Strategies for Breaking Stalemate

Question 1

Cavalry?

Answer 1

• 1914, Cavalry considered important element of offensive warfare
• Made up ⅓ of forces of Britain, France, Germany
• On Eastern front, the tactics were more related due to open land
• Men armed with sword for when they dismounted, or rifle or pike
• Cavalry ineffective against rifles and machine guns

Question 2

Going “over the top” and artillery barrage?

Answer 2

• Frontal attack: climbing from trench into no mans land to advance against enemy
• Often preceded by artillery bombardment
• Aimed to eliminate opposing front line of trenches
• Pre-1917, artillery accuracy was limited
• In crossing no man’s land, soldiers faced machine gun and rifle fire
• Difficult terrain of craters due to exploded shells and shellfire from enemy artillery
• Soldiers then required to cut barbed wire before attacked trenches (on both sides)

Question 3

Creeping barrage?

Answer 3

• Perfected on the Somme, 1916
• Introduced at Verdun
• Designated line for artillery shells to land in no man’s land
• Forces defence to take cover while attacking is able to move forward
• If lifted too slowly, attackers would be killed
• Artillery units would point at no man’s land closely followed by small infantry group
• Smoke, panic, fear of danger made it difficult to see the attacker approaching
• Hand grenades, hand-to-hand combat

Question 4

Tunnelling?

Answer 4

• Secret companies of men would tunnel up to 80 metres below enemy trenches
• Work in silence to lay and detonate mines
• Could encounter enemy groups travelling in opposite direction
• Carbon monoxide and tunnel collapse