The Sturmtruppen (or Stosstruppen) were elite units of the German army during the First World War. They were created in the spirit of positional warfare.
Why an elite unit?
The creation of an elite unit by the German general staff was decided towards the end of 1914-beginning of 1915. The purpose of this project was to train soldiers specially trained for positional warfare. Indeed, around December 1914, it became clear to the belligerents that the war would be longer than expected. However, only the Germans and the Italians (the Arditis) will create real units only intended for positional warfare. The Sturmtruppen were used as the spearhead of an assault. Its purpose was to capture the first enemy lines in order to create a "bridgehead" in the opposing line. Following this, the "normal" units were to continue the advance. The Sturmtruppen were therefore shock troops and benefited, by virtue of their status, from different weapons from other soldiers.
The Sturmpionniere, embryo of the future Sturmtruppen
In the winter of 1914-1915, the major operations were terminated due to the fault of the weather, but there continued to be skirmishes all along the front, raids and other "commandos" sent on missions to learn information from the enemy. The Germans, faced with this new kind of war, decided to create an elite unit specially intended for this kind of operation, the Sturmtruppen battalions. For some years already, the German army had had in its ranks soldiers specially intended for the storming of fortified points and who were called Sturmpionniere. These troops therefore come from the engineers (the engineers in the German army being the “Pioneers”). Their creation was decided to be able to carry out the Schlieffen plan, indeed the Sturmpionniere had to capture the Belgian forts. This unit is equipped with different weapons from those of the "normal" infantry, it is equipped with flamethrowers, Minnenwerfer (a kind of mortar that will be used later in the trenches to shoot at those of the enemy) and others melee weapons. Some soldiers were even equipped with crossbows that could serve as rudimentary grenade launchers. Thus shock troops were present from the start of the war and their weapons, like their existence, were unknown to the Allies. One of the first great deeds of the Sturmpionniere was the capture of the fortified village of Maixe in Lorraine on August 22 by the 2nd battalion of the 23rd Bavarian infantry regiment with the help of Handgranatentruppen (grenadiers). Soon enough, a separate assault unit was created, the Flammenwerferabteilung (flamethrower section) under the direction of a civilian firefighter, Commander Reddeman. This troop is made up of 48 volunteers. Thus this assault unit will be engaged in February 1915.
Gradually, however, the war of position forced the German staff to create new shock troops and soon from the simple section to the division, the men specially intended for "commando" operations became more and more common. As known elite units, we can cite the Alpenkorps, a corps specially intended for mountain warfare or the Württemberg shock battalion commanded by a certain Erwin Rommel. The Germans moreover, contrary to their adversaries, launched two elite divisions on the attack to capture the first lines, a tactic which would be widely used by Ludendorff in 1918. March 2, 1915 thus marked the birth of the first detachment of assault (Sturmabteilung).
The failure of the Sturmabteilung “Calsow”
As soon as this new unit arrived, the German officers requested a test to observe its capacity. Thus the Sturmabteilung led by Commander Calsow initially left to train in the vicinity of Cologne. The assault detachment is made up of a staff, two engineering companies and a detachment of 20 37mm guns. During these training sessions, the Germans tested new weapons such as the shield, for example; initially used on machine guns, shields will equip some units during the war. We can note this observation made during a training session:
"A very powerful man, held in his left hand two large machine-gun protection shields tied together and in his right hand a pickaxe-hatchet".[1].
But the overall weight (18kg) makes its holder less mobile and the shield will remain more of a defensive weapon. However, the new unit is testing new tactics:thus the pioneers work with 37mm guns, which allows them to be protected by the guns if the rear artillery is slow to get going. One of the main problems remains that of communication between units:the radio sets, which are only in their infancy, are still too heavy and the bombardments quite often cut the telephone lines. Thus, all that remains to transmit messages is to use a messenger, most of the time human, although sometimes dogs and more commonly pigeons are used.
