German Stormtroopers World War One

Bory

Active member
Dose anyone have any information on the German Stormtroopers in World War One. We have been learning about Operation St Michael in Modern History at School and I am interested in learning more about the Stormtroopers. I can't find too much info at school or on Google.
 
All I know "outside of google searching" is general information. They where excellent infiltration troops and, historically, are the German "line-breaking" equiviliant to the Allied Tanks. Their tactics where to infiltrate a portion of the line and then surprise the allies by attacking it sideways, down the length of the line.

If my memory serves me correct (I'm not an expert on WW1) the Stormtroopers faced similar strategic problems as the Allied Tank assaults; namely that when they scored a victory, it was not followed-up upon quick enough as modern armies would 'exploit' such a breach.
 
yeah thats about all I can find on them. I don't know why there isn't allot of info on them out there
 
german ST were a well trained fighting unit thats main task was to break the lines and create an opening for the regular infantry to advance on. ST were basicly paratroopers without parachutes because they would get behind enemy lines and seize bridges, towns, roads, etc. They were masters in hand to hand combat using grenades, pistols, riles, MG 08/15 light machine gun, and even shoves and knifes to silent ly kill their enemies at night. one of the most famous weapons used by the ST was the flamethrower.

hope this helped a little.
 
They worked in small groups and had some of the first sub machine guns, instead of advancing in mass at the allied trenches they would attack in small groups using as much cover as they could find, they were well armed and well motivated and broke through the allied lines on a number occasions. They would not attack strong points but would leave those alone for the troops that followed there attack to deal with them. This sort of attack was very effective, but at the time they developed this assault then they they did not have the strength in numbers to be decisive and it would run out of steam and stop. They would then get heavily shelled and pushed back to were they started from
 
That's why I want Stormtrooper for my future paintball team. It sound cool name. Was Hitler part of Stormtrooper? I heard he was a war hero.
 
No, Hitler was a messenger for the German Army. His claim to heroism was that he volunteered for the more dangerous missions to get the dispatches to the commanders under enemy fire. He was temporarily blinded in a poison gas attack, but he wasn't a stormtrooper.
 
From "The First World War"

On the 25 of Frebruary 1914 a German Stormtrooper and nine other men assaulted the largest fort of Verdun. Douaumont Fort, considered the most impregnable bastion of the world, was protected by barbed wire, spiked barricades, a 24 foot deep moat and a 12 foot high front wall. Felix Kunze the german stormtrooper passed all the obsticles and then went right to the front door and opened it leting the rest of his men in. Him and his remaining two men went from room to room completely surprising the soldiers manning the guns. They took the fort and 58 prisoners that night.

Im not sure if this was world war 1 or 2 but there was a squad of 12 german stormtroopers who were parachuted on top of a castle and then took it by dropping gas bombs through the ventilations and using flamethrowers to clear rooms of men still alive.
 
Fox: The flamethrower was invented, either just before, or shortly after the start of WWI.

Usefullidiot: I beleive those ST's who parachuted onto the castle roof were in WWII. Mainly because Transport aircraft were not invented till the late 20's, early 30's.
 
Im not sure if this was world war 1 or 2 but there was a squad of 12 german stormtroopers who were parachuted on top of a castle and then took it by dropping gas bombs through the ventilations and using flamethrowers to clear rooms of men still alive.

It has to be World War 2. No such thing as parachuting into combat in WW1, very few pilots had parachutes let alone soldiers. As Bory said, planes weren't used as transport much before the 1920's.


I don't think WW1 has Flamethrower, did they?
They sure did


FWWflameT.jpg

The best I could find of WW1 was a drawing, but it gives you the idea of the application.
 
The fortress you are talking about is Eben Emael in Belgium. For more info look at this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eben_Emael

One of the interesting things about Stormtroopers was that they broke with all standard strategies. Whereas it was common in all great armies to walk in long lines getting shredded by heavy MG's they broke completely with that. They "invented" run and cover, from shell-hole to shell-hole.. probing enemy lines and looking for soft spots. That is what made them so different. The English continued to advance in the old fashion till the end of the war, eventhough it was obvious how advantageous it was not to do so.
 
hmmm

one of the best movies i saw on WWI storm troopers was the one for "the Lost battalion". the one with ricky schroder in it...the german officers talk about sending in the storm troopers...and yes they had flame throwers
:smile:
 
I recently read an article of the german and austrian stormtroopers.
If I find it, I´ll try to translate it and put it up here...

But at first:

Picture5.jpg


The storm troop procedure was developed in the First World War by general Oskar von Hutier, as conventional attack methods in view of the intensified defense using contactor ditches, barbed wire entanglements and machine guns had become ineffective. The German storm troops of the First World War often carried an armoring at the torso in form of a steel plate. A similar procedure had already developed and was successfully used against the Austrians by general Brussilow in 1916. Since end of 1917 storm companies, later also storm battalions are set up with special volunteers, which could obtain special tactical successes as elite formations.
 
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Usefullidiot said:
From "The First World War"

On the 25 of Frebruary 1914 a German Stormtrooper and nine other men assaulted the largest fort of Verdun. Douaumont Fort, considered the most impregnable bastion of the world, was protected by barbed wire, spiked barricades, a 24 foot deep moat and a 12 foot high front wall.

The battle and storming in Verdun was in 1916.
 
Well I fortunately found the article again. I will translate it in the next two - three weeks. (sorry bout that, but there are some exams waiting for me)
 
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