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Sturmtruppen or Stosstruppen (assault troops) were key and specialist soldiers of the Imperial German Army during the World War One. Although introduced in 1915, by 1918 Stormtroopers were training for and thrown into combat to use infiltration tactics. The men who trained for this revolutionary role were known as Sturmmann 'assault man' and formed into companies of Sturmtruppen. The tactics developed due to the battlefield conditions of the First World War are still in use in the twenty-first century. Units such as the British Army's SAS and Long Range Desert Group Patrol stem from the concept of Storm troopers. On another note Italy had a similar type of soldier, the Arditi and during the Second World War the Waffen SS were the Third Reich's elite soldiers.
The first appearance of the new 'Stormtroopers' came in early 1915, when the Imperial Ministry of War ordered the Eighth Army to construct Sturmabteilung Calsow (Calsow's assault detachment). The unit comprised of a headquarters company, two pioneer companies and a 37mm gun battery. The unit was also equipped with heavy shields and body armour.
Despite the forward thinking of Germany's high command, SA Calsow was never employed fully in its intended role. The unit was used in emergencies during allied attacks. By late 1915, the unit had lost over half its compliment!
Ultimately Calsow was relieved of command and a new commander, Hauptmann (Captain) Rohr was given the task of shaping this depleted unit into a formidable force.
The assault detachment was reinforced with Machine Gun and Flamethrower units and, as the old 37mm gun had proven difficult, a new artillery gun based on the Russian 76.2mm fortress gun was developed. Initially the unit experimented with body armour and shields, but realised speed not armour won the battle. The only piece of armour that was kept and developed was the Stahlhelm, a new model of steel helmet which in later years became the standard helmet of the German army.
The new tactics developed by Rohr centred on squad sized "Sturmtruppen" or "Stosstruppen" which when attacking would be supported by heavy weapons and mobile field artillery. The unit, under cover of artillery, would roll over an enemy's position capturing it with hand grenades, flamethrowers and machine guns. The new tactics of Rohr were given their baptism of fire against French positions in the Vosges Mountains.
Following success against the French, Rohr's unit began to train other units of the German army in infantry assault tactics. As Rohr's men became the leading unit of the German army, its equipment improved in order for the unit to operate better in the field. Lighter footwear was issued, and reinforcing leather patches were introduced on knees and elbows to protect when crawling. Further to this, special Grenade bags were designed which replaced old belts and ammunition pouches. The standard Gewehr 98 rifle was replaced with the lighter and higher powered Karabiner 98a. Whilst training, Rohr's unit went onto the offensive.
The first offensive engagement of Rohr's men was the infamous battle of Verdun fought from February to December 1916 which cost in total over 306,000 lives. The German strategy, which was the brainchild of Erich Von Falkenhayn who was to earn the title "the Blood-Miller of Verdun", was that although a major breakthrough could no longer be achieved; the allied armies could still be defeated if they were pounded into the earth. His motive was to attack the French in a position whereby the French could neither advance nor retreat. Ultimately, once the French army had bled to death, Britain could be forced to surrender by Germanys U-Boat blockade. The grim logic of beginning an offensive with neither the goal to gain neither territory nor strategic position, ultimately to bleed the enemy dry, showed the drastic realities of 1916.
Germany's new 'Assault Detachments' attacked Verdun in February 1916. Initially pushing the French army back, after two weeks of bitter fighting, on many occasions hand-to hand, the battle became a stalemate. Stormtroopers were always in the first wave, leading units into the French trenches, attacking moments after the initial barrage had lifted. This was initially an ingenious tactic; however as the storm units pushed further into French lines, the surprise of attack petered out.
During the course of the attrition battle of Verdun, Rohr's Assault Detachment was renamed "Assault Battalion Rohr". The unit grew in size from two to four pioneer companies, and at the same time a number of Jager (mountain) battalions were retraining as Assault Battalions.
The final curtain of Germany's Assault Units came in the dying days of the First World War. During Operation "Kaiserschlacht" the German army had moulded its best and fittest soldiers into Stormtrooper units, trained in Hutier tactics, these units would infiltrate and bypass the enemy's front line and attack the enemy's headquarters, artillery and supply lines. The initial problem with this plan was that the best units would suffer heavier casualties whilst the remaining units would be stripped of good men.
The German army also failed to quickly exploit gains made by Stormtrooper Units with the failure to use cavalry to a tactical advantage. This resulted in the general infantry having to force-march in order to keep up with the advancing Stormtrooper units.
Hi, I'm Simon, a History graduate. I have had a passion for history since I was a child. One of my most passionate interests is "World One War". I have created an online magazine to this end. It covers all aspects of the bloodiest conflict known to man. The characters, the campaigns, the weapons, re-enactment groups and much, much more.
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