Stosstrupptaktik - Stormtrooper Tactics #tactics

the german shoestrop tactic often called stormtrooper tactics were developed during the first world war quite ironically they had a limited impact on the great war itself yet the methods would form the foundations for the successful german squad tactics of the second world war so what was the difference between the shoestripping tactics and regular infantry tactics of the time well first off these units would attack in smaller groups in open formation and without prolonged artillery barrage thus their attacks allowed them often to circumvent enemy fire and surprise the enemy furthermore proper reconnaissance was done beforehand to find weak points in the enemy line which then were exploited to achieve a break-in or even a breakthrough additionally the members specifically trained for these operations and selected based on certain requirements on top of that they had specialized equipment and weapons let's take a short look at the development before we approach the weapons and tactics in 1916 and 1918. after the war on the western front changed into trench warfare it became apparent that the previous infantry tactics wouldn't work to achieve a breakthrough the challenge was that infantry had to be concentrated at the decisive point to be effective but concentrated infantry were fatal vulnerable to enemy fire various peoples on all sides tried to solve this issue when more randoms were written and experimental units were established already by the end of 1914 the germans had developed the first approach the idea was to use armored shields for protecting the infantry and cannons under direct control to suppress the enemy positions these cannons would be called schwermkononen storm or assault cannons if that sounds kind of familiar both in name and idea well you're right the idea for the famous sturm gushits of the second verbal was similar it was intended as a weapon system to support the attack of the infantry something i covered in another video already in march 1915 the first schtump dialogue storm or assault detachment was established and it was named after its commander khalsa this experimental unit didn't fare too well during june and july 1915 the schumacher was deployed in action the results were not encouraging in the first two weeks the unit suffered almost 200 casualties and six guns destroyed 30 percent of its strength the reasons for the limited success were due to several factors first the various subunits were used separately second the 37 millimeter cannon was far less effective than expected machine guns and mortars turned out to be about as effective suppressing the enemy third the cannons were also too cumbersome and was sent ahead of the infantry fourth the commander probably did not fully understand the role of his unit since he was assigned after the initial training the commando was a pioneer was soon replaced namely by haupt manroa which is the rank of a captain now this isn't a particularly high rank but roar was an officer in one of the two battalions of elite guards night infantry it took command in september 1915 and the schumacher was augmented with a mortar tube with four light mortars a machine gun platoon with six machine guns and a flamethrower unit with six flamethrowers additionally was searched for a replacement of the 37 millimeter gun and decided on using a modified russian 7.62 centimeter field gun with shortened barrels these were called infantry ships or infantry support guns in english and provided the infantry with close support artillery was under their direct control thus it was more responsive and accurate than regular artery fire from behind this degree of accuracy made it possible for batteries of infantry guns to suppress an enemy position until the very moment that the attacking german infantry broke into it after just a few weeks the schtump dialing went into action again and the first tests were a complete success several more operations followed and the tactics were considered effective although not every operation was successful a further deployment followed with limited success but the german army high command the overstay here is lightning was convinced and the storm up dialogue was increased to battalion size thus becoming strong battalion roar in may 1916 probably one of the most important aspects happened that is often forgotten the german army high command still headed by general von falkenhein ordered all the armies of the western front to send parties to rural for training these parties were to learn the new techniques in order to teach them to their own armies why is this important well for two reasons first this happened before hindenburg became chief of the general staff and second it shows that these formations were intended to train the whole german army and not a few elite units to meet these demands for training in summer 1916 four jaeger battalions were withdrawn from the front to be converted into stream battalion for training note that jaeger meaning huntsmen were elite light infantry and the battalions were also independent units thus removing them from the front line was easier than a subunit of a division already in october 1916 a total of eighteen student battalion were formed the new schlumbertellioni were intended primarily as training units in addition to theoretical instruction students were given full skill demonstration of the tactics life ammunition was used with heavy wound block houses employed to protect the watching students from splinters as such a significant amount