Shell Shock in WWI & WWII

[pardus]

The Mahdist War as well, most famously at Omdurman in 1898.

Whatever happens,
we have got,
the Maxim gun,
and they have not.

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I will argue against your earlier statement that WWI was an artillery war. Artillery become important as the only conceivable means to break the deadlock created in part by the machine gun. Without the machine gun, artillery is another piece of the puzzle. The machine gun created the stalemate which elevated artillery's importance.

NERD WAR!!!

I will agree that the machine gun turned the war into an artillery war. I don't negate the MG's role at all, it was hugely significant in the development of the war, however once the troops dug in the MG's effectiveness was severely degraded.

 

[AWP]

NERD WAR!!!

I will agree that the machine gun turned the war into an artillery war. I don't negate the MG's role at all, it was hugely significant in the development of the war, however once the troops dug in the MG's effectiveness was severely degraded.

Until they had to attack.

The funny thing is, just digging for a few minutes, the numbers about casualties and their causes varies widely. Artillery in general vs. machine guns during an attack. If there's some scholarly agreement I'm too lazy to dig for it. Instead I'll ban @amlove21 because...reasons and stuff.

 

[pardus]

Until they had to attack.

The funny thing is, just digging for a few minutes, the numbers about casualties and their causes varies widely. Artillery in general vs. machine guns during an attack. If there's some scholarly agreement I'm too lazy to dig for it. Instead I'll ban @amlove21 because...reasons and stuff.

I would love to see a break down on what weapons caused what casualties though I would be a little surprised if those stats existed at all.

1/3 of all British shells failed to detonate, which is one major reason France and Belgium have a rather large and ongoing UXB problem. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the MG had the Lion's share of casualties to it's credit. The WWI bunkers were pretty much impervious to artillery fire.

Until they had to attack.

Yes, absolutely.

 

[Phil M]

The more I research WWI, I find myself totally engrossed. Most of all with the passion in which soldiers on all sides acquitted themselves. Especially under such circumstances that Pardus stated earlier. These circumstances, where I only have my imagination, most of you guys have real experience to call upon. This is one of the main reasons I visit SS. WWI is fascinating that such an ordeal could produce so many creative heroes too. Warfighter artists and poets that became English literature and cultural icons. Alfred Owen, arguably the most popular and the one I was forced to study at college. The English Coal Miners that gave their lives digging the secret underground maze of tunnels at the Somme. I have just found out about these secret tunnels, can you tell? A learning curve indeed. I'm amazed at some of the subtle, lesser known operations that took place. I tend to believe that not one skirmish is more honorable than another. Each one must be as gravely important as the next. The true essence of team work. An unbreakable chain of specially manufactured parts. That shit impresses me.

 

[CQB]

I think you'll find it's Wilfred Owen and if my memory serves me well, his mother read the telegram reporting his death as the church bells tolled, signalling the Armistice. For some info on tunneling check info on Hill 60 at Ypres and the tunneling companies.

 

[Phil M]

I think you'll find it's Wilfred Owen and if my memory serves me well, his mother read the telegram reporting his death as the church bells tolled, signalling the Armistice. For some info on tunneling check info on Hill 60 at Ypres and the tunneling companies.

Lets just call him Fred then. I have his book too. Sorry for the oversight. Thanks for the info, I will check it out soon as I finish work.

 

[Marauder06]

I would love to see a break down on what weapons caused what casualties though I would be a little surprised if those stats existed at all.

1/3 of all British shells failed to detonate, which is one major reason France and Belgium have a rather large and ongoing UXB problem. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the MG had the Lion's share of casualties to it's credit. The WWI bunkers were pretty much impervious to artillery fire.



Yes, absolutely.

I bet the stats are out there, PhD candidates LOVE that kind of research.

My money's on disease and non-battle injuries being the greatest casualty producer, followed by artillery.

 

[pardus]

The 10 Biggest Misconceptions About the First World War
1. "Most soldiers were killed by machine guns"

No doubt — the introduction of the machine gun irrevocably changed the way war is fought. But its impact has been exaggerated over the years. As early as the American Civil War, massed troops were already creating a similar effect by using rifles to deliver impenetrable walls of bullets.
Rather, the real difference maker during the Great War was the prolific use of artillery. It has been estimated that two-thirds of all casualties were caused by artillery. Use of this weapon was so intense that, during the early days of the war, some 40,000 shells were used in a single day.



Sources: World War I Companion: Matthias Strohn, A World Undone: G. J. Meyer, The First World War: Hew Strachan.

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I still struggle with the sheer scale of the conflict. Incredible...