How important was the Allied use of new technology Essays

How important was the Allied use of new technology in the victory over Germany by 1918? The Great War between the Allied powers of France, Britain and the USA and the Alliance powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey was the first truly modern war. Horrendous losses occurred on both sides and because of this it came to be known as "the war to end all wars". The war broke out in 1914 due to a number of factors including the rise of militarism, imperialism, the systems of alliance in place in Europe and Slav nationalism. The use of new technology was important in the Allied victory over Germany by 1918. However, there were other factors which were important in the eventual success of the Allies. The entrance of the USA in 1917 added the New Worlds might in arms and men to the war of attrition on the western front. Finally, the collapse of the German Home Front due to the pressures of war and the Allied Naval Blockade proved to be a significant factor in the Allied victory. However it was the American entry into the war in 1917 that made the Allied victory inevit able with the wealth of money, men and munitions that they brought to the fight against Germany. The Allied use of new technology was fairly important in the victory over Germany. The concentrated use of tanks in the final offensives of 1918 helped the Allied forces to make advances beyond the Hindenburg line and forced the Germans to retreat away from their prepared defensive lines. Therefore, this was fairly important in the Allied final victory because it showed the German High command that they had lost their ability to maintain their positions thus making it clear that defeat was inevitable and forcing them to look for a way to end the war without total annihilation of their forces. Allied air superiority by the end of the war allowed them to track the movement of German reserves and locate weaknesses in the German lines of defence. This, therefore, gave the Allies a definite battlefield advantage that they could exploit to the full and this led to the defeat and capture of thousands of German soldiers near the end of the war contributing to the Allied victory. However , although the use of new technology by the Allies did lead to some exceptional victories its impact was lessened by battlefield conditions and the reliability of some of the technology. Some historians believe that the use of tanks hindered the allied victory as some advances in 1918 which were faced with little German opposition had to be stopped to allow supplies of petrol to catch up and thus allowing the Germans to regroup. American entry into the war was the most important factor in the victory over Germany. The Americans mobilised nearly 2 million men and by the summer of 1918 the Americans became integral to the manpower of the exhausted Allies. This was vitally important as the German forces on the Western Front had been strengthened by upwards of a million men as Russia pulled out of the war giving them the ability to launch a huge offensive in the spring of 1918. The American entry into the war also brought the full might of America's industry into what was an industrial war. Munitions and loans allowed gave the allies the advantage in what was a war of attrition. This was important in the victory over Germany as the allies had huge resources to wage industrial warfare against a Germany that was struggling with the lack of raw material. However, America was providing huge loans and shipments of munitions to Britain and France even before their actually entry as a combatant. Some historians be lieve that the American entry was merely a catalyst and Allied victory was assured after the failure of the German spring offensive. Therefore the use of new technology was fairly important in the Allied victory as it allowed the Allies to break the deadlock in places but at times its reliability hampered the advance. The Allied Blockade of Germany was a more important reason as this led to the collapse of morale in Germany and the