games-pc empire earth Manuel D’Utilisation

Empire Earth

World War I was the first truly global conflict.  Nations entered the war in 1914 believing that
it would be over in a matter of months, with their side proving victorious.  Before the fighting
finally ended in 1918, over 8 million soldiers were dead and warfare itself had fundamentally
changed.

New warships made of steel and weighing thousands of tonnes patrolled the world’s oceans,
exchanging fire while still miles apart.  Under water, stealthy U-boats wreaked havoc on sur-
face ships.  Meanwhile in the skies, the airplane made its debut.  Thanks to an interrupter
gear, mounted machine guns were able to fire between the rotating blades of an airplane’s
propeller.  This allowed aviators to aim their aircraft directly at a target, increasing their accu-
racy.  Skilled fighter pilots kept track of the number of planes they shot down and the concept
of the flying ace was born.  Of all the aces in the war, Manfred von Richthofen, better known
as the Red Baron, topped the list with 80 kills.

Combat on land had degenerated into trench warfare as early as 1915, with artillery and
machine guns serving only to strengthen the stalemate.  On the Western Front in 1915 alone,
hundreds of thousands of lives were sacrificed by both sides for only minor gains.  To break
the impasse, military leaders developed novel strategies and tactics.  One such idea with
implications for the future was the development of the tank.  In November 1917, 474 British
tanks achieved a spectacular – if short-lived – breakthrough against the Germans at the Battle
of Cambrai.  But such successes ultimately did little to bring the war to a close.  It was the
entry of the United States into the war, both economically and later militarily, that tipped the
balance in favour of the Allies and brought about the 1918 Armistice.