Strategies and Tactics to Break the Stalemate: Battles

1. Strategies and Tactics to Break the Stalemate: Battles VERDUN THE SOMME PASSCHENDAELE

2. The Battle of Verdun February-November 1916 • German Offensive attack. • General Von Falkenhayn attempted to start a war of movement, with the plan to take Paris to enable the focus to be on the Eastern Front and Russia. • Falkenhayn’s aim was to “bleed the French white” through a war of attrition. As Verdun was a symbol of French honour, the French Leader General Petain pledged “they shall not pass.” • This was not a successful attempt to break the stalemate because the German tactic of heavy artillery bombardment was not followed through with troops, which resulted in mass casualties and French victory.

3. A comment by French Prime Minister Briand to General Joffre “If you surrender Verdun, you will be cowards, cowards! And you needn’t wait til then to hand in your resignation. If you abandon Verdun, I sack you all on the spot.” Prime Minister Briand. • This comment demonstrates the serious attitude the French took in defending Verdun. • As Falkenhayn had suspected, the French took desperate actions in order to save the sacred area. • General Petain rotated 259 of France’s 330 divisions through the battle of Verdun. • The intense French pride in Verdun and their enhanced resistance prevented a war of movement occurring as the German’s were unable to break through the French lines. The source is from the perspective of a member of the allied forces, the French Prime Minister at the heart of the war. Webb, K. World War 1 – From Sarajevo to Versailles 2002. McGraw-Hill Publications.

4. Photograph of “Big Bertha” • “Big Bertha” was a name adopted by the Allied forces to describe the heavy German artillery piece ‘Howitzer.’ This weapon was characterised by a short barrel and fired at a steep angle. • This photograph demonstrates the great scale of artillery used during Verdun in an attempt to weaken the enemy trenches and clear out troops. • During this battle both sides hurled ten million shells at each other. • This tactic proved to be unsuccessful as Germany failed to follow through the bombardment with a mass soldier attack. • The machinery did however inflict mass casualties on the French army. The source is from the perspective of a German Military photographer documenting the war. http://www.worldwar1.com/pharc005.htm

5. Photograph of fallen soldiers • Verdun resulted in 500000 French casualties and 400000 German casualties. • The introduction of new weapons such as flamethrowers and phosgene gas had devastating impacts of the fighting soldiers who also battled with muddy, wet conditions and shell fire. • These combined factors created a horrific battle field and marked Verdun as a particularly horrendous historical conflict. • The intense brutality severely weakened both the German and French armies and further enhanced the war of attrition and prevented a war of movement commencing. The source is from the perspective of a French photographer documenting the battle. http://www.wereldoorlog1418.nl/battleverdun/slachtoffers.htm

6. An account by Richard Holmes “Men might be killed instantly, but without apparent damage, by concussion; blown to tatters by direct hits; cut up as if by some malicious butcher; crippled by flying fragments of their comrades’ bodies or shocked into babbling incoherence by a capricious hit which left them unscathed among the remnants of their friends…” Richard Holmes. • During the battle Verdun was often referred to as a “meat mincer” as a result of the horrific battle conditions and suicidal tactics of both sides. • The source clearly demonstrates this brutality as it describes the impact of defensive machine guns, shells and shrapnel. • The ground of Verdun became a ‘tragic cocktail of fog, smoke, confusion, carnage and destruction.’ • Animals were used as messengers and consequently suffered horrific injuries and loss of life as the fighting soldiers. The source is from the perspective of a British Military Historian who served in the war. Holmes, Richard. The Western Front 2001. BBC Books

7. The Battle of The SommeJune-November 1916 • As the devastation of Verdun was heavily weakening the French force, British leader Sir Douglas Haig attempted to draw German troops to a new offensive near the Somme River. • The main tactic used by the British was a week long artillery bombardment from 1350 guns, along with gas shells intended to drive the Germans from their trenches. • However, this was not a successful attempt to break the stalemate as Haig underestimated the strength of the often two story German trenches, built in better soil. • Furthermore, the British retained the outdated military linear formations which proved to be suicidal for allied troops against the defensive German machine guns. • Although the battle did ease the pressure on Verdun, it was not successful in creating a war of movement.

8. Map of the Somme • The map displays the battles being fought on Allied land. • Haig’s intention of relieving the pressure of troops fighting at Verdun is revealed as successful as the distance between the two battle fronts would ensure that German troops would need to be relocated to the Somme or suffer mass casualties. • If this had of been Haig’s only aim, the battle would have been a success. However his plan for a war of movement to commence failed and both the Germans and Allied forces experienced heavy losses. The source is from the perspective of an American public website dedicated to educating society about World War 1. http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/maps/maps_Somme.html

9. A well constructed German Trench • This source demonstrates the superior design and construction of the German trench systems. • The supported walls reveal the great strength of the trenches and illustrate their ability to sustain the week long artillery bombardment from the British. • German survival during this bombardment is a great factor which contributed to the Somme’s fail as an attempt to create a war of movement. The Germans could not be driven from their trenches and therefore the British could not pass further than no man’s land. The source is from the perspective of a German Military photographer who documented the war. http://www.gwpda.org/photos/greatwar.htm

