Tactics and Strategies used in WW1 and WW2
The development of tactics and strategies gave one side an advantage over the other.
Tactics - actual means of gaining the objective
Strategies - overall campaign plan (also used in battle scenario's)
Tactics - actual means of gaining the objective
Strategies - overall campaign plan (also used in battle scenario's)
WW1 tactics and strategiesWW1:tactics
and strategies Fought from lines of trenches and supported by artillery and machine guns, infantry assault, early airplanes and poisonous gas. Mostly static in nature, mobility was minimal. The end result to trench warfare mainly resided with a Stalemate - (a position which results in a draw or a deadlock) which based on the aftermath left both sides unable to win or even leave. WWI: -Trench warfare -Primarily land fighting -Airplanes developed but not widely used- inefficient -Kept fighting in Europe- didn't involve colonies - Made use of new technology such as poison gas, tanks, artillery, -bombing -Tactics dependent on mass production of war materials - Focus on crippling economies and morale of enemies |
WW2 tactics and strategiesWW2:tactics
and strategies Nuclear power and missiles were used, modern concepts of covert and special operations. Submarines and tanks were also more heavily used. Encryption codes for secret communication became more complex. Germany used the Blitzkrieg fighting method. Blitzkrieg - (lightning strike or assault) used and proven to be a very effective warfare method by catching their enemies by suprise. WWII -Theatres of war shifted across Africa and Asia to involve and cripple each other's colonies as well Tactics determined by technological developments -Rapid and devastating mobility and aerial bombardmen -Blitzkrieg- lightning war-> sudden combined attack by aircraft, tanks and infantry - Effective use of airplanes and bombing -No one wanted to go to war- "Phoney War"- countries declared war but put off fighting until it escalated Increased -ability to acquire information determined tactics (Churchill declined intervening to save one British city so he could continue to decode German reports) Technological arms race to gain tactical advantage what methods used in war - Strategic bombing to target civilians and lower morale -Tactical bombing of specific locations to cripple economies and war production -Air offensive weakened war production and German resistance -Devastation in crippling countries rather than just deaths -Dependent on mass production Focus
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Uses of the Tank
(picture to the left) First tank (Mark I) tested on September 8, 1915 by the British Army. Tanks were a way to get across the "no mans land". The difference between tanks and other armored vehicles was the tanks had caterpillar tracks, which allowed them to be able to get across the war-torn, rough land. Tanks though a very useful tool during WW1 and WW2, Were very unreliable; They often broke down. However, they would eventually make trench warfare obsolete. In making trench warfare obsolete, it provided means of fighting that didn't require sitting in the trenches.
Uses of the Machine Gun
The machine gun was first developed in 1884 by Hiram Maxim. It was the first gun that didn't require hand power, therefore allowing it to have a very high rate of fire. The machine gun was very heavy, and required anywhere from 3 6 people to operate. Because of this, the pillbox was first created in the trenches to protect the men operating this gun. It proved to be a valuable asset and changed terms of fighting too the way it is today.
Development and Usage of Tear Gas
(Lachrymatory Agent, or Lachrymator coming from the Lacrima meaning "tear" in Latin) It is a possibly lethal chemical weapon that stimulates the corneal nerves in the eyes to cause tears, pain and even blindness. The first gas was tear gas, used by the French in August of 1914. However, this was near useless as there was a very small amount of gas in each grenade. Germany, on January 31, 1915, launched the first mass lethal gas attack. Poison gas only accounted for 4% of deaths in WWI. The reason why it was so low was because poison gas was quickly countered by the use of gas masks, which made the gas's effects obsolete. As soon as tear gas was used, people quickly developed gas masks, to protect them from the effect of the gas.
Different Strategies Developed During The War
There were many different strategies and tactics used by the different armies in World War II. Although no army fought the same way the entire duration of the war, there were tactics used that were more favored than others. These tactics, such as Kamikaze, Blitzkrieg, and Guerrilla, defined the way we think of battles in WWII. Such methods began simply as last resorts, but soon became forces to be reckoned with, feared by all. My page will give examples and explain some of the more well known, and-in my opinion-more effective battle tactics of the second World War.