Were the fronts of sea and air as important as the Western Front in deciding the outcome of WWI?

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Were any of these fronts as important as the Western Front in deciding the outcome of the war?

Explain your answer referring to all relevant fronts including the Western Front.

The whole of World War I, essentially, had three main spheres contributing to its final outcome – the war on land (more particularly the Western Front), at sea and at air. Each front had inter-relations and played a factor in the final outcome of the war. However, some fronts contributed less than others.

The Western Front, to start off with, was predicted to be a rapid affair that would be over by the end of 1914, with either the Central or Entente Powers gaining a crushing victory. However, by the end of 1914, both sides had dug trenches across a very wide front stretching from the North Sea to the Swiss Alps. Both sides’ plans, the German Schlieffen Plan and Allied Plan XVII, had failed and it culminated in a harsh stalemate that was to last for four years. This is where the bulk of the fighting went on throughout the First World War and where the masses of casualties were caused. Deadlock was introduced and each side utilised modern war weapons, such as poison gas and machine guns, to cause unprecedented damage to the opposing sides. These war weapons were excessively more devastating than any of the weapons used at sea or in the air. These weapons and the trenches helped to kill soldiers using 19th century tactics in 20th century warfare, another reason for the significance of the Western Front. However, none of these weapons were able to produce a breakthrough. Each side built masses of defensive systems containing things such as machine guns and barbed wire that neither side was able to gain ground from. The morale of the armies, the stubborn generals, no compromise to make peace, the forceful nature that made soldiers fight without deserting, conscription/mass recruitment and propaganda allowed this stalemate situation to continue. Neither side could produce the devastating blow that could have won the war, thus most offensives failed miserably. It was not until the latter half of the war that the stalemate was finally broken. By the middle of 1917, the Eastern Front no longer existed. With German and US troops pouring in, the majority of the fighting and the eventual road to breaking the deadlock were to be found on the Western Front. The final year of the war on the Western Front proved decisive and Germany was forced to launch the Ludendorrf offensive at the end of the war, as they could not hold on any longer. This saw them bring in new tactics, such as storm troopers, and they reached fairly close to Paris at one point. However, the US troops were a particularly essential bonus for the Allies to possess and they stopped German efforts to win the war from succeeding. This was along with the German supply lines having been stretched too far and the mutinies from within their army and country, because of how desperate their situation was. Other key incidents on the Western Front, such as the Battle of the Somme and Verdun, were more common than anywhere else in the war and lost thousands upon thousands of soldiers. This attrition undoubtedly used up vital reserves for each side and loss of morale also. Over time, this built up until Germany could not hold on any longer and the German army had fewer troops than the Allies to sustain the effort. However, the war at sea and the war in the air did make significant contributions to the war as a whole.

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The war at sea proved to be closely linked to the war on land. It was unusual in that there were not particularly any major sea battles or proper fighting – it was more of a struggle of stealth and caution to gain control of the seas. The blockade of German ports, along with submarine warfare, was the main attribute to the war at sea. Germany looked as if they might have been able to control the seas at one point, but the sheer power and great tactics turned it in balance of the Allies. The convoy system was ...

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