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Finally after a long training, the Sturmabteilung was sent on May 18 to Douai where it carried out an operation for the benefit of the Lochow Army Group. Nevertheless, the unit does not convince, the assault troops having not been of much use according to the German staff. Following this failure, Calsow's detachment was sent near Vimy as a simple reinforcement of the 16th Infantry Division. At this place, the Sturmabteilung does not carry out any large-scale action, doing no more than work intended to reinforce the front lines. In addition, the gun detachment is removed from the Sturmabteilung. However, despite these not very glorious facts, the Sturmabteilung will be able to distinguish itself, indeed on June 9, Joffre launches an offensive in Artois which only advances a few kilometers in the enemy lines. But on June 16, the offensive was repeated and the French 33rd corps advanced significantly in the German lines. The German General Staff, to slow down this offensive, notably asked the Sturmabteilung of Calsow to fight, but the elite unit was exhausted by the work it had carried out in the previous days. Nevertheless, the men of the assault section counter-attacked and succeeded in retaking the lost trenches despite terrible losses:178 men and 6 officers, that is to say 50% of the total strength. Two days later, the remains of the Sturmabteilung are raised. For its part, the section of gunners served as artillery for the 1st Bavarian reserve regiment and most of its guns were destroyed during the fighting in July.
Thus, the Sturmabteilung "Calsow" constitutes a disappointment for the German high command which holds its leader, Major Calsow, responsible and dismisses him during the month of August 1915. Nevertheless, Calsow is not the real culprit of the failure of his unit because his men intended and trained as shock troops were only used for simple work behind the front and his counter-attack was carried out without the weapons which were intended for them. The Sturmabteilung "Calsow" was destroyed because of the German strategy of not giving up and inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. Thus the remains of the Sturmabteilung will be sent to General Gaede in Alsace as an army reserve where little by little they will become the real assault force wanted by the German army.
The success of the Sturmabteilung “Rohr”
Reconstruction of Sturmabteilung “Calsow”
After the fiasco of Major Calsow's unit, the German army appointed Captain Rohr as its new chief, the latter taking office on September 8, 1915. This officer was highly appreciated by the craftsmen of the Sturmtruppen. Captain Rohr therefore continues the training of his unit with great freedom given by General Gaede. It develops the Gruppe (squad) which is the lowest echelon for a maneuver. Hauptman Rohr created it for the purposes of positional warfare, indeed for an assault to be successful, the most complete cooperation between the different levels of the army is needed. Thus the Sturmabteilung is reinforced with new recruits and has new weapons. The organization of the assault section is also changed, the 76.2mm guns replace the 37 guns and a platoon of machine guns reinforces the unit. Rohr wants to create a real assault force.
After a long training, the Sturmabteilung "Rohr" was sent to the front in the Vosges at the end of December 1915. In this part of the front the fighting was very tough, the French wanting to capture the Vosges forests. On December 21, the Alpine hunters launched an offensive on the Viel Armand, a mountain of just under 1000 meters. The 16 battalions of French chasseurs and infantry succeeded in their attack by capturing 3,300 men in passing. But the next day, the Stoßtruppen as well as the 8th battalion of reserve chasseurs and two infantry regiments counter-attacked. The Germans manage to circumvent and encircle the French and the Sturmtruppen helped by their flame throwers inexorably reduce the French like the 152nd RI of alpine hunters which is annihilated. Thus, the Vosges change hands for the sixth time.
The Sturmtruppen counter-attack this time was a great success and opens the way to the creation of new units of the same type. Falkenhayn, seduced by this new type of unit, asked for their presence for the great Verdun offensive. The German high command is gradually strengthening the Stoßtrupen of engineer units and flamethrowers.
The Sturmtruppen in Verdun
So the Stoßtruppen found themselves in Verdun with the role of spearheading the great offensive of the Kronprinz. Contrary to what the latter will say, the Verdun offensive aimed to take the city and not to bleed the French army white. [2]. The presence of the Sturmtruppen illustrates this well.
