Oskar von Hutier (August 27, 1857-December 5, 1934) was one of Germany's most successful and innovative generals of World War I. August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... December 5 is the 339th day (340th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machine guns, and poison gas World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, the War of the Nations and...

Hutier spent the first year of the war as a divisional commander in France, performing well but not distinguishing himself until the spring of 1915, when he was transferred to the Eastern Front. There, he became a corps commander attached to the German Tenth Army, and helped that force conquer large parts of Russian-held Poland and Lithuania over the next two years. 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The German Tenth Army (German: ) was a World War II field army. ...

After rising to army command early in 1917, Hutier began to apply the lessons learned from his three years of commanding troops, along with his study of tactics used by other armies. He devised a new strategy for the Germans to break the stalemate of trench warfare. These tactics were to prove so successful in 1917 and 1918 that the French dubbed them "Hutier tactics", although the more commonly used term today is "infiltration tactics". 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move has no legal moves but is not in check. ... Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of fortifications dug into the ground, facing each other. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... In warfare, infiltration tactics involve small, lightly-equipped infantry forces attacking enemy rear areas while bypassing enemy front-line strongpoints, isolating them for attack by follow-on friendly troops with heavier weapons. ...

Hutier tactics

Hutier had noticed that in many previous battles, the conventional method of launching an attack, with a lengthy artillery barrage all along the line followed by an assault from massed infantry, was leading to disastrous losses. He suggested an alternate approach, which consisted of these basic steps:

1: A short artillery bombardment, featuring heavy shells mixed with numerous poison gas projectiles would concentrate on neutralizing the enemy front lines, but not to destroy them. Early detection of chemical agents Sociopolitical climate of chemical warfare While the study of chemicals and their military uses was widespread in China, the use of toxic materials has historically been viewed with mixed emotions and some disdain in the West (especially when the enemy were doing it). ...

2: Under a creeping barrage, German shock troops (Sturmbatallione) would move forward and infiltrate the Allied defenses at previously identified weak points. They would avoid combat whenever possible and attempt to destroy or capture enemy headquarters and artillery strongpoints.

3: After the shock troops had done their job, German Army units, heavily equipped with machine guns, mortars and flamethrowers, would make heavy attacks along narrow fronts against any Allied strongpoints the shock troops missed. When the artillery was in place, officers could direct the fire wherever it was needed to accelerate the breakthrough. A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ...

4: In the last stage of the assault, regular infantry would mop up any remaining Allied resistance.

Many other generals had planned attacks along similar lines in the past, dating as far back as United States Army Colonel Emory Upton at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in 1864. Allied generals had done so on a small scale in earlier battles in France. But Hutier was the first commander to employ them on a wide, ongoing scale. Portrait of Emory Upton during the Civil War Emory Upton (August 27, 1839 – March 15, 1881) was a U.S. Army general and military strategist. ... Battle of Spotsylvania Court House Conflict American Civil War Date May 8–21, 1864 Place Spotsylvania County Result Inconclusive (Grant continued his offensive) The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania, was the second battle in Lieut. ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Success

On September 3, 1917, Hutier, commanding the German Eighth Army, ended the two-year siege of the Russian city of Riga with his tactics. He followed that success with an amphibious assault (the only successful one of the war) to seize Russian-held islands in the Baltic Sea. September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years). ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... Riga (Latvian: RÄ«ga), the capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of River Daugava, at 56°58′ N 24°8′ E. Riga is the largest city in the Baltic states and serves as a major cultural, educational, political, financial, commercial and industrial center... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53 deg. ...

Although Hutier was not present, other German generals used his methods in October 1917 to win a spectacular victory over the Italians at the Battle of Caporetto. Hutier was awarded the Pour le Mérite by Kaiser Wilhelm II and transferred to the Western Front in 1918. The Battle of Caporetto (or Battle of Karfreit as it was known by the Central Powers), took place from 24 October to 9 November 1917, near Kobarid (now Slovenia) on the Austro-Italian front of World War I. Austro-Hungarian forces, reinforced by German units, were able to break into... The Order Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max, was Prussias highest military order until the end of World War I. The award was first founded in 1740, named in French, the language of the royal court, for merit. ... Kaiser is a German title meaning emperor, derived from the Roman title of Caesar, as is the Slavic title of Czar. ... Wilhelm II of Germany (born Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert von Preußen 27 January 1859–4 June 1941), was the last German Emperor (Kaiser) and the last King (König) of Prussia, ruling from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...

In March of that year, Hutier again employed the infiltration tactics in the Spring Offensive and hammered the Allied line along the gap between the French and British armies, advancing some 40 miles along the Somme River toward Amiens. The Germans took 50,000 prisoners and Hutier was awarded the Oak Leaves to accompany his Pour le Mérite. The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during the First World War, which marked the deepest advance by either side since 1914. ... Somme river The Somme River (French Rivière Somme) is a river in Picardy, northern France. ... The cathedral in Amiens Location within France Amiens is a city and commune in the north of France, 120 km north of Paris. ... ...

Final Days of World War I and Retirement

Hutier's tactics were used in another major victory against the French in June 1918, but the Allies had begun to develop counters to his methods. In July, when the Germans again advanced in what became known as the Second Battle of the Marne, the American and French defenders had created a deep defensive system which the depleted and exhausted shock troop units failed to break. The Second Battle of the Marne, was a World War I battle fought from July 15 to July 18, 1918 near the Marne River. ...

Still, Hutier returned to postwar Germany as a hero. Like his overall commander and cousin, General Erich Ludendorff, Hutier maintained that the German Army had not been defeated in the field, but was "stabbed in the back" by enemies on the home front. General Erich Ludendorff Erich Ludendorff (sometimes given incorrectly as Erich von Ludendorff) (April 9, 1865 – December 20, 1937, Tutzing, Bavaria, Germany) was a German Army officer, noted as a general during World War I. Ludendorff was born in Kruszewnia near Posen, Prussia (now Poznań, Poland). ...

He left the army in 1919 and served as president of the German Officers' League until shortly before his death in 1934. 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...