world war 1???????????

Question

what tactics were used 2 try and break through the trenches???


thanx

Answer 1

The tactic that finally worked and defeated the Germans was the use of the tank. It was new so the Germans were scared of it and their bullets bounced off.

The earlier tactics used were all unsuccessful. The main one was the artillery barrage. This meant firing shells (that is, bombs) for hours or even days to "soften up" the enemy trenches. Unfortunately for the attacking British and French troops, these shells were usually too small to do any real damage to the German trenches which were dug very deep and often reinforced with concrete. The Germans would wait deep underground and watch through periscopes. Then when the shelling stopped, they would rush up, set up their machine guns and mow down the enemy as they approached.

Later on they developed the "walking barrage." This meant the infantry (that is, foot soldiers) would walk behind the exploding artillery shells and there wouldn't be enough time for the enemy to come up out of their trenches and mow them down. The problem was that sometimes the barrage moved on too fast, the infantry fell behind. Then the enemy did mow them down.

In those days there were no walkie-talkie radios. The infantry had to unroll wire for their telephone as they went along. So they would call up the artillery on the telephone and tell them to bring the barrage back. Unfortunately the enemy had been firing their artillery too and usually the telephone wire had been blown up and the telephone was dead.

Poison gas was also used to try to break through. But the wind blows it away, the rain washes it away, in the summer it dries out too fast, and in the winter it gums up. Also the attacking force using it gets slowed down by the gas masks and all the other junk they have to carry.

In short the tank was the only effective strategy.

Answer 2

The Germans used Stormtrooper tactics at one point with some success. I'm not sure exactly what that entailed, but I think it was mostly a change in armament, and attacking with some stealth instead of the traditionaly open charge after a massive artillery barrage.

The British developed the tank in order to get through the barbed wire, and over the trenches. They also carried large bundles of wood on thank that could be dropped into a trench to allow infantry to run across. The tank could clear a path for the infantry, and then provide fire support against the machine gun positions. The tank basically made trench warfare obsolete.

Answer 3

Usually, a massive bombardment by artillery would come before a frontal attack. The idea was to "soften up," kill or wound enemy defenders, before the infantry moved up. The problem was that the trenches were pretty good protection against anything but a direct hit. Poison gas was occasionally used, but if the wind changed, your own side got clobbered. The advent of the armored vehicle, the "tank," was a solid attempt to break through the enemy machine gun positions. The use of the machine gun from a prepared position made massed attacks often suicidal. This is just a thumbnail sketch. There is plenty of info out there. Good luck!

Answer 4

World War 1: 1)Franc Ferdinand Asassinated by Serbian Sparking World War 1 2)Germany march into Belgium, Britain declare war on Germany 3)German's U-2 submarines sink U.S.S Lusitania 4)Zimmerman notes Brought the U.S into war 5)Treaty of Versaille ended World War 1 World War 2: 1)Germany invade Poland sparking World War 2 2)Japan attack Pearl Harbor bringing the U.S into WW2 3)Japanese Internment camp, All Japanese in America were sent to camp during the war 4)D-Day Allies break into Europe 5)Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki completely destroying the citys.

Answer 5

Bunches of things:
1) Frontal assault by massed waves of troops, preceded by massive artillery bombardments. (most common and least effective)
2) Releasing poison gas onto enemy lines. (effective at times)
3) Tanks (the very earliest models, effective when used)
4) Mining under enemy trenches and setting off massive explosions.
5) Troops inching forward on their bellies, pushing small armored shields in front of them as they went. (exotic and ineffective)

There were probably other exotic means tried. Even if something was effective, neither side was able to exploit any break in the enemy lines beyond a local tactical gain.

Answer 6

I would try searching online for full details. I heard of a story where both sides were digging underground tunnels to set explosives to blow up everyone above and it was Christmas Eve. The Germans started singing Xmas carols and the French or American soldiers could hear them from the tunnel and started singing too.

Answer 7

Frontal assaults with shellfire and infantry. From 1915 gas attacks, and later tanks.

None of them worked............