ceasing this opportunity the Russian generals blundered into defeat after defeat. Russia’s dreams of a swift victory were all but crushed in the Tannenberg and Masurian disasters that set the stage for further defeats in 1915. The First World War was a new type of war, a war dominated by modern technology, technology that the Russians were struggling with. Meanwhile the Germans were making massive advancements in both new technology and it’s utilisation but also the strategic aspects of