Reasons for the Stalemate and the End of Mobility

A number of problems faced the military leaders of each nation in the opening weeks of the "Great War," later known as the "First World War." These problems helped create the horrible conditions that were to characterize the Western Front, with its solid line of static trenches.

On both sides of the fighting, commanders were not used to dealing with the huge numbers of men in the field. Millions of soldiers were engaged in the opening phases of the war, and commanders could not control them effectively. Most commanders also believed that the war would be over by Christmas 1914, and had not prepared for a long war. This meant that no army, or country, prepared the necessary stockpiles of weapons or ammunition. In fact, armies on both sides started to run out of ammunition after the first month of the war.

As well, generals on both sides did not have a true understanding of the new weapons that began to dominate the battlefield. The power of improved artillery and the machine gun as defensive weapons were greatly underestimated. It took the loss of hundreds of thousands of men before the generals fully understood the effect of this new type of defensive warfare.

However, only one general was to be removed for the failure of operations in the field during the early months of the war. German General Von Moltke was demoted for his lack of success in executing the Schlieffen Plan. His failure now forced Germany into the much-feared two-front war.

Although the German plan was not successful in its final goal, the German Army now occupied 40 percent of all coal reserves in France. Furthermore, 90 percent of the iron ore in France was in German hands. These resources were key in the long-term production of steel for France. Steel was a key material in the construction of military equipment.

With the arrival of winter, on the Western Front, the situation grew quiet all along the entire front line. Each side needed to get over the shock of the first few weeks and re-supply its forces with food, ammunition and winter clothing.