For study purposes, the First World War (1914-1918) is divided into 3 phases:
- War of Movement (1914)
- Position or Trench Warfare (1915-1917)
- Second Movement War/End Phase (1918)
War of Movement (1914)
In the first months of the war, the troop movement strategy was widely used for taking positions on the front.
The Germans moved quickly and within a few weeks they were less than 50 km from Paris. For his part, the French general Joffre managed to repel the advance in the bloody battle of the Marne in 1914.
The strategy of the war followed the molds of the 19th century:an attack by the cavalry charge, accompanied by the infantry. However, times had changed and it was not efficient in the face of the positions defended by machine guns by the artillery cover.
Gradually, armies adopted the mechanism of dug trenches along the entire front.
Read more:Causes of World War I.
Position or Trench Warfare (1915-1917)
The second phase of the war was marked by Trench or Position Warfare.
Unable to break through the enemy's defense lines, the belligerents want to preserve the conquered positions at any cost.
The trenches are, therefore, a defensive strategy, initially adopted by the German armies, it was also used by the allies.
The trenches were true defensive complexes made up of tunnels and ditches. There, for months, thousands of soldiers fought, ate and slept, sheltered from the gunfire.
However, they were exposed to artillery shells, chemical weapons and air attacks, in addition to the weather and diseases caused by the unhealthy environment. Every two weeks the soldiers who were in the trenches were exchanged for those in the rear.
Find out which were the Major Battles of the First World War.
In front of the trenches, the ground was covered with stakes and a barbed wire guard. A few hundred meters separated the enemy lines, forming a rough terrain between them.
In this way, many soldiers succumbed to the wire fences, shot by machine guns or cannon fire. The wounded could only be rescued at night and even then it was a very dangerous operation.
It was the bloodiest period of the war, where the battles lasted for weeks or even months, with the loss and recovery of positions and a large balance of casualties for both parties. Likewise, no significant positions were gained by the belligerents.
This strategy remained effective until the British used tanks in 1916, when they managed to break through the trench defenses.
1917
The year 1917 is a milestone in the war.
The Russian Revolution takes place where Emperor Nicholas II and his family are imprisoned. The new government, of socialist orientation, decides to withdraw from the battlefield by signing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsky with the Germans.
It is also the year that the United States enters the war on the side of the Allied Powers.
Second Movement War/End Phase (1918)
With the help of the United States, the Allies regain the initiative in the war. Even so, the armies still face tough battles where the casualties on both sides are huge.
The most famous of these is perhaps the second battle of the Marne, where the Germans were expelled from French territory.
Without gaining the support of the people and his own officers, Kaiser Wilhelm II had to accept terms of surrender. Faced with the Spartacist revolt, which broke out in Berlin, the Kaiser resigns and withdraws to Holland.
Peace was signed on November 11, 1918, ending four years of bloody conflict.
World War I - All MatterRead more :
- World War I
- Brazil in World War I
- Treaty of Versailles (1919)
- Consequences of the First World War
- Questions about the First World War
- Films about the First World War