Gentleman with Heavy Armour– the British Answer for Trench Warfare

Abstract

The emergence of the trench-warfare during the First World War created a stalemate between the parties in conflict. By 1916 coherent lines of defenses evolved in the Western Front, from the Northern parts of Belgium until as far as the Swiss borders. Making a breakthrough against these defenses required a new solution. The Central Powers and the Entente had different views on how to achieve that. While the former put hope into the introduction of assault troops-tactics, the latter could concentrate on more grandiose developments due to its stronger industrial power and better supply system. With the appearance of armored vehicles, the cavalry was “reborn”, although evidently different “horses” can be mentioned than those in 1914.