Alyvia Orsini
Stagnant Versus Mobile Warfare in the World Wars
There are vast differences between World War I and World War II due to technological advances, tactics, and mobility. While WWI took place mainly in Europe, with both sides dug deep into stagnant trenches, WWII took over Europe and the Pacific with fast moving amphibious and airborne operations. The most dramatic change between WWI and WWII was the change from static, trench warfare, to mobile warfare due to the new technology and cutting-edge tactics.
Trench warfare is defined as, “warfare in which opposing armed forces attack, counterattack, and defend from relatively permanent systems of trenches dug into the ground” (“Trench Warfare,” n.d.).Trench warfare came about when …show more content…
Many of these attacks resulted in failure since it was easy to spot the attacks, and the defending side could send over arsenals of bombs and machine gun fire (“Trench Warfare,” n.d.).The heavy machinery made mobile ground warfare dangerous and almost impossible for the infantry and Cavalry (Noy, n.d.). Barbed wire became an important element of field fortification in WWI, combined with trenches barbed wire made the Western Front basically impassable for large troop movements (book, page 42). In addition, infantry troops and combat engineering became consumed with the placing, replacing, and removing barbed wire (book, page 42). With both sides focused on fortification and protection, there were little successful offensive attacks for long periods of …show more content…
The Allies used a series of amphibious operations, like the Normandy Invasion of 1944 (Operation OVERLORD), which resulted in the Allies successfully invading German held territory in northern France and is one of the greatest amphibious attacks to date. Amphibious operations utilized land, sea and air all at once, allowing for troops to land on important coastal beaches and invade the enemy’s territory relatively quickly (“Amphibious Warfare,” n.d.). During the landing on Omaha Beach during Operation OVERLORD, over 50,000 U.S. troops made their way ashore to defeat the Germans in less than a day (page 149, book). On the other hand, the Germans depended on Blitzkrieg, or lighting war which was comprised of surprise attacks and rapid advances into enemy territory. Combining armor concentrations, massive precise air support, paratroopers, and radio, the Germans created a flexible and simplistic tactic that achieved results (Noy, n.d.). The Japanese used kamikaze suicide bombers against American warships beginning in 1944. The Japanese sent over 1,321 aircrafts into Allied warships in a desperate attempt to stop the Allies successes in the Pacific. While the kamikaze attacks put a heavy toll on Allied troops, they did not stop the defeat of Japan (Noy, n.d.). These new tactics that both the Allies and Axis powers utilized led to a destructive, fast paced war, which was vastly different than
Stagnant Versus Mobile Warfare in the World Wars
There are vast differences between World War I and World War II due to technological advances, tactics, and mobility. While WWI took place mainly in Europe, with both sides dug deep into stagnant trenches, WWII took over Europe and the Pacific with fast moving amphibious and airborne operations. The most dramatic change between WWI and WWII was the change from static, trench warfare, to mobile warfare due to the new technology and cutting-edge tactics.
Trench warfare is defined as, “warfare in which opposing armed forces attack, counterattack, and defend from relatively permanent systems of trenches dug into the ground” (“Trench Warfare,” n.d.).Trench warfare came about when …show more content…
Many of these attacks resulted in failure since it was easy to spot the attacks, and the defending side could send over arsenals of bombs and machine gun fire (“Trench Warfare,” n.d.).The heavy machinery made mobile ground warfare dangerous and almost impossible for the infantry and Cavalry (Noy, n.d.). Barbed wire became an important element of field fortification in WWI, combined with trenches barbed wire made the Western Front basically impassable for large troop movements (book, page 42). In addition, infantry troops and combat engineering became consumed with the placing, replacing, and removing barbed wire (book, page 42). With both sides focused on fortification and protection, there were little successful offensive attacks for long periods of …show more content…
The Allies used a series of amphibious operations, like the Normandy Invasion of 1944 (Operation OVERLORD), which resulted in the Allies successfully invading German held territory in northern France and is one of the greatest amphibious attacks to date. Amphibious operations utilized land, sea and air all at once, allowing for troops to land on important coastal beaches and invade the enemy’s territory relatively quickly (“Amphibious Warfare,” n.d.). During the landing on Omaha Beach during Operation OVERLORD, over 50,000 U.S. troops made their way ashore to defeat the Germans in less than a day (page 149, book). On the other hand, the Germans depended on Blitzkrieg, or lighting war which was comprised of surprise attacks and rapid advances into enemy territory. Combining armor concentrations, massive precise air support, paratroopers, and radio, the Germans created a flexible and simplistic tactic that achieved results (Noy, n.d.). The Japanese used kamikaze suicide bombers against American warships beginning in 1944. The Japanese sent over 1,321 aircrafts into Allied warships in a desperate attempt to stop the Allies successes in the Pacific. While the kamikaze attacks put a heavy toll on Allied troops, they did not stop the defeat of Japan (Noy, n.d.). These new tactics that both the Allies and Axis powers utilized led to a destructive, fast paced war, which was vastly different than