Shire's theory of "offense over defense" is modern military common sense, but few understood or dared to try it in that era, almost none in fact.
Not just in World War I, even in World War II, countries around the world were still making similar mistakes.
The most famous is France's Maginot Line, which was ridiculed for being easily bypassed by the Germans, a tale that has been passed down to modern times.
But actually making similar mistakes wasn't just France.
Germany built a "Siegfried Line" in front of the Maginot Line before the war, and later a "Atlantic Wall" along the Atlantic coast.
The Soviet Union also built a "Stalin Line."
Almost without exception, all these defensive lines failed to play the roles they were supposed to or were hoped to play.
This was not a coincidence, but an inevitability.
The reason is "offense over defense."
