Why wasn't World War I "all over by Christmas"?

Question

Some useful websites discussing this or mentioning this topic please. Or even, please give a detailed answer yourself. Thanks.

Answer 1

The armies facing each other were too well equipped to lose quickly but too poorly equipped to win quickly. Their lack of mobility meant that all they could do was stay at arms length, lobbing artillery shells & then periodically charge. It was only when the German economy threatened to go into meltdown (due to the strain of the war effort under a naval blockade) that the Germans realised that they had to sue for peace or go under completely.

The Nazis used this 'dishonourable' end to WW1 as their rallying cry & so in a way WW1 did not finally die out until 1945.

Answer 2

I don't think it was anything to do with arrogance - it was more a question of thinking positively and not envisaging a long European war. The Germans began with a lightening strike through Belgium and made massive territorial gains. The British and the French were determined that they should not get to the channel ports - it being realised that if they did then it would, indeed, have been all over by Christmas as no British (and later in 1917, American) reinforcements could have been brought in. France would have fallen and Germany would have effectively controlled Europe. So dogged resistance rook place, not only in Flanders which was but one small part of the Western Front, but right along the French/German border as far as Switzerland. But none of the combatants had experience of modern warfare - it is a truism to say that generals also fight the last war - of course they do, because that is what they learned as young officers. Remember there had been no major European war for 100 years - since Waterloo had ended 25 years of the Napoleonic Wars. So both sides got bogged down in trench warfare. They could not advance significantly on the ground as there was no real defence to machine guns. Air warfare was in it's infancy and when the British invented tanks it took quite a while for the generals (who didn't stay in London, by the way) to work out how to use them to the best advantage. The war really ended when the Germans back home began to starve because of the effectiveness of the Allied blockade and mastery of the seas. Then the populace began to turn against the Kaiser - but it took 4 bloody years for it to happen.

Answer 3

In a nutshell, the 'All over by Christmas' thing was nothing more than arrogance on the part of the British. We thought we could go to Flanders and give Johnny foreigner a good thrashing and be back in time for tea and medals. Old fashioned British pomposity at its worst
The reality was different as the Germans were well prepared, armed and dug in. No-one had been in this kind of fight before. The mechanization of war meant that more men were being killed than in any other conflict before. Generals, mostly veterans of the Boer war thought that the only way to win a battle was by Cavalry charge. This idea soon changed after troops on horses were mown down by machine guns. And so began the trench stalemate. The only method of attack was full frontal assault, which was done over and over again at the cost of thousands of lives each time. Generals couldnt come up with anything new or inventive so they just kept sending men forward. All from the comfort of their armchairs in London.
The end came in 1918 when the Americans joined in and brought as many new troops into the fight as the Allies had begun with in 1914

Answer 4

It was first thought that it would be a very short war... the troops go out and shoot at each other a bit and then someone surrenders and the whole thing would be over in a jiffy and the army could be done with it and home by Christmas....

Well, it didn't go that way and it dragged out for years and millions died and many Christmas' were missed during and after "The War to End All Wars."




g-day!

Answer 5

It's easy to be brief here.

1.....The sides were evenly matched, so neither had a walkover.

2.....Since (when drained & cultivated) Flanders and N. France are ideal horse country, and indeed the site of the French cavalry school, both sides used cavalry at first. Ideal for winning ground, hopeless for keeping it, and totally useless once the machine guns came into action. Hence stalemate.

3.....The fighting disrupted the steady ditching, sluice-keeping etc. of the farmers (even well behind the front lines normal life became impossible) and the land quickly reverted to primeval swamp, almost impassable to infantry, never mind horses.

4....Neither side had paratroops or the aircraft to carry them. A pity: it would have been over in minutes, as (unlike a modern army) neither side was hardened against incursions into the supply & service areas in the rear. In the 2WW when we did have aircraft, after the Normandy landings things moved quite fast, in part over the same terrain. Technology does make a difference.

Answer 6

Consolation to those who thought the war against Iraq would be a 'walk over'. I have a French New Year postcard which proclaims that the 'glorious 75 canon will bring victory in 1915', so obviously there had already been a time slip.

Answer 7

Trench Warfare

Answer 8

For most part of the war, the technology was so that it made the defensive very strong. Even weak forces could hold a trench.

Answer 9

Because the inconsiderate Germans fought back.
Its simply a saying that stemmed from Great Britains arrogance that it would wipe the floor with the evil fly torturing Kaiser.
Nevermind though.

Answer 10

It was over by November 11 1918 so you could say "it was over by Christmas" literally but it was done six weeks earlier
here is a web site that might help
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWI