Technology in the Technology in the Great WarGreat War

Industrialized Warfare

Improvements on Old Ideas

Rifles Grenades Machine Guns Artillery

Rifles

Bolt Action Carried 5-10 rounds Could fire 30-40

rounds per minute Extremely accurate

Grenades

Existed for hundreds of Years

First WW1 grenades were old cans with fuses or explosives tied to sticks!

(Dangerous more to the thrower than receiver!)

German Stick Grenade

The Machine Gun

Also known as:

“The Killing Machine”

“The Devil’s Paint Brush”

Could fire 500 rounds per minute!

Responsible for most of the Stalemate.

Artillery

Bigger was better Highly Accurate Used by the

thousands Most soldiers killed

by constant artillery (night and day)

The Biggest: French 520mm howitzer

It could deliver a 3,100 lb shell (600 lbs of explosive) over 10 miles

The gun car was just under 100 feet long and weighed 290 tons.

Shell was the size of a VW bug!

German “Paris Gun”

75 Miles range Could reach the upper

atmosphere! The gun had an

overall length of 112 feet (34 meters) and weighed 138 tons.

Effects of Artillery

                           

          

New Technology in War

Tanks Gas / Chemical Warfare Submarine Flame thrower Airplane

Tanks An attempt to end the

stalemate First used by the British to

break through German Lines and protect men

Problems:

Slow moving (5 mph)

Got stuck in mud = killed by German Artillery

Not very effective

Gas Warfare

Gas Warfare

First used by the Germans trying to end the stalemate in 1915.

Delivered by canister and later Artillery Shells

Used extensively by ALL sides.

Gas Warfare

Early gasmask consisted of urinating on a rag, placing goggles on the face and holding the rag up to your mouth and nose to breath through

Types of Gas used

Chlorine Gas: hydrochloric acid when coming in contact with moisture (eyes,&lungs burn)

Mustard Gas: Blistering agent-moist exposed skin: the eyes, lungs, armpits and groin

The Submarine

Submarine

Used by Germans to “starve” England

Very Effective weapon

Sank food and supplies allies needed desperately NOT battleships.

Flamethrower

Designed to burn out the enemy from a position

Victims would be smothered in a flammable liquid (while it was on fire)

The Airplane

Initially used to spy on the enemy

Later carried bombs (rather ineffective)

Then planes began shooting at one another (first “dog fights”)