An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir September 2014 www.dfmagazine.ie 26 | A fter the German attempt to implement the Schliefen Plan stuttered to a halt at the battle of the Marne the Kaiser's armies withdrew to a line to the north of the River Aisne where they began to dig defensive positions along the Chemin des Dames Ridge, terrain ide- ally suited to defence. The pursuing Allies attacked the German lines on Sep- tember 12th but after initial gains the superiority of modern weaponry employed by sheltered defenders against at- tacking troops quickly established itself. Heavy shelling and intense machine-gun fire halted the Allied offensive and German counter-attacks soon regained lost ground. By the 18th of September Allied attacks had dwindled significantly as both sides began manoeuvring to try to turn the other's northern flank, leading to the Race to the Sea, which by October 19th saw the line of defensive positions on both sides stretch all the way to the English Channel. Thus began the era of trench warfare for which the Great War became synonymous in the minds of later generations. The use of trenches occupied by troops rather than just as an obstacle to slow an enemy advance was becoming increasingly used in conflicts such as the American Civil War (1861-1865) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), mainly in response to the increased lethality of weapons in the industrial age. Technical innovations such as breech-loading rifles and artillery, machine-guns, new explosives and barbed wire, were all ideally suited to defensive operations and lethal to troops in the open, particularly at a time when troops did not even have metal helmets, which were only introduced in 1915 in response to horrendous number of casualties from head wounds. In addition, industrial methods of mass production, al- lied to the vast wealth and access to natural resources of European states, meant armies could be supplied with an almost unlimited supply of weapons and ammunition. At the same time, hugely increased populations meant that access to manpower for armies was also nearly unlimited, relative to times past. It is estimated that the population of Europe doubled in the 19th Century. In Germany the population rose from 41 million in 1871 to 65 million in 1911 (+58%), while in Great Britain it rose from 17 million in 1850 to 31 million by 1901 (+82%). The terrible collision that took place in the Great War between unlimited firepower and unlimited manpower combined to produce dreadful carnage. The early days of the war were even worse in terms of casualties than during the subsequent trench warfare. Huge German and French armies of over 1 million men each, augmented by the smaller, professional British Expedi- tionary Force, clashed in the open and in the forests of the Ardennes during the Battle of the Frontiers and in the Battle of the Marne, in which casualties are estimated at 500,000 (the heaviest daily toll of any battle of the war). As both sides dug in following the Race to the Sea the conflict settled into a pattern of offensive and counter- offensive. At the outset the effectiveness of trenches varied from army to army, with the German trenches being regarded as the best, many constructed with concrete, in some cases extending three levels underground. The French trenches were considered the worst, in most cases being little more than extended shell-scrapes. There were a number of reasons for this: as the Germans were occupying French territory the French were determined to by TERRy MCLOUGhLIN

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