Friday, April 8, 2016

How did the technological innovation of tanks lead to stalemate in WW1?

There was already a stalemate on the western front in 1916 when the tank was first used during the Battle of the Somme. The stalemate was caused by improved trench systems used by both sides, combined with use of the machine gun; there was no way to go on the offensive without losing thousands of men. The tank was meant to break through this stalemate by being able to go through the barbed wire that surrounded enemy trenches as well as provide covering fire for advancing infantry. The tank was improperly used in that there was not enough infantry support behind it in order to follow up on its advances and the tanks kept breaking down. In this first use, more than a third of the tanks broke down on the battlefield. The tanks were slow and cumbersome as well, making them vulnerable to anti-tank fire. This new wonder weapon was thought to be the cure for the trench warfare on the western front; rather, it only added to the problem as it was yet another weapon that did not have tactics properly designed for its offensive use. It did not create a stalemate—the stalemate already existed.
https://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/tanks.htm

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