Technology In The Great War
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Transcript of Technology In The Great War
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”)