ðɪs fɪlˈɑːsəfi wʌzɐ ɹᵻspˈɑːns tə ðɪ ɪŋkɹˈiːsɪŋ wˈeɪt ʌv dᵻfˈɛnsɪv fˈaɪɚpaʊɚ ðæt ɐkɹˈuːd tʊ ˈɑːɹmiz ɪnðə nˈaɪntiːnθ sˈɛntʃɚɹi, æz ɐ ɹɪzˈʌlt ʌv sˈɛvɹəl tˌɛknəlˈɑːdʒɪkəl ˌɪnəvˈeɪʃənz, nˈoʊɾəbli bɹˈiːtʃlˈoʊdɪŋ ɹˈaɪfəld ɡˈʌnz, məʃˈiːn ɡˈʌnz, ænd lˈaɪt fˈiːld ɑːɹtˈɪlɚɹi fˈaɪɚɹɪŋ hˈaɪɛksplˈoʊsɪv ʃˈɛlz.
This philosophy was a response to the increasing weight of defensive firepower that accrued to armies in the nineteenth century, as a result of several technological innovations, notably breech-loading rifled guns, machine guns, and light field artillery firing high-explosive shells.