10. Account from a German Machine Gunner “We were surprised to see them walking, we had never seen that before. The officers went in front, I noticed one of them walking calmly, carrying a walking stick. When we started to fire we just had to load and reload. They went down in their hundreds. We didn’t have to aim, we just fired at them.” German Machine Gunner. • The source reveals the great confidence General Haig had in the strength of the artillery fire and belief in the weaker German trenches. • This confidence is further illustrated in British General Rawlinson’s order for troops to ‘walk’ across no man’s land. The newly recruited conscripts were evidently not thoroughly trained soldiers and simply followed the commandments of their superiors. • Historians continue to criticize and debate Haig’s suicidal tactics during the battle and question the heavy casualties that resulted. • The Somme proved to be an unsuccessful attempt to break the stalemate as Haig failed to adapt the aged linear formations and create new strategies to combat the new defensive weaponry. The source is from the perspective of a German defensive soldier who fought in the battle, as quoted in a book written by Australian historian J, Laffin. Laffin, J British Butchers and Bunglers of World War 1, Gloucester UK 1988

11. British Use of Tanks “…the tanks broke down or moved too slowly to keep up with the infantry…The tanks could help break into the German position but, short-ranged, slow, prone to breakdown and ditching, bone-cracking and nauseating for their crews.” Richard Holmes. • Tanks were used by the British in an attempt to break the German lines. However, of the forty nine tanks used, just nine actually reached the German front. • Although the British could easily produce large numbers of tanks at their successfully organised home front, the unpredictability and poor performance of the tanks meant that their impact was not greatly felt until later in the war. • The failure of new offensive weaponry and equipment such as tanks contributed to the disaster of the Somme as a British attempt to break the stalemate. The source is from the perspective of a British Military Historian who served in the war. Holmes, Richard. The Western Front 2001. BBC Books

12. Passchendaele (Ypres)July-November 1917 • The Third Battle of Ypres or Passchendaele was another major British offensive attack with the intention of starting a war of movement. • General Haig aimed to cross the German front and capture the German U Boat ports to prevent the sinking of British supply ships. • The battle began similar to the Somme, with heavy artillery bombardment on German areas. However the conditions at Passchendaele were far worse. A ‘nightmare battlefield’ was created as no man’s land was destroyed by massive craters that quickly filled with mud and water as a result of the heaviest rain the area had received in thirty years. • Passchendaele was a failed attempt to break the stalemate as Haig continued to employ out dated tactics that were easily resisted by German defensive weapons such as machine guns and mustard gas. • The horrific conditions also greatly prevented a war of movement occurring, as British soldiers struggled to even cross the quagmire to no man’s land

13. Haig’s Letter to General Plumer "...That is to break through the enemy's trench system and get to open fighting with the least possible delay so as to defeat the troops immediately available before they can be reinforced." General Haig • This source reveals Haig’s original proposal for a quick, intensive battle aiming to break the German line’s and secure the German U Boat ports. • Evidently, Haig did not intend to prolong the battle as long as he did. Today, historians remain critical of Haig’s military leadership as the General continued to send soldiers across no man’s land in the impossible conditions of Passchendaele. The source is from the perspective of the British General, Douglas Haig at the time of the battle, as quoted in a website criticizing Haig as a military leader. http://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/comment/haig2.html

14. The Conditions at Passchendaele • The combination of intense rainfall, artillery bombardment and extended war period resulted in the horrific battlefield of the Battle and Passchendaele. • From this photograph it is clear why the word “Passchendaele” became synonymous with “mud” during the war. • The conditions at Passchendaele were nightmarish as a soldier could easily drown or become engulfed in mud at a single wrong step. • This horrifying quagmire was the greatest factor which prevented the British breaking the stalemate at Passchendaele. The source is from the perspective of a military photographer documenting the Australian experience of world war one. http://blog.awm.gov.au/awm/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/awm-passchendaele-pillbox-h06971.jpg

15. John Laffin’s comment on the conditions “He [Haig] was proposing to push his men through a slimy, corpse-filled swamp so dreadful that infantry units took five hours to cover one mile, even without having to fight. Supplies and ammunition could only be taken forward by donkeys or men, who collapsed under the effort. Up to a dozen bearers were needed to get one stretcher case to the rear." J, Laffin. • The source further demonstrates the slow process of moving troops across the crater filled area between trench lines. • The casualty figures of Passchendaele are disputed by historians, as a result of the conditions in which the men fought in. As the source suggests, along with injuries related to weaponry, many men drowned, collapsed or were lost in efforts to rescue fallen troops. • The impossible conditions were the most significant factor in preventing a war of movement restarting as it was extremely difficult for a single soldier to cross no man’s land, let alone an entire army force. The source is from the perspective of an Australian historian who published books on the war after both his parents fought in World War 1. Laffin, J British Butchers and Bunglers of World War 1, Gloucester UK 1988

16. ‘Memorial Tablet’ – Poem “ Squire nagged and bullied till I went to fight,(Under Lord Derby's scheme). I died in hell -(They called it Passchendaele). My wound was slight,And I was hobbling back; and then a shellBurst slick upon the duck-boards; so I fellInto the bottomless mud, and lost the light.” Siegfried Sassoon • Along with the physical conditions of the battle field and the effect this had on the troops, this source also explores the psychological impact of the horrific battle. • The reference to Passchendaele as “hell” clearly displays the everlasting impact the conditions had on the soldiers. • Although the battle failed to break the stalemate on the Western Front, it did enhance the already present war of attrition and greatly damaged the German army in numbers and morale. As German General Ludendorff stated, his army “no longer displayed the firmness which I…had hoped for.” The source is from the perspective of a British soldier who wrote poetry of his experiences in the war. Sassoon, Siegfried. War Poems 2004. Dover Publications