of troops were trained by spring 1918 to allow the initial german successes in the 1918 spring offensive better known as the kaiserschlacht and speaking of the kaiserschlag it's quite interesting to study the allied defenses there too if you want to get the whole picture oh hi indy yes the whole picture is always important how can i learn more glad you asked um we just did a whole video about this very topic so come on over to my channel if you want to learn more thanks andy i will definitely do coop see you later but first let's look at the weapons of the strawstroke the germans before the war outlined that there was firecraft firepower and showscraft shock power the infantry was the only branch that could fully combine firepower and shock unlike the artillery or cavalry that relied heavily or completely on only one so in another way one could say that both the tactics and equipment of the sturm battalion aimed at maximizing fire and shock power for small unit operations we're aware that the equipment of various assault units varied and wasn't fully standardized one offer notes for 1918 that only machine guns were available to all units whereas flamethrowers mortars and infantry guns were able to most storm units now the weapon with the longest range was the infantry gun initially a 37 millimeter gun was used but due to lack of firepower was soon replaced with mountain howitzers captured russian guns and later in the war with the seven point seven centimeter fair cannon section the gun had a range of about 10 kilometers and was rather accurate the infantry gun was a powerful weapon it's a range allowed to engage any targets within the defensive zone in particular it was able to fire on the fear guns and heavy machine guns clustered at the rear of the zone whose fire was often of decisive importance to the defense the main drawbacks of infantry guns were the size which limited their mobility made them big targets and out and launch a large crew for instance eight men for the fair can only section additionally they were often used in direct fire thus being exposed and unable to hit targets without the direct line of fire this is where the minion buffer comes in which was basically a mortar but literally translated it would be a mine floor because germans love to wear things as much as disney likes to spam star wars movies in contrast to the infantry gun the range was only about 1 300 meters for the 7.58 centimeter model yet it was far more mobile and used in indirect fire the high trajectory of the projectile had several advantages it could be fired from cover get rather close to the enemy position and also hit targets like deep trenches that would have been impossible to hit with direct fire yet the medium weather was still around a large weapon the system that bridged the gap between the minion buffer and the hand grenade was the grenade section literally grenade floor sometimes also called bomb thrower it was far lighter than the medium buffer could be easily dismantled and thus came with greater tactical mobility besides that it could also be used in a direct fire role thus providing a high degree of flexibility both in application and mobility with its 300 meter range it could be used when regular infantry was outside of throwing range of hand grenades which brings us to the hand grenades the employment and importance of this weapon changed quite significantly over the course of the war as the german military storm alfred states the regulation of 1917 stated the hankering is just as important for close combat as the pistol and the rifle now there were several types of handkerades probably best known as the steelhunt granard the stick grenade usually called potato masher in english but the germans also used an ayahuan grenade egg hand grenade the distinctions aren't only in their shape but also in terms of their weapons effect stickering was primarily a blast weapon whereas the aircan grenade relied on fragmentation why does this difference matter in an attack the defender enjoys the most cover therefore an attacker using fragmentation grenades would pose more of a threat to himself than to the enemy by contrast the effect of a blast only grenade was sufficient to stun the defender long enough for the attacker to rush across granites can also be combined in various ways probably best known example is the bundled grenades or the byteladder concentrated charge where six charges were wired around one stick grenade this was ideal for blowing up obstacles the next weapon and arsenal was the flamethrower already first units in 1915 used these there were two types of flamethrowers a large static one that could be installed in front of the enemy positions and a portable one where one man carried the fuel tank while the other operated the hose most authors stretched that the flamethrower was a weapon with a high moral effect that often shattered the enemy resistance additionally it was also effective against clearing out pill boxes next are machine guns similar to hand grenades the overusage of machine guns changed significantly over the course of the war this becomes rather apparent if one looks at the equipment of a 1914 german division versus a 1918 attack division whereas the first one only had 24 heavy machine guns the later had 108 heavy machine guns and 180 light machine guns in other words in 1914 there were 750 men per machine gun was in 1918 there were 56 men per machine gun for more information check out this video additionally an adamantium to the regulation angry from sterling's creek the attack