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German WW1 tactics

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by darkm1966 (U1788418) on Monday, 24th April 2006

  What were the German tactics in WW1 after the failure of the Schlieffen Plan?
  
  As I understand it Germany basically retreated after the Marne then "dug in" having selected the high ground to make defence easier. The major German offensive was at Verdun in 1916, after which they seem to have sat and defended themselves against Allied attacks (Somme, Passchendaele) without really making any offensive effort until the Spring 1918 offensives (Designed to break the British/French before large scale American intervention).
  
  The Allied tactic of massive frontal assault, though hardly successful, did show an intent to end the war (And it's another discussion as to whether these tactics were the right ones)
  
  So how did the Germans hope to win? Presumably waiting until they defeated Russia before attacking in the west, but a big gamble surely?
  
  (This is NOT an essay question, books I have read explain what the German tactics were, but not really WHY).

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by OrganettoBoy (U3734614) on Monday, 24th April 2006

  I suspect that once they'd been stopped in 1914 - and Verdun didn't bleed the French dry - their reasoning was along the lines that they would hold what they'd secured until they'd knocked Russia out of the war. (After all they were occupying foriegn soil and so were ahead on points, if I can put it like that.) Once this was achieved (and with the added urgency of the US joining the war) attacked in in spring 1918.

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