The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power

Although World War I was initially expected to be brief, it became a protracted conflict in which the extensive use of modern advancements such as oil and the internal combustion engine utterly revolutionized warfare. At the war’s onset, nations were ill-prepared for the scale of mechanized combat, but it quickly became clear that oil was crucial to this new landscape. Initially, horses dominated military logistics, but their limitations soon became evident. For example, during the First Battle of the Marne in 1914, the French used thousands of Paris taxis to transport troops, and this move highlighted the strategic value of motorized transport. This improvisation helped to prevent Paris from falling to the Germans and marked oil’s emerging role in warfare.

The static nature of trench warfare necessitated innovations like the tank. This invention was conceived by British Colonel Ernest Swinton and championed by Winston Churchill. Tanks first saw limited use in 1916 but proved decisive in the Battle of Amiens in 1918, breaking German lines and shifting the momentum of the war. The internal combustion engine also transformed air warfare. Initially used for reconnaissance, aircraft quickly evolved to include fighters and bombers. By the war’s end, aviation had become integral to military strategy, significantly impacting battlefield dynamics.