Why did a stalemate develop on the western front? What is known of the stalemate experienced by the Allied and Central powers in World War I? The trench warfare and wide flanks of the Western Front resulted in it being difficult for the enemy to advances. On the other hand, the German army on the Eastern front had similar issues because of the numerical superiority and heavy battlefield losses at the onset of battle. How to break through the static defensive lines and turn the tide of war in favor of the Allied forces was what the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) was established to address.
The OSS set about developing new weapons and tactics to overcome the stalemate. It did this by re-designing the trench line and the use of heavier weapons such as the tanks, rifle Companies and machine guns. This meant that advances would be slow or halt altogether. Advances in modern military technology allowed the British and American Armies to wear down the German Armies. It is because of this that there were many over-confident soldiers who expected to win the war and did not adjust their tactics when the going got tough.
In lesson two fighting a stalemate is a lesson that we should never take. Stalefactions are caused by poor planning and poor judgment. For example, the trench warfare of the First World War was because of poor strategies and a lack of cohesion. The Germans failed to adjust to this new style of warfare and suffered severe casualties. The lesson here is to not allow confusion and fear to prevent us from making the best decisions for our team.
A stalemate is when one side has overwhelming superiority in both arms. This usually results from superior numbers but faulty plans and tactics. Sometimes, because of poor communication, the troops do not trust each other and fight fiercely. The outcome is usually a quick victory for the inferior force and heavy casualties to the superior force.
Why Did A Stalemate Develop On The Western Front?
In lesson three, trench warfare was not a successful type of battle because of poor communication. Again, this resulted in poor planning and tactics from the top of the German command staff. Because the trench warfare was new and not well known, the German High Command failed to make use of their full resources to fully exploit the situation. Once again, a victory was achieved at the expense of heavy casualties. As the war continued, even more mistakes were made and trench warfare was never fully eliminated.
A perfect example of why did a stalemate develop on the western front can be found in lesson four. When trench warfare was being practiced in the UK, the Army was extremely mobile. enemy advances were often met quickly and easily with the British Army being able to quickly reinforce its trenches. Due to this mobility, the German military learned quickly that an attack would have to be quickly repositioned or the trench warfare would continue.
The fifth lesson to be learned from WWI can be found in lesson two, which is that while being in a global conflict, Britain was not very good at building air raids and destroying German U-boats. German U-boats were very good at hiding and had the ability to launch attacks on ports where British ships were stationed. Many times, the British would launch an attack on a German U-boat and the German ship would relocate to somewhere else. The British were not very good at destroying U-boats, so this made the war much more protracted.
Finally, lesson six, why did a stalemate develop on the western front, can be found in lesson seven, which is that although both sides had promised great things, neither of them actually delivered. As the war went on, the French started to rebuild their economy while Germany made great strides in building up its navy. The German’s progress was halted by a lack of German submarines to carry out operations against occupied territories in Europe. Britain was not interested in fighting in any way that didn’t involve itself in a military conflict with Germany.
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