The blockade was an important event leading to the end of the war. By turning the German citizens against Germany and the war, the army was losing the support they needed from Germany. It was the blockade that convinced the army to become desperate and start the Spring Offensives.
The last attempt at winning the war were the Spring Offensives before American troops arrived at the Front Line. Russia had made peace with Germany; the armies that were previously fighting on the Eastern Front could now join the armies on the Western Front A number of small infantry groups crossed No Man’s Land during ongoing shelling. Storm troops were now equipped with light weight machine guns that allowed them to move fast when crossing No Man’s Land.
The Spring Offensives attacked along all of the Front Line meaning the allies could not just defend in one place. Small groups of infantry could break through the allies defence line and attack from behind the front line. The soldiers were not as trained as the soldiers from the beginning of the war and supplies could not keep up with the fast advancing by the German army. The attack failed and the German army was weakened. However, it didn’t break the Allies. The Germans were left exhausted and could not replace casualties. They were driven back when the Allies counter attacked in August.
A major asset to the broken stalemate was the introduction of new technology, especially the tank. The tank’s main purpose was to break through enemy barbed wire, kill as many enemy troops as possible with machine guns and to destroy enemy machine gun posts so that the infantry could follow afterwards to kill the remaining enemy troops and capture the trench.
The tank had many features that allowed the tank to advance across No Man’s Land with little confrontation. The 10mm steel armour plate that covered the tank provided protection from enemy machine gun fire and shells. The tracks made travelling over shell holes and uneven terrain easier. The hook was used to pull entanglements of barbed wire out of the way for troops to reach the trench. Some tanks carried large bundles of wooden stakes called fascines to be dropped into enemy trenches so that the tanks could cross the frontline and advance on to secondary trenches.
At the Battle of Amiens, tanks broke through enemy front lines and started the 100 days of German retreat before they surrendered in November 1918.
The introduction of the tank and other improved technology was a step forward to bringing World War 1 into more modern warfare. The tank was a very important part of breaking stalemate as it provided an almost unbeatable weapon against gun fire and shells.
America’s entry into the war was what many people thought was an important contribution to the allies victory. America’s navy was the third largest in the world and helped to protect the merchant ships whilst importing goods to Britain. This meant that the British citizens would be happy as there was no food shortages unlike German citizens were experiencing at this time. They would also have faith in Britain and support troops on the Frontline.
America’s resources provided supplies to the troops meaning that they were well-fed, a lot healthier and ready to fight. The money from America was put towards ammunition and weapons.
In 1918, American troops were pouring into France at the rate of 250,000 a month. Fresh and trained soldiers would strengthen the allies’ army and could replace casualties and deaths whereas Germany had no replacements for injured soldiers.
Each of these points could be considered as just as important as the others because without one, another may not have occurred. For example, without the blockade there is a lower chance that Germany would not have had to begin the Spring Offensives, a last desperate attack: The Spring Offensives, strikes in Germany and food shortages were caused by the blockade. America’s entry in the war would have instigated the Spring Offensives, as Germany would want to win the war before American Troops arrived at the frontline. Another example of this is that once America declared war, their Navy could help the British surround Germany so that no supplies could get in, creating a successful blockade.
I think that the blockade was the most important part leading to the end of the war. The blockade affected the production of ammunition and weaponry and vital tools. The blockade also turned many Germany citizens against the war and losing support from Germany and losing hope in winning the war and if citizens of a country don’t want to support its country during a war then there is nothing the government can do about it. In autumn 1918 Germans turned to mutiny and rebellion. The Kaiser abdicated and the new government (the Weimar Republic) ended the war. In my opinion I think that the blockade was the most important turning point in the allies favour and ultimately led to the armistice in November 1918.
