After the failure of the Schlieffen Plan in 1914, the fighting on the Western Front had settled into stalemate by 1915. Both sides struggled to break the trench systems their opponents constructed. However, by 1918 both the Germans and the Allies had developed effective tactics and new weapons that were able to break through the opposing defensive lines and restore a war of movement. In August 1918 the Allies managed to break the Hindenburg Line and force the Germans first to retreat and then to surrender on 11 November 1918. We will be using resources from the National Army Museum to examine how this happened.
In 1914 the British army had one type of machine gun (the Vickers). It needed a team of machine gunners and was not very portable. It was an effective defensive weapon but was not designed to be mobile. Increasing the infantry soldier’s offensive power was crucial to breaking the deadlock.
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