On the first day of the attack, February 21, the Sturmtruppen formed part of the first wave of the assault with the 6th Infantry Division at Herbebois. After a tough battle, the Germans took the position but it quickly became apparent that Rohr's men were misusing the weapons at their disposal. On February 25, the German assault unit was among the troops that had to take Fort Douaumont, but it was a Stoßtrupp from the 24th infantry regiment and a Brandenburg detachment of engineers that captured the fort without fighting. Thus the Sturmtruppen remain in line sometimes in the front line sometimes further back until they are put to rest in early April. It was during this period of rest that the Sturmabteilung became the Sturmbataillon 5. The new members of this unit were mostly men belonging to the divisions that attacked in the front line at Verdun.
The composition of the new unit is therefore changed:a staff, four assault companies of 210 men each with a company of 8 to 12 machine guns, a group of 4 to 8 flamethrowers, a detachment of Minenwerfer as well as a group of assault guns. Shortly after, a fifth company was incorporated and each of the companies benefited from a second company of machine guns and the endowment of 8 Minenwerfer. In addition, 4 MG 08/15 machine guns are provided to each of the companies and the group of assault guns is replaced by 4 105mm mountain howitzers. Thus newly constituted, the Sturmbataillon will continue to fight until 1917 in Verdun, fighting 70 times in 1916 and taking part in the capture of the village of Fleury the same year.
Despite these successes, the French did not give up and the Sturmtruppen, exhausted by a surplus of demand, were never in full possession of their means, moreover the lack of information on the opposing positions and the poor cooperation between the different levels of the Sturmbataillon did not did not allow the Stoßtruppen to be decisive in Verdun. Nevertheless, Ludendorff, who replaced Falkenhayn in 1917, was seduced by the feats of arms of Rohr's men and would use the Sturmtruppen many times.
More and more Sturmtruppen
After its success, the Sturmabteilung aroused the interest of Falkenhayn at first and then of Ludendorff. The first required that each army send several officers to undergo Sturmtruppen training. Then he decides to create four new assault units from four battalions of hunters. But only the 3rd Fighter Battalion will be transformed into an assault unit, the others being less enthusiastic about the project. So in July 1916, Jägerbataillon n°3 became Sturmbataillon n°3. Little by little this new unit will see its numbers swell with volunteers.
Erich Ludendorff was one of the main promoters of the Sturmtruppen
Erich Ludendorff was one of the main promoters of the Sturmtruppen
With the arrival of Ludendorff at the head of the German army, the Sturmtruppen will increase considerably. The German General-in-Chief wanting an assault unit in each army. For Ludendorff, the western front is completely different from that of the east where he fought, but he will manage to develop an effective tactic:defense in depth. According to the German general, any unit, even the smallest, must be able to counter-attack on its own, which suits the Stoßtruppen perfectly. The Germans preparing an offensive in 1917, the combat units are called upon to do exercises in combat conditions, that is to say with real ammunition. Ludendorff wants to change the tactics intended for the Sturmtruppen, for him they should not only be used for simple counter-attacks but also to break through enemy lines. Thus 14 assault battalions were formed during the winter of 1916-1917, most of them coming from small already existing assault sections as well as a Marine-Sturm-Abteilung (assault section of the navy). All these units were employed on most fronts but especially on the western front. Thus the SturmAbteilung Rohr has become the reference in the way of Sturmtruppen.
The SturmBataillon are numbered from 1 to 12 then from 14 to 17 as well as the assault battalion of the navy as well as two SturmKompanien. Most of these units do not have the endowment of the SturmAbteilung Rohr and have only two assault companies, a machine gun company and a Minenwerfer company. Thus the SturmBataillon n° 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15 and 17 benefit from this endowment, the remaining units having the theoretical endowment. The two SturmKompanien (13 and 18) have three infantry sections, a machine gun section and a Minenwerfer section. The composition of the Marine Assault Section is unknown. The Sturmtruppen are mostly made up of former infantry fighters and to distinguish themselves from them take the "title" of Grenadiere (the best German troops of the centuries preceding the First World War). However the men of the SturmBataillon3e are called the Jäger (hunter) and the men of Rohr the Pioniere.