and trench warfare for march 1918 states according to the military historian ralph gratz machine guns are not auxiliary weapons but just as much rain weapon of the infantry as the rifle basically the crucial advantage of the light machine gun was and is that it provided a squad with a weapon that could establish local fire superiority which is crucial for any offensive action remember the force that has fire superiority has greater ability to maneuver and is able to cease the initiative and to undertake offensive operations via superiority therefore is an absolute precondition to a successful offensive or attack next are the small arms namely rifles carbines pistol and submachine guns basically in 1914 the standard weapon of the infantry was the rifle for the sour troops this changed rather fast due to the necessity to concentrate firepower there are a short range of the engagement and the unwieldy bolt action rifles with limited rate of fire and ammo capacity as such different weapons were distributed like shorter versions of the rifles like the carabiner actual 90 r which was a carbon version of the givier action neuenzig the regular german bolt action rifle yet pistols and revolvers were usually better suited this led to some modifications like the p8 luger with larger magazines in terms of submachine guns there was the mp18 yet it's only limited use in 1918. now let's look at an example approach on how these tactics were performed sadly my sources are far less detailed here than expected the best one was from the military historian ralph ratz who did a study on the overall development of german tactics from 1906 to 1918 based on the regulations before we start with 1916 approach it is important to remember the following first of all it should be noted that it was by no means a self-contained system but its continuous evolution and adaptation was explicitly one of its most important characteristics by 1916 one major change was that the squad was not a tactical core unit unlike in pre-war times where the platooning company were central for each company a sturm troop assault squad was formed that consisted of one nco and six to eight men this also meant that the nco had now a position of far greater responsibility and influence a key element was preparation the commanders of the schwimberg would in cooperation with the squad leaders perform sophisticated reconnaissance based on that information careful planning was conducted this could include training on reconstructed enemy positions behind the lines now the general idea was to use small squads in open formation that passed as quick as possible for enormous lands to perform an assault on the enemy trenches as such surprise was a key element additional in terms of combat there was now a strong focus on close combat as a result the rifle was pressed into a minor role for these units or to quote the main combat weapon is the hand grenade the focus was on speed and surprise thus the regulation call for a simultaneous and coherent accident of their own trenches and also an entering of the enemy trenches without hesitation because each hesitation before the hostile trench gives the enemy the opportunity to make use of his firearm in order to achieve this the enemy should be suppressed continuously with artery then mortars and finally before entering the trenches by throwing hand grenades remember some german handkerchiefs were essentially blast grenades and acted more like stun grenades it is important to note that the trenches should be penetrated at several points and from there should be cleared along the whiff which in german is called ofron literally meaning rolling up once a spot in a trench was occupied some squad members would protect the front back and the flanks while two members would clear out the trenches with hand grades to the left and right if it was not possible to clear out the trench it should be contained by blocking it off or using demolition charges to collapse certain parts then the occupied trainer should be reconstructed to face the enemy the following regular infantry took possessions of each trench as soon as it was cleared dispatched pockets of resistance escorted prisoners and booty to the rear and prepared to defend against the inevitable counter-attack immediately behind the line infantry the organic trench mortars and grenade launchers of the assault battalion would move forward to positions from which they could support the further prosecution of the attack now this is in contrast to the 1918 regulations which focused far more on a fluent attack even the clearing out of trenches was already increasingly outdated in this context as it seemed too elaborate and meticulous instead the stormtroopers should pierce the trenches panic the crews and continue on the way at first this might sound quite overblown but the importance of shocking the enemy is still noted in current field manuals shock slows and disrupts an enemy and may even paralyze the enemy's ability to fight or physically stun the enemy surprising speed magnify the effects of shark additionally you need to remember the regular infantry was closely following the assault troops as such they could take prisoners and secure trenches in overall for 1918 the tomb was far more aggressive and also required regular infantryman to adapt methods that were beforehand limited to assault troops for instance the regulation explicitly states that the infantry should run into own artillery fire during the initial assault and that this technique of the assault battalion should