Stalemate was on the western front for many years.

Stalemate was on the western front for many years. It cost a lot of lives. It was finally broken however, in 1918. I will now examine each of the four factors that contributed to the breaking of stalemate to see if all of the above points did contribute to the breaking of stalemate, and see if I agree with the above statement.

New Technology

The tank was a main factor of new technology. The British invented the tank. When they were first invented they could travel at 6KM per hour and were armed with machine guns and cannons. It was first used at the Battle of the Somme (1916). The first time they were used they were not very manoeuvrable and very unreliable, they travelled at walking pace and it wasn’t until November 1917 at Cambrai when the tank achieved success. The tanks in Cambrai had caterpillar tracks copied from the farm tractor and with armour plating, the tank was the answer to the machine gun, the trench and barbed wire.. As the British reserves were in Italy this break though could not be exploited. The tank however showed its potential and achieved success. At the beginning of the war tank wasn’t as successful because it was so large and slow it was impossible to miss, but when the tanks were first used they brought with them a boost to morale for all the troops. However tanks sank into mud holes when it rained and they could not be pulled back out once they started to sink they were lost forever. Here is a quote from a British rifleman; he is talking of his sightings of the tanks in the first usage:

“There before our astonished eyes appeared about six of the first Mark I tanks, lurching about the country on their caterpillar tracks… bursting through hedges crossing trenches demolishing walls and even stapping small trees.”

Another new weapon used in the war to help break stalemate was the heavy artillery. ‘The big guns’ were among the general’s favourites. These guns fired shells and had enormous power. These would explode and throw shrapnel over 13 kilometres.

The American entry into the war

The USA were neutral in the war but supplied loans and equipment to the Allies. The German attacked and destroyed many American ships that they suspected of carrying supplies to the Allies. They also sank passenger ships killing many Americans; Germany attacked many American ships using submarines. When the USA discovered that Germany had tried to ally with Mexico this was the last straw for the Americans and they declared war on Germany. The Americans declared war on Germany on 1st April of 1917. With the USA joining the war so late the war did not hit them economically as much as the rest of Europe. With Russia making peace with Germany America joined the war just in time for the Allies, but the American did not arrive in great forces. However with America joining the war this gave the Allies a huge economic boost and America brought some highly trained scientist and this improved the technology used.

Blockading of German ports

Throughout the war both sides tried to prevent the other side from getting supplies. The British had been blockading German ports since 1914. The blockade was supposed to strangle German industry so it couldn’t supply the German industry. German trade got reduced from $5.9 billion in 1914 down to $0.8 billion in 1917. German civilians were experiencing severe shortages. The German ports were blocked with help from the USA. The Germans responded with submarine warfare. Once America had joined the war they made themselves targets. Many American lives were lost.

The Germans offensive in March 1918

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The Germans offensive in March 1918

Ludendorff’s plan was to break through on the Somme, swinging northwards through Albert and roll up on the British line. He had his best troops trained in new tactics. A short but ferocious bombardment brilliantly organised by Colonel Bruchmuller. Though the early months of 1918 German troops moved east to west. This was when Ludendorff launched his plan to win the war. Instead of the usual wave of inventory he followed up with smaller band of specially trained and lightly equipped troops nicknamed the ‘storm troopers’. This was very effective. The German broke through the allied lines in many places. Now Paris was I heavy fire range. The plan had gone very well for the Germans. However the Germans lost 400,000 troops in making this advance, and they had no reserves to call on. More Americans were arriving every week and the French commander called up more French reserves.

Between May and August the Germans made no further advance and everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the Germans were defeated. The Germans ended trench warfare but it was the Allies that gained from it. On the 8th of August the allies counter-attacked along much of the Western front. By September they reached the Hindenburg Line. By October the Germans were in full retreat and on 11 November 1918 the armistice came into effect. The war was finally over.