The theaters of action of the Sturmtruppen from 1916
The Sturmtruppen's combat strategy
The Sturmtruppen's strategy was largely inspired by the infiltration tactic developed by the German general Oskar von Hutier which suited the Stoßtrupps perfectly. The Sturmtruppen from mid-1916 will become inseparable from the German assaults. Indeed the Stoßtruppen have no equal in the German army to pierce the enemy lines defended by machine guns and barbed wire. Unlike Falkenhayn, Ludendorff does not try to hold his positions at all costs, he prepares positions for a possible retreat and seeks to avoid too heavy losses for unimportant objectives. The Sturmtruppen which constitute the first wave of an assault are divided into several groups supposed to silence and take enemy positions thanks to their specialized weapons such as flamethrowers for example. Most of the time an assault begins with an artillery bombardment on the enemy positions as well as on the barbed wire, once the bombardment is over, the flamethrowers come into action to liquidate the maximum number of enemy positions and soldiers to the Stoßtrupps can go on the attack and silence the last resisters. Of course everything does not necessarily happen under these conditions, but it is the tactic that the Sturmtruppen must employ. Thus in the Somme, the Stoßtrupps will perfectly use the strategy which suits them by attacking an English trench after a long and hard bombardment and capturing 29 men (the English dead and wounded are unknown) and losing for their part only one man, hurt. However, this operation is an exception.
Another operation illustrating well the strategy of the Sturmtruppen is Operation Strandfest which consists of the recapture of an English bridgehead on the Yser near Nieuport on July 10, 1917. With the help of 42 batteries of 77mm and 105mm , 16 heavy 150mm and 210mm howitzers, 7 siege howitzers as well as 10 Minenwerfer and two 240mm naval guns, the Marine-Sturm-Bataillon made up of 300 men fought two English battalions of the 1st division and captured 1500 men.
The Sturmtruppen assault strategy is taken from General Oskar von Hutier's infiltration tactic
The Sturmtruppen assault strategy is taken from General Oskar von Hutier's infiltration tactics
In the case of a division more strongly endowed with Sturmtruppen than normal, the attack begins by lighting up the opposing positions, shortly after the Sturmkompanien and the flamethrowers try to isolate the strong points while waiting for the Minenwefer and the divisional infantry which will take care of capturing the remaining positions before continuing its attack (for this kind of attack, a divisional shock troop can be used). The Germans want to prevent their adversary from reacting effectively to an attack and therefore favor speed in their assaults. This tactic will be heavily used in 1917 in Flanders. Thus, on November 20, an offensive of 376 English tanks attacked, to the great surprise of the Germans, who retreated and were ready to let go, but were saved by the sending of reinforcements in insufficient numbers. The Germans will therefore be able to regain their position after a counter-attack carried out with the help of SturmBataillon n°3. The rapidity of the action recommended by Ludendorff began to pay off and the German troops quickly liquidated the strong points of the English position with the help of the Minenwerfer who fired on the German objectives. Shortly after the German artillery fired on the rear of the English, thus a company of Sturmtruppen progressing step by step cleared the position of a Vickers which prevented the advance of the 109 RI. The English were thus forced to retreat, which they did in good order. Like this battle, two different strategies are opposed:that of the English with the effect of surprise and the strong use of tanks against that of the Germans with a violent artillery bombardment which allows the specialized infantry to penetrate the opposing lines.
The Sturmtruppen on the other fronts
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The Sturmtruppen are also present in Russia where he successfully participates in General Oskar von Hutier's offensive against the Russian XII Army in Rīga. It is specified that the Stoßtrupps are strongly helped by the artillery which set up a violent but brief artillery fire with the use of chemical gases which considerably disturbed the adversary who had a lot of difficulty to react. The Germans will progress in a few days of 13 kilometers by establishing a bridgehead on the Dvina. Moreover this success was helped by the poor state of the Russian army which since the revolution of 1917 no longer thought of fighting. Thus the victory does not consecrate a strategic victory of the Sturmtruppen.
