Most Effective WWI Army?

[{nF}remix]

Please explain your answers.

My pick is germany. After watching All quiet on the Western Front, i really have an appreciation for the German Army, safe for the french too, but i think germany was great because they withstood Russia From the East, Britain & France in the west, Their Colonies being attked from africa and the pacific (by japan and the allies), and they even held their own against the US when they came. Help from Austria-Hungary was suppose to help them with Russia, but instead the Austrians focused on Serbia, (which germany still had to help them with).

[Dr Zoidberg]

I am going to go with the ANZAC's, just because I can. If all of you are thinking that I'm talking out of my arse, I would like to quote Lt-Col L.A Strange D.S.O, M.C, D.F.C of the Royal Flying Corps:

"Nos. 2 and 4 Squadrons of the Australian Flying Corps need no praise of mine for their worth in the summer of 1918. Their record shows that they were the finest material as an attacking force in the air, just as their infantry divisions on the ground were the best that the war produced on either side"

So take that anybody who isnt Aussie or Kiwi... *tongue*

[Sidus Preclarum]

Germany, because of their huge heavy artillery advantage and their superior use of MGs (and generally their superior infantry tactics) early in the war. Not to mention their population and manufacturing advantage (though this one is couter-ballanced by the facility to obtain raw material without colinial empire nor naval domination)
As the war draged on they still had better rifles than the French (though the SMLE could be better, I don't know ) , better MGs (cauchat, bleh ) and all the BEF and french could do was bridge the gap in heavy arty .
Air was pretty even, and field artillery was to the french advantage (the 75mm pwned the german 77mm, it was truly a piece of art) . Tank warfare goes to the French/brits, of course.
As far as stratergy goes, after the initial German successes were checked at the marne, it more or less was disatrous decisions on both sides, on the western front at least .

just my two ignorant cents :p

[ThiudareiksGunthigg]

The ANZACs definitely. They were used as shock troops on account of their high morale and ferocity. They also had an amazing ability to sustain casualties and still win. Brilliant assault troops. They were so feared by the Germans by the end of the war that even the rumour that they were about to face an assault by Aussies and/or Kiwis caused desertions.

[Perkele]

Germany, no doubt.

[MoROmeTe]

I went with Romania. yeah, they were really poorly equipped and trained, but they held their own against vastly supperior German forces at Marasesti, Marasti and Oituz with only minimal help from Russian forces. mainly artillery.

[OTZ]

Canadians. always doin' the dirty work for the brits....but doin' it well.

[Pompeius Minus]

Overall it's the German army, soldier-for-soldier it's the the BEF professionals in 1914.

[wilpuri]

I would go with Germany. Their industrial might kept them going for a long time, and also as soldiers Germans have always proved their worth. As has been mentioned, they held their own against several foes. The Anzac definately deserve recognition as well as soldiers, but I am unsure about how effective they were as an army? I know so terribly little about them, I thought they were more or less part of the British army?

[mickalos]

The BEF before the cream of it was destroyed, they were firing at such a high rate of fire at Mons that Von Kluck assumed they had machine guns, only man for man though, it was to small too go up against the Germans on it's own.

[Mehmed II]

Germans without a doubt...

[Portuguese Rebel]

Germany without doubt. They held against all oponents and only the german managed to make the central powers last that long in the war. Without germany the war with the central powers would have ended in 1 or 2 years.

[Rapax]

Germany.....yes,yes...without a doubt. :getlost
Had it not been for the US, germany might have actually won or at least got a favourable stalemate.

@Sidus Preclarum:
Actually german infantry tactics were becoming superior at the end of the war. Had they been at the beginning, trench warfare might not have happened like it did.

[Perkele]

Originally posted by Rapax@Apr 28 2005, 07:35 PM
Germany.....yes,yes...without a doubt. :getlost
Had it not been for the US, germany might have actually won or at least got a favourable stalemate.

What killed Germany was the blockade. They would have lost even if US hadn't joined the war.

[mickalos]

Originally posted by Perkele+Apr 28 2005, 12:24 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td> (Perkele @ Apr 28 2005, 12:24 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Rapax@Apr 28 2005, 07:35 PM
Germany.....yes,yes...without a doubt. :getlost
Had it not been for the US, germany might have actually won or at least got a favourable stalemate.

What killed Germany was the blockade. They would have lost even if US hadn&#39;t joined the war. [/b][/quote]
And of course the failure of the ludendorff offensive, the enormous amount of casualties Germany suffered were irreplacable and the German army&#39;s morale was completely broken. Of course america did play a tiny role in halting the offensive and driving it back but nothing worth shouting about.

[Perkele]

Well, I do think that the blocakde was one of the reasons why the Ludendorff offensive failed. The Germans were so short in supplies that whenever the germans captured an enemy depot all discipline disappeared.

[MaximiIian]

The German Reichsheer was t3h best.
Sturmtruppen and all.
plus they had THE best equipment in the war:
K98s, G98s, Kar98K&#39;s, Lugers, Broomhandle Mausers, STick Grenades, A7Vs, and MG08&#39;s.
t3h best guns in the war.
Deutsches Heer uber alle&#33;

[Eric]

the Canadian Corps is my favorite it&#39;s four corps single handedly did things that entire British and Frencg armies could not such as sweeping the Germans of Vimy Ridge and many other outstanding achievments we had the largest enemy kill rate in the Somme with the least casualties, entire platoons surrendered to just a few of us we were the best of the Commonwealth forces in WWI along with the ANZACs

[Rapax]

@hapsburg:
Be careful you don&#39;t get a heart attack from that nationalism. Naming equipment is not really the strongest argument for anything and I thought we already covered the A7V?

What killed Germany was the blockade. They would have lost even if US hadn&#39;t joined the war.

I don&#39;t know, the french and british weren&#39;t doing that good either, the americans more or less tipped the scale.

[Intru]

Originally posted by Eric@Apr 28 2005, 05:09 PM
the Canadian Corps is my favorite it&#39;s four corps single handedly did things that entire British and Frencg armies could not such as sweeping the Germans of Vimy Ridge and many other outstanding achievments we had the largest enemy kill rate in the Somme with the least casualties, entire platoons surrendered to just a few of us we were the best of the Commonwealth forces in WWI along with the ANZACs

LOLOL Canada enofe said lolol