I think that all of these points contributed to end of stalemate. So I do agree with statement I think they all equal in the break up of stalemate. All of these points link together in one way or another. The American entry into the war was partly a result to Germany submarine attacks on American ships, and German submarine warfare was a result of the blocking of German ports. Another link to American entry into the war is with new technology was partly because America brought the money and the scientists to research for the tanks. A third link with the American entry into the war was to do with the German offensive. This is because the Americans kept sending troops that stopped the Germans advancing any more and this gradually helped win the war. Another link is between The German offensive and new technology. The reason for this link is as a result of the use of the tanks the Germans had to come back with something so they brought in highly trained troops and used counter attacks. So all the elements played are part in the break of stalemate. Without anyone of the elements the break of stalemate would not have happened in the way that it did and it would not have happened in the time that it did.

2. Stalemate was on the western front for many years. It cost a lot of lives. It was finally broken however, in 1918. I will now examine each of the four factors that contributed to the breaking of stalemate to see if all of the above points did contribute to the breaking of stalemate, and see if I agree with the above statement.

The new technology in ww1 became very important in the breaking of the German lines

The tank was a new British invention in 1916. It helped break the stalemate because it was able to go over trenches, crush barbed wire and take out machine gun posts. It also provided protection for troops, as they could walk behind it. It also could carry much needed supplies. Although the tank played an important part, it was not the only factor, which brought an end to the war.

Although tanks had first been used in the battle of the Somme and sometimes proved to be unreliable by often breaking down, however, they still managed to give the allies a massive advantage in august 1918 when 400 tanks rolled over enemy trenches in the great allied offence at Amiens. The tank however showed its potential and achieved success. At the beginning of the war tank wasn’t as successful because it was so large and slow it was impossible to miss, but when the tanks were first used they brought with them a boost to morale for all the troops. However tanks sank into mud holes when it rained and they could not be pulled back out once they started to sink they were lost forever Also during this battle the plane established itself as an extremely active piece of machinery and 800 of them flew toward enemy lines supporting the infantry and tanks, the plane was initially used solely for reconnaissance but more toward the end of the great war they were suddenly called upon to start dropping bombs and fitted with fairly accurate machine gun firing systems, where as before pilots would lean out of their windows and shoot pistols at the enemy.

The British Naval blockade of German ports was a crucial factor in the Allied victory over Germany. Despite losing many ships during 1915, the purpose of the blockade was to prevent supplies getting through, thereby starving the German people of food, which would then turn them against their government, forcing them to end the war. The blockade would also prevent supplies and food getting to the German troops. In 1916 the Germans tried to destroy the blockade but failed. Whoever won the war at sea won the war as a whole. There were very few battles at sea in World War One. The only major sea battle was the Battle of Jut land. The war at sea was crucial to the outcome of World War One, as the winner would starve the enemy out. Well that is what they thought

In 1915 the Germans sank the American ship 'Lusitania', killing hundreds of Americans. The Germans thought it was carrying supplies and arms for the British, although really it was only civilians on board the ship.. In 1917 the American Army entered the war. Unlike the tired British troops, these hundreds of young, well-equipped, well fed and high spirited soldiers were a vital part in breaking the stalemate. When they came to the Western Front, the tired German soldiers were faced with vibrant young troops who demolished the poorly supplied German army. They helped break the stalemate because they brought a new lease of life to the Allied forces that now outnumbered the Germans. Alos although germany had just got rid of Russia from the war they now how the Americans in the war so there was very little progress for the Germans

The German offensive of 1918 was crucial to the outcome of the war. The Russians who had lost millions of soldiers, turned against their leaders, forcing Russia to leave the war. The Germans had to launch an offensive against the growing Allied army. They transferred troops from the east to the west to try to stop the Allies constant attacks in a single place. It was effective as the Germans broke through the Allied lines. The attack had gone well, however, the Allies held their nerve; they retreated so as to spread the Germans out. The Germans, unlike 1914, had no reserves and were badly fed and disciplined.

Between May and August of 1918 the Germans made little progress and defeat was inevitable. The Allies who had supplies and food managed to counter attack. On the 8th August 1918 the Allies reached the Hinderburg Line. On the 11th November the Armistice (ceasefire) was called and the Great War was finally over.