In Austria-Hungary where Sturmtruppen are also used, an example of the success of the latter is to be credited to Rommel. October 24, 1917 marks the beginning of the battle of Caporetto where the Austro-Hungarian army supported by the XIVth German army including the Alpenkorps attacks the Italians (the IInd army on the Isonzo. The victory of the Germans and the Austro-Hungarians is due in particular to the audacity of Rommel, the head of the Württembergisches Gebirgsbataillon.With three companies of hunters and one of machine guns, General Rommel will have to support the Alpenkorps which must take the hills located west of the Isonzo. unit of the Württemburgers takes the Italian front line which has suffered the gassing and continues their advance despite the order to cover the flanks of the attack. Rommel captures several hundred prisoners and a large quantity of material abandoned by the enemy disturbed by The next day, continuing the attack, Erwin Rommel's unit surprised by the speed of execution of its maneuver the Italian second line which fell in turn. The Germans succeeded in repelling a counter-attack and count 1500 prisoners. Suffering few losses, the Württemburgers continued their advance towards the village of Luicco where they set an ambush for the 4th brigade of Bersaglieri which surrendered en masse (2000 men). On October 26 at dawn, Rommel captured the village of Jevzek, in particular because the Italians, thinking they were outnumbered and surrounded, surrendered (1,000 men). Little by little, however, the Italian resistance hardened, but Erwin Rommel did not stop there and pulled off a brilliant coup:advancing with a few men brandishing a white flag near soldiers discussing with officers, he asked the men to surrender The Salerno Brigade surrenders, killing one of their officers ordering them to fight. Over 2,700 men are taken prisoner with the surrender of the 2nd Brigade. Rommel's success is due to the lack of motivation of the Italians, the latter do not support the war unlike the French or the English. Nevertheless, after the defeat at Caporetto and the loss of 300,000 men, a real national enthusiasm will arise in Italy to fight against the Germans and the Austro-Hungarians. This victory greatly increases the popularity of Rommel and the German assault troops. The latter captured 150 officers, 9,000 soldiers and 81 guns. The Germans losing 6 killed and 30 wounded. Following this Rommel is promoted to captain and Ludendorff is confirmed in his thought that the Sturmtruppen can be decisive during an offensive. Thus Ludendorff will use them a lot for his offensives of 1917-1918 to obtain the victory before the arrival of the Americans.
The Sturmtruppen during the 1918 offensives
Thanks to the signing of the Peace of Brest-Litovsk, the Germans were able to bring troops from the Eastern Front back to the West, which allowed Ludendorff to prepare an offensive that was supposed to beat the Allies. Thus in November 1917 the Germans have 150 divisions and in March 1918, 192. The German staff wishes to be able to achieve victory thanks to their new tactics of war specially adapted to the war of position. Ludendorff insists a lot on the importance of artillery in general and gases in particular to be able to carry out an offensive. The bombardment must be brief but precise and destroy the vital organs of the adversary to allow the Sturmtruppen to progress in the opposing lines by reducing the points of resistance still intact. The German divisions were sent back to train in condition before the big offensive. This training is thus essential for new recruits who do not have fire experience and for new divisions from Russia who know nothing about how warfare in the West works. Despite a significant difference in level and armaments between the divisions, Ludendorff still hopes to achieve victory thanks to his assault troops. The German Generalissimo also mistakenly thinks that the French and English are too exhausted to be able to resist an assault. But the latter, aware of the imminence of an attack, set up a very clever network of in-depth defenses. Pétain, the French general-in-chief, has thus created a strategic reserve of 40 divisions ready to counter-attack in the event of an offensive. The French general-in-chief knows very well that the Germans are too dependent on the assault forces, which he himself does not care about and that the rest of the German troops are of too low a level to constitute a real danger.
