By 1915, the Germans had created special pioneer assault detachments designed to infiltrate with fire and movement supported by machine guns, flamethrowers and localized field artillery support. These were referred to as "Strosstruppen" or Storm Troopers and their methods became the basis of modern small-unit infantry tactics. These new tactics were intended to achieve "tactical surprise" by attacking weaker parts of the enemy's line and bypassing the strong points.