Evolution of Warfare

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Evolution of Warfare

• World War I - Allied Victory
• Major Joel B. Turk
• MOI

2
Reading Assignment

• Weigley, The American Way of War, pp. 192 - 222

3
Learning Objectives

• Know, identify and discuss the harbingers of
  total war
• Comprehend and compare/contrast the British,
  French, American and German approaches to and
  objectives in World War I
• Know and describe the final allied offensive on
  land that defeated Germany, with emphasis on the
  American contribution

4
Actual Total War (Review)

• Actors
• Triple Alliance - Austria-Hungary, Germany, and
  Turkey
• Triple Entente - France, Britain, Russia, and the
  U.S.

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Origins of War (Review)

• Arms Race
• Nationalism
• Germany Britain beliefs in racial superiority
• Anglo-German colonial commercial rivalry
• French desire for revenge
• Austria desire to humble Serbia
• Alliances
• Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand

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Early Trends (Review)

• War of Attrition
• Ignore technological improvements of war

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Technology and Tactics

• Land Warfare
• Entrenchments use of barbed wire
• Frontal attack became ineffective
• Introduction of tank poison gas
• Air and Sea
• Airplane and Dirigible
• Submarine - commerce raiding
• Psychological warfare

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Effects of the War

• Global
• Central powers eventually defeated
• Bolshevik revolution - New Russian Government
  under Lenin
• European powers financially devastated - U.S.
  emerged as strongest power

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Effects of the War (Cont)

• Military Theory
• Total War required exploitation of each nations
  total resources
• Two aspects of war Battlefield materials and
  manpower, and Industrial capabilities
• Allocation of manpower to munitions factories
• Total war required for two reasons Involved
  entire structure of competing nations, and tended
  toward complete destruction of enemys means and
  will to resist

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Objectives and Approaches

• Both sides felt is was a righteous war with GOD
  on their side, being fought against an inferior
  enemy who would crack first

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British

• 1839 treaty pledged British support
• Informal talks had pledged British support to
  France
• Destroy Germany as Commercial Rival
• Protect colonialism
• Balance of Power

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France

• Bent on Revenge (1871)
• Regain Alsace-Lorraine
• Eliminate Germany as a commercial rival
• Reestablish her leadership

13
Germany

• Prevent French Aims
• Colonial Equality
• Maintain supremacy on the continent

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United States

• In 1914 - no interest
• Allied Propaganda was effective in the U.S.
• Constitutionalism vs. Autocracy
• Anger over German proposal to Mexico of alliance
  in exchange for annexation of Texas, New Mexico
  and Arizona

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Submarine Warfare

• Before the End of 1914 Britain had cleared German
  Surface Ships from trade routes
• Subs and Mines - threat growing in home waters

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Submarine Warfare (Cont)

• 4 February 1915 - Germans gave notice of
  Submarine Blockade
• Diplomacy, International Law and Mahan originally
  held back use of Subs
• Eventually, seen as means of survival
• Didnt bank on destruction alone, 2/3 of neutral
  shipping scared to sail
• British fleet could spare little for merchant
  protection (busy blockading German fleet)

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Submarine Warfare (Cont)

• April, 1917, Convoy System implemented
• Also used Mines and airplanes to counter
  submarine threat
• By end of 1917, mine barrage laid across Straits
  of Dover
• Airplanes carried no lethal antisubmarine weapons
• At one point, Britain had only enough food for
  six more weeks

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Machine Gun

• Underrated
• Basically Immobile - used for defensive purposes
• Effect - overwhelming didnt mean victory
• War turned to stalemate until introduction of tank

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Airplanes/Airships

• Reconnaissance
• With Improvements in Radio - aerial spotter
  became more important
• Fighter Aircraft brought on by demand for
  protection from spotters
• 5 Oct 1914 - first aerial combat
• By July 1915, only 8 aircraft shot down
• Synchronized machine gun

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Airplanes/Airships

• Few occasions of Resupply by airdrop
• Experimentation with Airships, Germans lead in
  bombing
• Raids on military installations and cities
• Diversion of resources to develop defense
• British and French quickly followed German lead
• Initial concept of strategic role of airpower
• Air overrated - mostly political importance

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Tanks/Landships

• One of the steps to solving stalemate
• Protecting attacker from machine gun
• Armor too heavy to carry - needed vehicle
• Needed to armor entire vehicle
• Mobility required tracks
• First called Landship - small mobile fort

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First Used at the Somme 15 Sep 1916

• England had only 60 Tanks distributed over 3-mile
  front
• Of the 60, only 49 could leave parks, and only 36
  reached line of departure
• Attacked ahead of or with infantry with
  exceptional local results
• Only nine returned
• Not used as recommended

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Cambrai, 20 Nov 1917

• Over 300 tanks sent forward in formation
• 1st day, loss of 1,500 men, 10,000 German
  prisoners, 4 mile hole in Hindenburg line
• 2nd day, 1/2 tanks operational, further attacks
  created salient 12 miles wide, 6 miles deep into
  German territory
• Most spectacular penetration on the Western Front

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Summary/Peace

• Germany made one last desperate land offensive
• Germans forced to surrender with treaty of
  Versailles - punitive elements of treaty set
  stage for WWII
• Allies not wore down as much as Germans - great
  firepower-attrition war
• Stage set for future conflict

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Next Session Learning Objectives

• Know and trace Hitlers rise to power and explain
  his subjugation of the German General Staff and
  the officer corps