March 21, 1918 marks the beginning of the great German offensive, Ludendorff concentrates his troops in front of the English, the French army weakened by the mutinies of the previous year, is not the main objective. The German general wants to isolate the French in order to be able to sign peace with them. The German plan is to envelop the English from Amiens to force them to fall back towards the coast. At dawn, no less than 6,500 guns poured their shells on the English army on a front of 80 kilometers where the 3rd and 5th English armies were located. Some shells are filled with asphyxiating and tear gas which prevent the English from using their masks correctly. At 9:40 a.m., four hours after the start of the bombardment, the bombardment exclusively hit the English trenches to allow the Sturmtruppen to advance without too many losses in the midst of their distraught opponents. The German artillery also destroyed the English batteries which could not support the infantry. The Sturmbataillon Rohr thus fought in two very distinct groups to the north and south of Saint-Quentin in hard fighting. The half-battalion "Hoffman" (its leader) is taken to task by the air force. However they have four A7V tanks which unfortunately turn out to be disappointing for the Sturmtruppen. The Germans thus use many more tanks captured from the English as many accounts seem to show. Soon almost all of the first line is captured by the Sturmtruppen which leave it to the units coming after to liquidate the points of resistance. Thus the Stoßtrupps can continue their advance as quickly as possible. Thus German troops surprise the defenders of the English second line. The defense in depth recommended by the Allies and therefore by the English does not work, the English bunkers are isolated and cannot defend each other, which greatly facilitates the Germans. Nevertheless, the English defended themselves courageously despite their encirclement and their isolation often forcing the Germans to use their flamethrowers. Thus a German non-commissioned officer recounts that they were obliged to get as close as possible to the English to be able to attack them with flamethrowers while other German troops were directing the machine gun fire in their direction. Indeed, a simple machine gun could hinder the advance of the Germans. However, by the evening of March 21, most of the English strongpoints had often fallen in less than two hours, which shows the effectiveness of Ludendorff's new tactics. In one day, the Germans made enormous progress, capturing the first two English lines. The next day, the Sturmtruppen continuing their progress, take the last incomplete English line and the Stoßtrupps lead to an undefended territory and spared by the fighting. During March and early April, the Germans advanced nearly 65 kilometers into enemy territory. But the arrival of fresh troops on the front will stop the German advance. After the victory of the Canadian cavalry and the Australian infantry at Villers-Bretonneux on April 4 and 5, the Germans made no further progress, at least within the framework of Operation Michael.
However 5 days later, Ludendorff decided to obtain the victory as soon as possible attack on the Lys between Béthune and Ypres. Operation Georgette, the results of which will be much less than Operation Michael, and the arrival of Allied reinforcements will make it possible to support the Anglo-Portuguese troops. On April 25, the general-in-chief attempted a new offensive and the Germans chased the French from Mount Kemmel before seeing Dunkirk and the shores of the North Sea in the distance. But the offensive ends there. Ludendorff nevertheless still tries to attack but little by little, the Sturmtruppen lose their effectiveness, the better defensive organization of their enemies prevents them from obtaining a decisive breakthrough. Et même si les Stoßtrupps réussissent à percer comme lors de l’opération Georgette l’arrivée de renforts alliés empêche les Allemands d’avancer. Peu à peu les pertes sont lourdes et les Stumbataillon doivent parfois dissoudre une de leur compagnie. Comme les autres unités allemandes, les soldats des Sturmbataillon sont très jeunes et n’ont pas l’expérience du feu comme jadis leurs prédécesseurs, l’Allemagne n’a plus de réserve humaine.