become common practice of the whole infantry this was also due to change in over-goals and capabilities before 1918 the attack was usually focused on limited goals for 1918 there was an additional type of attack formulated which aimed at an operational breakthrough not just a tactical penetration of the enemy frontline in other words it was not about occupying a few trenches but breaking through the whole enemy line and attack his rear areas especially his artillery as such speed momentum and shock were central where securing occupied trenches was secondary the actual assault was described along the following lines initially a loose and limited number of units would perform recon to determine the enemy's positions then light machine gun groups would follow then machine gun group supported by riflemen moved forward and they were supported by heavy machine guns and light mortars the aim was to overwhelm the enemy with fire from various weapons and directions in order to suppress him this was combined with the creeping barrage from the artillery and as stated before asked the infantry to jump into their own fire spots of resistance and strong points should be circumvented due to the necessity to keep the momentum of the attack and also the instruction is to ignore the clearing out of trenches now while researching this video i came along many misconceptions and myths that i covered separately on my second channel but let's move on to the extended conclusion german showstroke tactics were small unit tactics developed to break the stalemate that developed after initial battles on the western front of the first world war whereas conventional tactics relied on the use of overwhelming numbers and firepower on a broad front that grew out extensive logistics and the sacrifice of surprise those troop tactics aimed at negating the strength of the enemy defense by surprise speed and small unit action in order to achieve break-ins and later breakthroughs into the enemy lines this was achieved by specialized equipment training preparations and organization that allowed to concentrate firepower and mobility within small units that could circumvent enemy fire and attack weak positions thus on a more abstract level both the tactics and equipment of the schtostrom were focused on maximizing firepower and shock in order to break into and later through the enemy lines after all you need to remember that combat consists basically of two components firepower and maneuver this is also reflected by manson's observation the squad aided by its own firepower and that of its neighbors became capable of maneuvering by itself by the end of 1915 by the end of the war those squads which contained both a light machine gun troop and a shoe strip had gone a step further they were capable of manurering within themselves foreshadowing the fire team concept which was not universally accepted until well after world war ii the influence on the second vowel is without question as steven bull among others notes after the war the idea of the squad that could be tactically self-sufficient would become the universal norm the mg 15 continued to be the cornerstone of the german grouper but was supplanted by the air cooled mg13 in early 1930s and this itself was eventually replaced by the mg-34 an outstanding truly general purpose machine gun since i stretched the importance of the short stroke tactic on modern infantry tactics already we should also not forget that these changes were actually not that revolutionary as some people might suggest yes we all like dramatic stories and focus on revolutions but nearly nothing develops in a waycom which is probably best outlined by quotes but two different scholars on the overall development of these tactics first as unconventional as this style of fighting seems to be and as novel as the specific approaches were its roots can be found in a tactical discourses of the peace time strengthening the squad role of the ncos as combat specialists methodical preparations for attack and circlement and flanking achievement of fire superiority only the shift from rival to close combat weapons had not been foreseen to that extent second that both sides gleaned much of what they knew from each other is clear from german british french and american tactical and training literature they are often directly translated votes and sometimes references to specific enemy actions from which a lesson has been learned as such this is a good reminder that the quotes the enemy gets a vote and voice a team effort apply on several levels at once now special thanks to india and the great war team for joining me on this video be sure to check out the channel here and a video on the analysis of the kaiserschlachter a big thank you to all my patreons that allow me to invest more in sources equipment and field trips as always sources are linked in the description thank you for watching and see you next time

Channel: Military History Visualized

Views: 265,401

Rating: 4.9475894 out of 5

Keywords: Military History, Military History Visualized, Visualized, Stoßtrupptaktik, Stoßtrupp Tactics, Stormtrooper Tactics, Shock Troops, stormtrooper (armed force), ralf raths, German Tactics, German Infantry Tactics, German Army 1914-1918, German Way of War, The Great War, first world war, military history visualized ww1, german infantry tactics ww2, german tactics for 1918 spring offensive, shock troops ww1, Stormtrooper weapons, sturmbataillon, Rohr, Kaslow, Squad Tactics

Id: BNqmA-if-4g

Length: 21min 2sec (1262 seconds)

Published: Mon May 28 2018