Timing was a vital part of the plan. Any hindrance in the timing could have major
consequences. They expected it to take six weeks to take over Paris, which was the
same amount of time they expected it to take for Russia to prepare for a war on the
eastern front.
Why did a stalemate develop on the Western front?
There were a number of reasons why a stalemate was developed on the western front.
It began with the failure of the Schleiffen Plan in 1914. The Germans had assumed
that British armies would not respond to an ancient pact and go to help the Belgians,
however they did. This meant that the Schleiffen Plan didn’t reach its six-week target.
At the same time, the Russian forces mobilised a lot quicker than anticipated so many
German troops had to be moved back to the eastern border. Due to the hold ups in
Belgium and the mobilisation of the Russians, the German’s decided to change their
plan and shorten their route, however this meant them meeting the French on the river
Marne resulting in the Battle of the Marne. These failures led not only to a war on two
fronts but also a race between the French and Germans to reach the North Coast and
take over the channel ports. Troops were moved on each side via the new train
systems, enabling movement to be a lot quicker. As each side moved closer towards
the coast, they began to dig trenches. This meant that all the land, which a side had
gained, was not then lost, also the new technological advances were better worked
from in the trenches. This was the beginning of trench warfare. Stalemate was
developed because warfare went from a war of movement to a war of attrition.
Although there were some advances with the trenches, progress was slow and often
there was not enough support for a side, therefore they often had to retreat, once again
developing the stalemate. Calvary was vulnerable in trench warfare, therefore waves
of attacking infantry took over as new weapons such as gas attacks, tanks and poison
were brought into existence.
Despite such high losses, neither side were prepared to compromise and make peace,
so little ground was gained. New tactics were used over and over again, no one
seemed to learn from previous mistakes. Although the new tactics and artillery were
put into place they were still not sophisticated enough to break the stalemate on the
western front.
The following were equally important reasons why the stalemate on the Western Front was finally broken: new technology like the tank, the American entry into the war, the blockading of German ports, the German offensive in Mach 1918.
Explain how far you agree with this statement.
There are a number of reasons why stalemate on the Western Front was broken; they
are all equally important factors. Some factors include the naval blockade on German
Ports, the American entry into the war in April 1917, the Ludendorff offensive in
March 1918 and the continuous improvements to technology throughout the war.
By blockading the German ports, the population of Germany was denied food and
other amenities, which caused uproar at home for the Germans. It also meant that high
numbers of people were unable to survive. The German army found themselves in a
gradual decline of munitions supply and the German high fleet were unable to leave
or return to the harbours. By the end of the war the primary aims of the blockade were
gathering force with 300 000 civilians dying due to starvation. This was disheartening
enough for the Germans, without the blow to the country by the naval mutinies and
subsequent occupation of the ports by crews. The blockade had not only killed large
numbers of people at home, and damaged the force of the German army, but it had
destroyed all Germanys power at sea. This pushed German leaders to find a solution,
which would end the blockade and raise morale both in the troops and at home. A
final offensive was that solution.
A boost was given to the blockading force in 1917 when the American army was
called upon against the Germans. By introducing the Americans to the war, the battle
at sea would combine the two largest fleets in the world against that of the German
High seas fleet. Once America had declared their entry into the war, Germany knew
that it would never be able to win back the North Sea and win the naval war. As more
dreadnoughts were brought into the allied forces, the blockading force was
strengthened no end, with a balance of 35 to 15 boats. At the same time as the lack of
success in the seas the Germans faced the problems of the 1 300 00 strong American
army, working with the British, to muster against them. Leaders knew that if this
force arrived all together then Germany would have no chance of concluding the war
in their favour, especially as new technology was now being introduced and the
American wealth and force was able to back them up further.
New technology resulted in all sides changing their tactics accordingly. The
submarines at sea became highly effective in the naval war as the torpedo was
introduced. Even the greatest of battle ships became vulnerable to the powerful
torpedos. Cambrai is a good example of the effective use of tanks in the war. Over
350 tanks were used to good effect, although a loss was sometimes found, as they
were unable to hold the ground they had gained from the opposition. Mines were
introduced around the same time, mostly to defend ports and harbours or to attack
ships. The tactic widely used was to lay them in harbours so that when enemy ships
set off, the mine was triggered and they were aught by surprise. The principle of the
new technology was that it was used more and to a more positive effect, taking the
war back from one of attrition to one of movement. For the Germans it was now a
race against time to destroy the French and British, thus bringing the continent under
German control, preventing an American army from meeting. Therefore the entry of
the Americans into the war was a very important reason for the stalemate being
broken, as it lead to the Ludenrdorff offensive in March 1918, which aimed to break
stalemate and win the war before the American troops arrived in France.
