THE NATURE OF WAR ON LAND

1. What were the solutions to the stalemate? Beside each solution, describe problems encountered with it. 2. What were the challenges to the war on land?

IN THE BEGINNING The war of rapid movement ground to a halt, and the two great enemy armies became completely deadlocked along a 750-kilometre front of impregnable trenches.

IN THE TRENCHES For the next three years, neither side was able to advance more than a few kilometres along this line that came to be known as the Western Front. As attack after attack failed to penetrate the enemy lines the toll in human lives grew rapidly, and the Western Front became an area of bloody stalemate.

IN THE TRENCHES During the entire war, the lines of trenches never varied more than a few miles. In the face of artillery bombardments, machine gun and rifle fire, and massive barbed wire entanglements, thousands died for gains of sometimes only a few metres.

IN THE TRENCHES This produced a stalemate in which neither side could achieve a breakthrough. Three solutions were tried to break this stalemate.

SOLUTIONS TO THE STALEMATE One was the use of artillery. Armies used massed artillery, preceding infantry attacks by massive bombardments.

SOLUTIONS TO THE STALEMATE

Opposing trenches were pulverized, and when troops came out of their deep underground shelters, they were waiting to mow down advancing attackers with machine guns.

SOLUTIONS TO THE STALEMATE Bombardments caused many difficulties, including shell holes which made advance difficult. Some shells were defective and failed to explode.

SOLUTIONS TO THE STALEMATE Casualties were enormous, but commanders continued to use the same tactics, convinced that they would eventually win.

SOLUTIONS TO THE STALEMATE The use of poisonous gas was also attempted.

SOLUTIONS TO THE STALEMATE

First used by the Germans, it was successful because of the surprise factor and because the Allies had no antidote. Eventually, various types of gas were used by both sides, including mustard gas, which could do terrible damage to a soldier’s lungs before he died an excruciating death.

SOLUTIONS TO THE STALEMATE Anti-gas clothing was developed and enabled men to hold their positions, in great discomfort.

SOLUTIONS TO THE STALEMATE Tanks were introduced as the third possible solution to break the stalemate. Tanks were introduced at Courcelette in They were capable of advancing against and destroying machine guns and barbed wire.

SOLUTIONS TO THE STALEMATE Tanks were never used to their full potential, due to mechanical problems, communication problems, and a lack of troops supporting the tank on the ground.

CANADIANS’ CHALLENGES At the beginning of the war, Canadians were assigned Canadian-made Ross Rifles, which jammed after rapid fire. The rifles were replaced before the war was over, but until then, soldiers would take discarded British rifles whenever they could.

CANADIANS’ CHALLENGES Canadian soldiers were told that their shovel was their best friend. They were issued the “shield shovel”. These shovels proved to be useless; were scrapped.

CANADIANS’ CHALLENGES Canadians invented trench raids and were very good at them. Some commanders thought a successful raid was good for morale, while others believed they sacrificed men unnecessarily.

CANADIANS’ CHALLENGES Later in the war, Canadians used a tactic called “Creeping Barrage”. It would begin with the big guns of the artillery firing together. The men would then aim for their next target and another group of men would advance once again.

CANADIANS’ CHALLENGES If they advanced too quickly, they would be killed by their own guns. If they moved too slowly, the enemy would recover and begin firing at them. As Julian Byng told the men, “Chaps, you shall go over exactly like a railroad train, in the exact time, or you shall be annihilated.”

CANADIANS’ CHALLENGES