The German Army and Stormtroops of World War One: Tactics of Terror

The German “Sturmtruppen” or “Stosstrupen” of World War One were highly trained, specially equipped soldiers specializing in assault and infiltration. These troops, employed en masse in 1918, almost brought Germany to the brink of victory. Though this was not achieved, the German stormtrooper of WWI laid the groundwork for many of the tactics used by regular military as well as special forces today. The German stormtroops of WWI were not ideologically motivated and should not be in any way confused with the “stormtroops” of Hitler's SA and SS paramilitaries in the WWII period.