Ignoring The Obvious: Combined Arms And Fire And Maneuver Tactics Prior To World War I

Fairly or unfairly, the stalemate on the First World War’s Western Front is often attributed to the intellectual stagnation of the era’s military officers. This paper traces the development (or absence of development) of combined arms and fire & maneuver tactics and doctrine in the period prior to WW I, focusing on the Russo-Japanese War.

The Western armies that entered the Great War seemingly igno...