Néanmoins, le 27 mai sur le Chemin des Dames, les Sturmtruppen réussiront leur dernier glorieux faits d’armes. Ludendorff veut de par cette offensive menacée directement Paris. L’assaut est une réussite, grâce à un terrible et précis bombardement, le Sturmtruppen progressent sans problèmes parmi les tranchées adverses. Ainsi quatre divisions alliées situées sur le front sont ravagées. Le principal coupable de l’échec de la défense française est le général Duchêne, qui s’entête à vouloir garder la première ligne coûte que coûte alors que son supérieur Pétain lui ordonne de privilégier la défense en profondeur. Ainsi les Allemands capturent intacts les ponts situés sur l’Aisne. Le 31 mai les Allemands sont à Château-Thierry où ils sont arrêtés par les troupes françaises et américaines. Ludendorff tentera une ultime offensive le 15 juillet à Reims, la Friedensturm est suspendue. Le Sturmbataillon n°5 et le Garde-Kavallerie-Schützen-Division(division de fusiliers de cavalerie de la garde), une nouvelle unité de Sturmtruppen constituent le fer de lance d’une offensive qui se solde par un cuisant échec. Grâce à l’action du corps-francs de l’adjudant Darnand, les Alliés sont au courant de l’offensive allemande et déplace leurs pièces d’artillerie. Ainsi les canons allemands tirent sur des positions abandonnées par les Alliés, tandis que de leur côté, les batteries française écrasent la première ligne allemande sous ses obus. Trois jours après, l’opération Friedensturm est abandonnée. Les Français effectuent alors une contre-attaque symbolisées par l’utilisation d’une noria de chars Renault. Le Sturmbataillonn°5 tentera sans succès de rétablir le front. Du mois d’août jusqu’au 11 novembre, les alliés sous le commandement de Foch vont lancer de nombreuses offensives sur différents points du front obligeant les Allemands à se replier et les Sturmtruppen se doivent d’effectuer des tâches défensives pour lesquelles, les hommes ne sont pas entraînés. Les pertes des Sturmtruppen deviennent fortes mais les Sturmbataillon restant couvriront avec plus ou moins de succès le retrait des troupes allemandes, tentant parfois de petites contre-attaques. Le 11 novembre 1918, l’armistice est signée, Ludendorff a abandonné ses fonctions et les Sturmtruppen vont peu à peu disparaître de l’armée allemande.
Les autres unités spéciales
Au cours de la première guerre mondiale, les Sturmtruppen ne furent pas les seuls unités d’élites, certaines de ces unités combattent avec les Stosstruppen sans néanmoins avoir la même tactique ou les mêmes armes. De plus en plus d’unités créent des petits groupes d’artilleries censés soutenir l’infanterie, les Geschütz-Batterien(batterie de canons d’infanteries etc. Elles servent à soutenir les fantassins lors des attaques comme les Minenwerfer doivent le faire avec les Sturmtruppen. Certaines de ces unités servent d’auxiliaires aux Sturmbataillon existants. Les Stoßtruppen sont aussi fortement aidés dans leurs assauts par les unités de lance-flammes très utiles pour réduire les bunkers et autres points fortifiés. Peu à peu ces unités se font plus nombreuses à l’image du Flammenwerfer-Abteilung Reddeman(la première unité de lance-flammes) qui devient en avril 1916 régiment du génie de réserve de la garde(Garde-Reserve-Pionier-Regiment). Ce régiment est composé d’un état-major, de trois bataillons à quatre compagnies, d’un détachement d’expérimentation et d’une unité d’instruction et de dépôt. Cette unité appartient à l’OHL et peut être utilisée partout sur le front. Chacune des compagnies est dotée de 30 à 40 lance-flammes portatifs et de 12 à 15 appareils lourds. En tout cette unité combattra 653 fois durant la guerre :32 attaques en 1915, 160 en 1916, 165 en 1917 et 296 en 1918.
Même si les Stoßtrupps furent absents de la bataille de la Somme, d’autres troupes d’élites participèrent à cette bataille.
Même si les Stoßtrupps furent absents de la bataille de la Somme, d’autres troupes d’élites participèrent à cette bataille.
Le génie posède lui aussi des unités adaptées à la guerre des tranchées, la pose de barbélés, la pose de lignes téléphoniques et autres tâches dangereuses. Ludendorff ordonne ainsi que chaque division possède son unité du génie(souvent un bataillon). Le bataillon du génie est encadré d’une unité de projecteurs(une section) et d’une compagnie de Minenwerfer(4 pièces lourdes et 8 moyennes).Les Allemands développent aussi des unités de mitrailleuses, très utiles dans la guerre de position et chacune des armées en possèdent. Les Allemands créent deux unités de mitrailleuses, le Musketen-Bataillon constitué de trois compagnies de 164 hommes et 30 mitrailleuses Madsen. Les trois unités de "mousquetaires" combattent en Champagne où ils sont utilisés avec succès mais sont annihilés lors de la bataille de la Somme. Pour les remplacer, les Allemands créent des Maschinengewehr-Scharfschützen-Abteilungen(section de tireurs d’élites à la mitrailleuses). Ces unités sont composées de compagnies à 85 soldats avec six mitrailleuses, pour la plupart des MG-08. 152 compagnies seront créées durant la guerre. La plupart du temps trois compagnies appartiennent à un abteilung et appuient les offensives même si parfois les compagnies de mitrailleuses reviennent à leur stratégie de base c’est-à-dire la défensive. A partir de 1918, certaines unités de mitrailleuses sont dotées de canons antichars de 57mm.
