Page 83 - History of War - Issue 05-14

The First World War was
notable for the advancement
of specialised weapons,
such as the hand grenade,
mortar and flamethrower

War in the

Rex Features

C
TRENCHES
T R EN H ES

First World War: The advent of war is often a key driver of new technologies, and the
conflcit in Europe was no exception. Dr Stephen Bull describes the advances made in the
development of weaponry designed for trench warfare

he commonly held belief that trench sections in fours or fives on an irregular front”. face of heavy casualties, orders were issued to
warfare and tactics remained much Yet within weeks, it was recognised that “artillery decrease the density of attacking formations.
the same from late 1914 to early formation” was nothing like sufficient dispersal. Those of Fourth Army appeared as early as 21
1918 is entirely erroneous. Though As one general officer explained in Notes From August. Nevertheless this was easier said than
T casualties were undoubtedly high, the Front, Part 1, of 1914: done where reservists lacked the latest training,
advances frequently short, and lines often static, The choice of infantry fields of fire is largely or there were attempts to overwhelm the enemy
the way armies fought, and what they fought with, governed by the necessity for avoiding exposure to by sheer numbers. Because trench lines were
underwent many changes. Innovations came artillery fire. A field of fire of 300 to 500 yards is dug explicitly to defend the occupants against
surprisingly quickly, and were more often delayed quite sufficient… An advance should not be made rifle fire, and a static soldier, with his rifle securely
by the need to produce rested, had a huge
new forms of matériel The greatest slaughters of World War I actual and psychological
and retrain troops, than advantage over a soldier
by a conservative occurred in periods that were characterised moving in the open – the
mindset of command. by “open” rather than “trench” warfare problem of attacking
The realisation that fieldworks came to the
dense formations and fore very quickly.
failure to dig in quickly were cardinal errors in rigid lines, but with clouds of skirmishers – 5 or Progress was swift, but sporadic, and often
in the face of artillery and machine guns was 6 yards apart – thrown forward according to the met with innovations by the defence which would
instantaneous. Henry Williamson recalled that on ground and available cover. mean that heavy casualties remained the order
arrival in France in November 1914 his battalion A few months later a new edition of Notes of the day. In this context, however, it is well
practised trench digging and “artillery formation” was recommending “loose elastic formations”, worth observing that the greatest slaughters
daily. Artillery formation was described by Infantry which were adapted to the ground, discouraging of World War I on the Western Front occurred
Training, 1914, as “Small shallow columns, “rigid lines”, and suggesting a distance of “8 in periods that were characterised by “open”
each on a narrow front, such as platoons or or 10 paces” between individuals. Now, in the rather than “trench” warfare. On the German
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