Post on 03-Jul-2020
WWI and Technology
What do you see?
What do you see?
Recap - Trench Warfare
War and Technology▪ Both sides during WWI, spent large amounts of
money to improve their technology in the hope of gaining an advantage.
▪ Most of the technology used during WWI improved on earlier inventions.
▪ New weapons led to opposition inventing countermeasures ie) chlorine gas >gas masks
▪ Much of this war technology were be later adapted for peacetime uses
Airplanes▪ Used first to monitor
enemies and their movement
▪ Pilots carried handguns to shoot down enemy planes
▪ Timing on machine guns altered to allow the gun to shot between propeller rotations
Dog-Fighting it Out▪ Dog fights are battles
between fighters▪ ⅓ pilots died▪ Conditions in the air
are cold!▪ Led to peacetime
uses such as passenger service, search-and-rescue missions, and fighting forest fires
Billy Bishop - Fighter Ace▪ One of the most noted
Pilots of WWI (There’s a Park in Ottawa named after him)
▪ “The Lone Hawk”▪ 200 dogfights and 72
kills, awarded the Victoria Cross
▪ Survived WWI, flew as a private pilot, and served as an Air Marshall in WWII
Zeppelins (and Blimps)
▪ Blimps flew higher and over enemy territory (invented by a German)
▪ Could drop bombs on enemies
▪ Canadians were skilled in attacking Zeppelins - accounted for 50% of their destruction
▪ Gasses that keep the Airships inflated are dangerous
Bombers▪ Many planes were sent on bomber missions
earlier in the war; pilots dropped rocks, bricks, and hand grenades.
▪ Both sides developed larger aircrafts specifically designed to defend itself and deliver massive amounts of bombs on ground targets
▪ The first true bomber to be used in combat was the French Voisin biplane
▪ Five types of bombs dropped were: High explosive bomb, Fragmentation or Anti-personnel bomb, Incendiary Bombs, Poison Gas bombs, and torpedos
Submarines…▪ Caused great losses to allied supply ships▪ Convoy system utilized to protect supply ships
against German Submarines▪ Wireless communication is developed for ships
AND for the front
Machine Guns
▪ Became lighter and more portable
▪ Led to use by police and gangs during peacetime
▪ ** required little training
Machine guns in Action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B06izR0HWyc
Tanks
▪ Designed to cross trenches and plow through barbed wire and other obstacles
▪ Led to development of peacetime vehicles such as snowmobiles
▪ First used in Battle of the Somme in 1916
▪Created to win trench warfare battles
▪Roll over barbed wire▪Offered protection to troops behind
▪Often broke down and got stuck in the mud
Why Barbed Wire?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aapvArc0JmU
Chemical Weapons▪ Mustard Gas
introduced in April 1915 - Battle of the Ypres
▪ New invention in gas form causing death that led to gas-masks as counter-measures
Mustard Mayhem▪ Those affected by gas would vomit and cough,
(and eventually go blind) rendering them incapable to fighting off attack
Really?
▪ A Canadian (Captain Scrimger) designed a creative solution to avoid some of the effects of the gas: urinate on cloth and hold it over the mouth and nose
Morphine▪ Was invented in the
1800’s, but became a popular choice as a painkiller in the world wars
▪ Morphine has addictive properties, and it is now used sparingly
Flamethrower ▪ The first design of the flamethrower,
the Flammenwerfer, was designed in 1901, was tested by the Germans in 1911, and first used in combat the German Armies in 1915.
▪ Flamethrowers change the war because
they could spread fire in the trenches, destroy landscape, and it would suffocate or burn soldiers.
Side Thoughts...
Trench Warfare – Simulation GameLog onto: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/worldwarone/hq/trenchwarfare.shtml
or http://tinyurl.com/trenchsim