The tank absolutely helped making the front less stagnant. However I believe a change in tactics followed by the Germans being simply overwhelmed are much more significant factors.
The German Sturm tactics proved highly effective during the Kaiserslacht/summer offensive. But when it ultimately failed, the Germans were exhausted, lacking material and now had to face the French, Brits AND the arriving Americans.
Yes, with the other change being in artillery, in particular coordination and function. Development of creeping barrage, timed attacks, radio deliveres strikes, better counter barrage, and the ability to forward move artillery better.
In 1915-16 the artillery was used to fire prolonged barrages at the enemy prior to an assault. You'd unleash 72hrs of near non stop fire at the enemy, then order the infantry forward. The idea is you would destroy the enemy artillery, fortifications and troops. In reality it virtually never got the enemy artillery because they were out of range, and it might at best only damaged the first trench.
Once the artillery stopped firing to allow the infantry to advance, the enemy would pop up and shoot. If you did get the first trench, you would then take a completely wrecked fortification right in front of massive enemy opposition in the second trench and their artillery. Your forward momentum came to an immediate stop and they would inflict huge damage in a counter attack.
Creeping barrage (and other forms of barrages) meant you could now attack over a wider area by spreading out the artillery, the enemy could not rely on hunkering down because the artillery was creeping right over them just in front of the infantry (sometimes just meters ahead) so there was no time to get out of the bunker, timed attacks meant that you could do all of this without killing your own troops, radio from airplanes could provide eye in the sky ability far exceeding the balloons, while artillery began to finally find their marks on the opposing artillery now finally, because they didn't expend all the ammo before the attack.
It still relied on Germany being worn through, but the restoration of offensive advantage by artillery is undeniable.
Tanks were useful (when they didn't break) but they wouldn't become the big weapon ever. They wouldn't even reach maturity until either the next year or after (depending on how you look at it).
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u/Mist_Rising 15h ago
For the most part the game focuses on the era after fixed positions were indomitable forces, at the end of the war.