Another thread on this board got me thinking....
There really isn't anything stopping anybody from developing special forces units in the early 1900's. It was simply a different tactic. So, what if/how can you get special forces units formed in the 1900's?
Small teams of elite soldiers infiltrated in secret to strike at strategic objectives, etc. Imagine british green beret equivalents in the ottoman empire stirring up trouble, or even infiltrators in the first days of the war, blowing up rail heads and killing generals.
I'm not sure if this would effect the war at all, but it raises some interesting questions. Would they been seen as a way to get around the problem of trench warfare? There seem to be a lot of opportunities (insertion via U-boat of german commandoes into england to destroy crucial cargoes, etc) for special forces to be used in the first world war. There isn't really anything stopping such tactics from being developed. So, what if?
There really isn't anything stopping anybody from developing special forces units in the early 1900's. It was simply a different tactic. So, what if/how can you get special forces units formed in the 1900's?
Small teams of elite soldiers infiltrated in secret to strike at strategic objectives, etc. Imagine british green beret equivalents in the ottoman empire stirring up trouble, or even infiltrators in the first days of the war, blowing up rail heads and killing generals.
I'm not sure if this would effect the war at all, but it raises some interesting questions. Would they been seen as a way to get around the problem of trench warfare? There seem to be a lot of opportunities (insertion via U-boat of german commandoes into england to destroy crucial cargoes, etc) for special forces to be used in the first world war. There isn't really anything stopping such tactics from being developed. So, what if?