By comparison in the 2nd World War tanks stopped a stalemate even occurring. They were fast, powerful and the main weapon of the battlefield commander.
The tank was not the only new technology. There was also the grenade, flamethrower and gas/smoke shells. These are just a selection. One of the most important technological advances was the machine gun. The Germans used the Maxim, English the Vickers/Lewis and French the Chauchat. I am not going into these weapons because either they didn’t play a major role, gas for example only killed 7% of the casualties it caused and the survivors usually recovered and came back into the line or they either prolonged the stalemate, such as the machine gun because it made crossing No Mans Land impossible for the infantry.
The most important and influential technological advance though was the Artillery, especially the predicted fire. This enabled the Allies not to register every gun which included firing it at the target till it got it right on top of them. Instead they used complicated maths taking into consideration the wind so that they could predict exactly were the shell as going to land. This didn’t give the enemy a warning and stopped the wastage of shells. Predicted fire started the idea of hurricane bombardments which only lasted a few hours and so the Germans couldn’t get reinforcements to where the attack was quickly enough. They were also very intensive and didn’t chew up No Mans Land making it easier to cross. It gave the Allies the key element of surprise. This was also complimented with the rolling barrage which gave the infantry a shield of shells.
Secondly “The American entry into the war”. The Americans didn’t enter because of one reason but because of several. During the war when America was neutral on May 1, 1915 Lusitania left New York for the final time. A number of Americans were aboard, including the wealthy Alfred Vanderbilt and noted theatre producer Charles Frohman. On May 7 with the coast of Ireland in sight, German U-boat U-20 torpedoed Lusitania. Sinking in eighteen minutes with the loss of 1,195 lives - 123 of them American. This incident really turned the American people against the Germans. This was not helped by a secret telegram sent by the Germans to the Mexicans which was intercepted by the British and decoded. It was sent by Zimmerman the German foreign minister on the 15th March telling Mexico to attack the USA. Germany wanted them to reclaim all their rightful states like Arizona, Colorado, Texas; America declared war on Germany on April 6th 1917. They had massive problems mobilising their army that finally arrived in Europe on May 1st. They didn’t make much of an impact because they used poor tactics like the British did at the Somme but that was all they knew. They hadn’t had time to learn yet. They were usually put in quiet sections of the line as well. Also the Americans didn’t send artillery or transport over with their troops and so the British and French had to provide these. The Americans only saw little action until the last 2 months of the war.
The USA’s entry into the war brought millions of fresh, new, eager men and plentiful supplies. It also gave the Allied troops a new inspiration to fight and so an intense morale boost swept through the troops. America also had vast amounts of money, which they lent to the allies so that they could buy the new technological weapons and medicines to help their casualties.
Thirdly I move onto “The blockading of German ports”. The blockading of the German ports resulted in mass starvation and poverty by preventing imports of essential foodstuffs and medicines. These shortages resulted in terrible living conditions and resulted in strikes. The strikes interrupted the production of armaments, which in turn, halted the production of new technology. These strikes continued until the revolution in 1918 and this revolution was the final straw to the Germans impending submission. The blockades helped immensely to end the war but perhaps was not as important as the United State’s entry due to the fact that if we had not blockaded the ports and America had entered we still would have won due to the United State’s immense manpower, but if America had not entered we most likely would not have won in any circumstances.
Lastly I move onto “The German offensive in March 1918”. This was the German armies final attempt to overthrow the Allies and at first the German troops seemed to have the advantage. They drove the Allied troops back and put Paris under threat. This manoeuvre however, resulted in tragedy for the German armies, there was a massive loss of manpower, and over one million troops were put out of action either killed or wounded. Also some troops deserted because they had lost faith in there generals. The surviving troops suffered from incredibly low morale, severe exhaustion and depression and weapons and munitions availability declined enormously and because of this the troops concentrated on looting food and weapons from overrun Allied supply dumps rather than preparing for the Allied counter attack. Another crucial error General Ludendorf made was that he had no cavalry to exploit the breakout and he didn’t move his artillery up quick enough to protect his remaining troops. He couldn’t secure his positions and this is where it started going downhill for the Germans.
I conclude therefore that “The American entry into the war” and
“The blockading of German Ports” were the two most important reasons. The Americans gave the Allies unlimited amounts of men and resources. The Germans couldn’t fight a lasting war because of lack of resources and this is why they attempted their massive offensive in 1918 to win the war at a stroke before the Americans got there act together. The reason they couldn’t fight a lasting war was because of the Blockade which stopped them getting food and resources in large quantities that they desperately needed. This is why I disagree with the title.
