Infantry tactics 1914 In 1914 infantry attacking trenches were meant to kill their opponents using a rifle with a fixed bayonet. This work does not purport to be a complete treatise on minor tactics of infantry. The subject is the evolution of German Infantry tactics during WWI (1914-1918). The military lessons of 1914-18 influenced the thinking and practice of Germany’s armed forces up until 1945. The first in-depth comparison of German and British infantry tactics, training, and leadership techniques during World War I. F. While the scale of this column like advance was more of an ancestor of the old line formations of even the American Civil War, it was still a common occurence to see relatively deep lines advancing - mainly in 1914. First the doctrine of fire superiority developed as part of 1888’s “Exerzier-Reglement”, which to a large degree changed German tactics from Shock to Fire, and secondly the 1906 “Exerzier-Reglement”, emphasizing the use of skirmish lines and the individual "Firepower Kills": The Evolution of French Infantry Tactics at Verdun. was apart of -- it's organization, structure and operation -- is attained. The basic unit of maneuver in world's modern armies by 1939 was the squad - ten or so men armed with rifles and usually a light machine gun.