All of these factors played a role in breaking the stalemate on the Western Front. The use of planes and tanks helped break German defence lines. The influx of fresh American troops proved too much for the tired German troops. The war at sea played a vital role as it prevented supplies getting through the German troops and people. There was not much hope for any of these factors on ther own to break the stalemate.

They are all interlinked in breaking the Stalemate on the Western Front.

The new technology in ww1 became very important in the breaking of the German lines. Although tanks had first been used in the battle of the Somme and sometimes proved to be unreliable by often breaking down, they still managed to give the allies a massive advantage in august 1918 when 400 tanks rolled over enemy trenches in the great allied offence at Amiens. Also during this battle the plane established itself as an extremely active piece of machinery and 800 of them flew toward enemy lines supporting the infantry and tanks, the plane was initially used solely for reconnaissance but more toward the end of the great war they were suddenly called upon to start dropping bombs and fitted with fairly accurate machine gun firing systems, where as before pilots would lean out of their windows and shoot pistols at the enemy. This coursework from www.coursework.info

In April 1917 America declared war on Germany. The declaration had little affect on America compared to other nations because they were already supplying Britain and France with their materials. The American involvement in ww1 allowed the allies to call upon the U.S man power and technology any time and place, therefore the American involvement in the war contributed massively to the importance of new technology in ww1 this is because without the Americans supply of materials and much needed money the technology wouldn't have been able to evolve as rapidly and well as it did.coef efr seefefw oref efk inef foef ef.

Toward the end of the war Germany's population were at their lowest, the British navy blockaded all the German ports and staved the Germans of all imported goods such as dairy from Denmark. Because German supplies were so non-existent when influenza struck it caused many deaths, there were countless riots and anti-war protests within the nation. Without the evolved technology in the first world war the British blockade would have resulted a harder task, lacking under water mines and well- equipped navy ships, again the U.S contributed to a factor of spitting the line on the western front. The U.S involvement also provided fuel, weaponry and the money to help with the up keep of the allied fleets. lucozadesophie, please do not redistribute this writing. We work very hard to create this website, and we trust our visitors to respect it for the good of other students. Please, do not circulate this writing elsewhere on the internet. Anybody found doing so will be permanently banned.

Due to the blockades of the German ports the nations moral at hot its all time lowest and resource, materials and pretty much anything else was at exceedingly short supply. Ludendorff knew he had to win the Great War very quickly or not at all. So Ludendorff devised a plan that was to make or break the nation of Germany, it was swift, surprising and most importantly, offensive (completely different to the nature of the great war in all previous years) the only dilemma was that it was risky and if it didn't work it would leave Germany exposed and even weaker than before, it was a BIG gamble. One thing that Germany did have in its favour was the ' Russian withdrawal'; Ludendorff could now bring all his troops from the eastern front over to his crippled western lines. The German offensive failed and so it became a reason for the breaking of the stalemate. The German offensive, 1918 might not have been so aggressive or even have taken place if it wasn't for the American involvement in the First World War. Ludendorff realised there was no way his forces could withstand new, fresh U.S troops and all their weaponry that comes with them so he took the risk!coaa aar seaaaaw oraa aak inaa foaa aa:

So in answer to my original question, were all reasons equally important in the breaking of the stalemate on the western front? I think yes because each reason supports one another and no one, single reason can stand alone.coed edr

The Americans entered the war at around the same time that Russia withdrew from it. This helped to once again tip the balance of forces towards the Allies. In 1917 the Germans were running out of manpower and had to start recruiting schoolboys to fight in their army. The Americans provided fresh new troops, who were not tired from months, if not years, of fighting like the German, British and French troops were.codf dfr sedfdfw ordf dfk indf fodf df.

The Americans had, even before they entered the war, provided a great deal of aid. After April 1917 they still continued to do this.cobg bgr sebgbgw orbg bgk inbg fobg bg;

In conclusion, I think that the American entry into the war was a very significant factor when it came to the stalemate being broken