Stale mate on the Western Front - help (1 Viewer)

[nick.roberts]

hey guys, im finding the stale mate on the western front very complex. I was wondering if anyone would be able to sum it up in point form? I know that it has to do wiht the failure of the schlieffen plan and the defensive nature of trench warfare, im guessing theres more main points than that?

Thanks

 

[cem]

hey guys, im finding the stale mate on the western front very complex. I was wondering if anyone would be able to sum it up in point form? I know that it has to do wiht the failure of the schlieffen plan and the defensive nature of trench warfare, im guessing theres more main points than that?

Thanks

Stalemate is just that - neither side can break through - so what leads to that?

Trenches, new technology, old-fashioned strategy and of course the failure of the Schlieffen Plan.

 

[.M.L.T.]

well Germany couldn't take paris and therefore all of france quickly enough so it was too slow in getting back to fighting the quickly mobilising russia (which meant they were REALLY late) so the schliefflen plan failed. Because it failed, they just started trying to beat each other (war of movement) this didn't work because they didn't move around much so they started to build trenches thinking "oh i'll be smart...if i'm going to stay here for a little while, i'm going to make up some defences" and so you got trench warfare or a stalemate. So they started a war of attrition (as long as more of the enemy dies than i do then i'm winning) and that basically went on until the the spring offensive (operation micheal i think, i haven't started real studying for modern yet) on the 21st of july or something of 1918 which restarted the war of movement. Germany did this because the americans were joining the war on the allies side and the axis powers didn't want to fight the americans. The spring offensive with the blitzcreig tactics (lightening war but spelt wrong) failed and they were turned back at Marne (France) with the arrival of american support.

thats basically a summary (a very basic one) but i hope it helps. and don't forget the battles (Ypres and Verdun and all that)

Good luck and study hard !

ps. sorry that my spelling sucks...

 

[laurennn91]

in really brief point form:

Reasons for the Stalemate

1. technology completely outdated the warfare being used and attempted fighting styles
- therefore: movement is virtually impossible due to machine guns/artillery and within weeks the war had become a war of positions (trenches)

2. failure of the schlieffen plan - why
- outdated, inflexible
- Paris saved at the Battle of the Marne
- delayed at Mons (resistance was unexpected)
- Russia mobilised faster than expected
- troops were removed from the outermost thrust and the original route was changes

and 3. the race to the sea
- France saved at Marne
- both sides attempt to outflank eachother
- series of battles (eg. Ypres)
- neither side wins
- armies DIG IN, trenches from Belgium to Switzerland

therefore Stalemate!

 

[wendus]

good one lauren!

 

[nick.roberts]

thanks guys, thanks laurens thats exactly what i wanted heaps helpful.

 

[housah0lic]

everytime my eyes skim over the title i start singing


all along the western front people line up to receive
she got the power in her hands
to shock you like you won't believe

but i will contribute when i begin studying for modern




OO GIRL

 

[A.Chair]

everytime my eyes skim over the title i start singing


all along the western front people line up to receive
she got the power in her hands
to shock you like you won't believe

but i will contribute when i begin studying for modern




OO GIRL

haha, good song.....whenever i hear that part i always think of this....damn school

 

[sunsettah]

I thought was of attrition meant a gradual grinding down of your enemy =/
Like not so much with actual battlefield warfare type stuff.

I thought a full frontal assault was when they had the 'As long as more of them die than our side, then I'm happy' attitude - during battles etc.

And that total war, is bombing civilians and cutting off supplies, destroying morale, etc - on top of the battlefront fighting.


Correct me if I'm muddled up =]

 

[Kujah]

Attrition - a type of warfare that attempted to wear and grind down your enemy through continuous and large casualties and resource use.

The meaning that you have for a full frontal assault is linked with attrition - the Germans under Falkenheyn thought that as long as the Germans suffered less losses than the French at Verdun, they would win the battle.

A full-frontal assault is actually a rapid offensive where an army directs its manouevres against the front of the enemy forces.

Total war - the utilisation of all available technological, military, industrial and human resources by countries at their disposal in order to gain a victory over its opponents. As a consequence, civilians were then mde integral parts of the war and were targeted in WWI.