The First World War marked a watershed in the history of land warfare, setting in motion a sequence of developments that continues to this day. From the end of 1914 onwards, the warring nations of Europe were obliged to maintain huge armies, manning continuous fronts. Sustaining such armies required a massive amount of logistical support, founded on an unprecedented level of mobilisation of industry and labour on the home front. These circumstances were to re-occur, in magnified form, during the Second World War.

On the most important war front, the Western Front, stretching from the North Sea to the Alps, conditions of trench warfare prevailed. Trench warfare was by no means unique to the First World War, reappearing most notably in the Korean War. Nevertheless, it is almost entirely linked with the Western Front in popular perceptions and certainly reached its most highly developed form in France and Flanders between 1914 and 1918. Trench warfare was never an end in itself, as the contending armies strove to achieve a decisive breakthrough. In this they were thwarted repeatedly, and it was not until 1918 that the required blend of technology and tactics was found to bring an end to the stalemate on the Western Front.

The Second World War was fought on a truly global scale. The tactics employed were, in a fundamental sense, those that had been developed during the First World War. However, improved technology permitted the development of new techniques. More efficient and reliable internal combustion engines facilitated an increasing level of mechanisation, which, coupled with greatly improved radio communications and the tactical employment of air power, enabled any suitably-equipped army to break through enemy lines. As a consequence, despite localised returns to conditions of trench warfare, the Second World War was a war of manoeuvre.

Additionally the Second World War saw the development of specialized forms of fighting. The First World War had included operations in hot climates, however it was the Second World War that saw the techniques of jungle warfare and desert warfare developed to a higher degree. Furthermore, the Second World War witnessed the rise to prominence of irregular warfare, conducted by guerrilla formations or "special forces". These developments continued in the years following the war, as Britain and other Western powers became involved in conflicts in which efforts to suppress anti-colonial movements merged with a desire to stem the spread of Communism. In the post-colonial, post-Cold War world, operations of this type have remained prominent, as the armed forces of the world's major powers have become increasingly involved in peace keeping and policing actions around the world.

The collections of the Imperial War Museum are particularly rich in material related to land warfare. In keeping with the museum's collections as a whole, they relate predominantly to the role played by British and Commonwealth forces. The majority of foreign items in the collections have arrived either as gifts from allies, or trophies seized from enemies.

The collections relating to the First World War are particularly strong. Indeed, collecting actually commenced in 1917, while the British Army was still heavily engaged in its largest ever campaign. Sadly a number of the larger First World War weapons were lost forever in 1923, when the museum was obliged to move to smaller premises. Nevertheless, many rare objects have survived to form arguably the most interesting element of the collections of exhibits. In addition there are fine collections of the work of the first Official War Artists, along with many posters of the period and examples of medallic art. Film and photographic holdings for the period are limited by the fact that no official work was carried out in these fields prior to 1916, although there are examples of footage available from this period, and the photographic collection is still very extensive. There are many recorded interviews with British veterans of the First World War, and an extensive archive of their private papers and memoirs.

All aspects of land warfare during the Second World War are well represented. The growing importance of film and photographs since the First World War is evinced by the wide-ranging collections held for the Second World War. Also held are certain official German and Japanese documents, in addition to a large collection of British material. The collections of three-dimensional items, while good, are less comprehensive than those covering the First World War. Active collecting of material did not commence until the latter stages of the war. An exception is the very representative collection of military vehicles held at Duxford Airfield.

The museum holds much published material relating to many aspects of land warfare. This covers all the major, and some of the minor, belligerents. There are general histories, personal experience accounts and unit histories and collections of printed ephemera such as greeting cards, training pamphlets, official circulars, etc.

The weakest element of the museum's land warfare collections is that covering the period between the wars. While the years between 1918 and 1939 were hardly peaceful, little or no contemporary collecting was carried out - the principal remit of the museum being to cover only the "Great War" (the First World War). However there is audio-visual material on the mechanization of the British Army during this era. The period since 1945 is also less heavily represented in our collections than are the two world wars. Active collecting continues in this area. Material currently held relates almost entirely to campaigns that involved British and Commonwealth troops. With regard to land warfare, the Gulf War of 1991 is the campaign best represented.