Deadlock on the Western Front

What was deadlock (stalemate) on the Western Front?

The Western Front deadlock, or stalemate, was when both sides dug into their trenches from which they launched repeated attacks, resulting in very little gain and high numbers of casualties.

Why was there a deadlock on the Western Front?

There was deadlock on the Western Front due to a number of factors:

• ❖ The failure of the Schlieffen Plan. As the Germans failed to advance, they dug in at places which were difficult to attack.
• ❖ The strength of defences. Trenches were difficult to attack, especially as barbed wire and machine guns were used in defence.
• ❖ Ineffective weapons. Attacking weapons struggled against the strong defences early in the war, although weapons developed as the war progressed.
• ❖ The conditions. The geography of the Western Front made it difficult to fight. It was difficult to move across ground churned up by shellfire, or turned into muddy quagmires by heavy rain.
• ❖ No new tactics. Generals lacked experience in modern, industrialised war. They used old tactics such as cavalry charges and hand-to-hand fighting.