En plus de toutes ces unités d’élites, il existe aussi une autre unité "spéciale" composée de fantassins l’Alpenkorps mais qui est spécialisé dans la guerre en montagne. Cependant, cette division(contrairement à ce que son nom indique ce n’est pas un corps) participe aussi à de grandes offensives comme à Verdun. La dotation en arme de cette unité est à peu près la même que pour les Sturmtruppen, elle possède des unité de mitrailleuses ainsi que des sections de Minenwerfer.
Ainsi les Allemands ont déployé une panoplie de troupes d’élites devant servir les besoins de la guerre de tranchées et être employé comme fer de lance des offensives de masses.
Conclusion
Au cours de la guerre, les Sturmtruppen furent une solution que les Allemands trouvèrent pour s’adapter au nouveau genre de conflits qu’est la Première Guerre mondiale. Malgré cela, la réussite de ces troupes d’assauts fut partielle. Ainsi avec le développement à partir de 1917 des unités d’assauts, ces dernières devinrent les unités attendues par le haut-commandement allemand, mais avec l’année 1918 et le début des offensives de masses, les Stoßtrupps devinrent moins utiles et moins décisifs. La principale réussite des unités de Sturmtruppen se trouve dans l’instruction, en effet par leur expérience et leur haut niveau d’entraînement,les hommes des Sturmabteilung s’avérèrent être de très bons instructeurs. C’est d’ailleurs ce désequilibre entre les unités fortement entraînées et disposant d’un potentiel de combat très élevé et les autres unités, cantonnées dans des travaux défensifs et ne pouvant prendre part efficacement aux grandes offensives qui empêcha l’armée allemande d’emporter la victoire en 1918. Les Allemands étaient trop dépendants des unités d’assauts. De plus la faiblesse matérielle de l’armée impériale est énorme. Les soldats sont obligés de se déplacer à cheval ou à pied alors que les Alliés disposent d’un grand nombre de camions. Il en est de même pour les canos qui ne sont pas assez nombreux pour remplir la dotation théorique d’une unité. Toutes ces faiblesses retombent en partie sur les Sturmtruppen, obligés de se déplacer et manquant du soutien de l’artillerie pourtant indispensable pour que leur assaut réussisse. Malgré les percées qui sont réussies comme lors de la deuxième bataille de la Marne, les Allemands sont bloqués face à un ennemi envoyant des renforts en grande quantité et peu à peu ces échecs frappent le moral des hommes des Sturmabteilung qui se posent des questions sur l’utilité de leurs assauts. Les Allemands se sont sûrement trompés en pensant que quelques bataillons mieux entraînés pouvaient emportés la victoire face à une armée entière. Malgré cela quelques officiers allemands penseront le contraire de ce que pense Ludendorff à l’image du général Below :
"Laissez l’offensive et revenez à un rétrecissement du front autant que nécessaire; consacrez toutes l’année 1918 à construire des chars et au printemps 1919 avec plusieurs compagnies de chars, effectuez une percée jusqu’aux côtes de la Manche."
C’est aussi le refus de la plupart des généraux allemands de construire en grandes quantités des chars qui causera la perte de l’Allemagne qui s’en souviendra en 1940 en lançant des offensives massives de chars pour obtenir la percée et progresser en laissant à l’infanterie le soin de nettoyer les points de résistance restant, comme l’avait fait les Sturmtruppen lors de la Première Guerre mondiale mais à pied.