"Developments in weaponry determined tactics on the battlefield." How far do you agree with
this view of warfare in the period 1792-1945?
• There is some evidence to suggest that developments in weaponry determined tactics, that is
the utilization of forces by commanders, on the battlefield
o as developments such as the minié ball and the machine gun had a profound impact
in the increased use of defensive tactics.
• That said, there is more convincing evidence to suggest that it was not the developments in
weaponry themselves that determined tactics
o as the potential of new developments had to be utilized effectively by commanders to
had a significant impact on tactics used.
Some evidence to suggest that developments in weaponry determined tactics on the
battlefield
• Eg. the development of the steel breech loaded rifled Krupp cannons (with an accurate range
of 7.8km)
o meant that the Prussian army was able to employ the tactics of powerful artillery
barrage whilst besieging French forces at both Sedan and Metz in 1870 during the
Franco-Prussian War (1870-71).
• Similarly, the developments of the minié ball and the percussion cap had a striking impact on
tactics when they were both first used by the British in their Lee Enfield rifles in the Crimean
War (1853-56).
o Whereas defensive tactics were rarely seen in the Napoleonic Wars…
§ unaimed volley fire was ineffective against full frontal assaults,
• meant both sides would employ bayonet charges on the battlefield
(eg. Eylau 1807 and Borodino 1812)
o …the development of more accurate and powerful rifles using the minié bullet (with
an accurate range of 1200 yards) meant that at Inkerman in 1854 British infantry
successfully defended their position on the Sandbag Battery against Russian frontal
assaults with their accurate Lee Enfield rifles.
• Perhaps most strikingly, the development of the fully automatic machine gun in 1884 was
hugely influential in determining the increased use of defensive trench tactics.
o Eg. Nan Shan (1904) in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-5)
§ a single Russian regiment used 6 Maxim machine guns (fired 210 round per
minute) to hold back 3 entire Japanese divisions for over 12 hours from their
fortified trenches
o However, most profound impact of the machine gun on battlefield tactics was seen in
WWI (1914-18)
§ widespread use of Lewis machine guns (which fired 600 rounds per minute at
an accurate range of 880m) to defend complex trench networks by both
British and German commanders
§ à led to a 3 year stalemate on the Western Front from 1915-17, during which
neither army was able to penetrate the enemy's defenses.
• Therefore there is evidence to suggest that developments in artillery, rifles and machine guns
had a profound impact in determining battlefield tactics, particularly the increasing use of
defensive trench tactics as defensive weaponry became more powerful.
this view of warfare in the period 1792-1945?
• There is some evidence to suggest that developments in weaponry determined tactics, that is
the utilization of forces by commanders, on the battlefield
o as developments such as the minié ball and the machine gun had a profound impact
in the increased use of defensive tactics.
• That said, there is more convincing evidence to suggest that it was not the developments in
weaponry themselves that determined tactics
o as the potential of new developments had to be utilized effectively by commanders to
had a significant impact on tactics used.
Some evidence to suggest that developments in weaponry determined tactics on the
battlefield
• Eg. the development of the steel breech loaded rifled Krupp cannons (with an accurate range
of 7.8km)
o meant that the Prussian army was able to employ the tactics of powerful artillery
barrage whilst besieging French forces at both Sedan and Metz in 1870 during the
Franco-Prussian War (1870-71).
• Similarly, the developments of the minié ball and the percussion cap had a striking impact on
tactics when they were both first used by the British in their Lee Enfield rifles in the Crimean
War (1853-56).
o Whereas defensive tactics were rarely seen in the Napoleonic Wars…
§ unaimed volley fire was ineffective against full frontal assaults,
• meant both sides would employ bayonet charges on the battlefield
(eg. Eylau 1807 and Borodino 1812)
o …the development of more accurate and powerful rifles using the minié bullet (with
an accurate range of 1200 yards) meant that at Inkerman in 1854 British infantry
successfully defended their position on the Sandbag Battery against Russian frontal
assaults with their accurate Lee Enfield rifles.
• Perhaps most strikingly, the development of the fully automatic machine gun in 1884 was
hugely influential in determining the increased use of defensive trench tactics.
o Eg. Nan Shan (1904) in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-5)
§ a single Russian regiment used 6 Maxim machine guns (fired 210 round per
minute) to hold back 3 entire Japanese divisions for over 12 hours from their
fortified trenches
o However, most profound impact of the machine gun on battlefield tactics was seen in
WWI (1914-18)
§ widespread use of Lewis machine guns (which fired 600 rounds per minute at
an accurate range of 880m) to defend complex trench networks by both
British and German commanders
§ à led to a 3 year stalemate on the Western Front from 1915-17, during which
neither army was able to penetrate the enemy's defenses.
• Therefore there is evidence to suggest that developments in artillery, rifles and machine guns
had a profound impact in determining battlefield tactics, particularly the increasing use of
defensive trench tactics as defensive weaponry became more powerful.
