Technology During World War I
During World War I weapons were developing and rapidly improving. New weapons and fighting techniques were being introduced, which caused more violent attacks. These new development in technology changed the way war was fought. As a result of this, there were more damage and kills than ever before.
To start with, one invention that was made to assist in the war was barbed wire, In the 1860s the U.S. used barbed wire to pen cattle but more importantly used it to defend the front lines of trench warfare. However German wire was stronger, longer, and had bigger barbs on it. If you were to cut the wire it would just become more tangled, this helped the Allied offensive in July of 1916. At night, there were "Wiring Parties" in which enemies …show more content…
Tanks were first used by the British in WWI. It was proposed to the British government by Lieutenant Colonel Ernest D. Swinton. Swinton was an official observer for the British government in France and an engineer officer. In October of 1914, Swinton would take part in helping to experiment the best way to utilize this massive machine. His idea for this weapon was a "machine gun destroyer capable of smashing through wire entanglements and crossing wide trenches" (Dooly 138). When these tanks were first used in battle they were only able to protect against the basic rifle and machine gun ammo. The first tank attack was on September 15, 1916, in France near the Somme and Ancre rivers. Forty-two tanks were made for this attack and out of that, thirty-two were permitted for battle. Out of the thirty- two tanks that proceeded on with the attack, only nine survived it. Nine couldn't keep up on the soft ground, another nine broke down during this time, and the remaining five tanks were found in shell holes. Soon after tanks were improved tremendously and are still being used in wars today.
Later in April 1915, The Germans were the first to use Chlorine gas at the Second Battle Ypres. This gas killed hundreds of french troops.These chemical weapons attacked the individual's respiratory system causing death. Later the British developed a deadlier phosgene and mustard gas which caused blindness. This was the most deadly weapon used in World War I. In two years time, this poison gas was put in chemical shells and mortars and caused over one million casualties throughout the war. These chemical weapons were easily obtained and cheap to
To start with, one invention that was made to assist in the war was barbed wire, In the 1860s the U.S. used barbed wire to pen cattle but more importantly used it to defend the front lines of trench warfare. However German wire was stronger, longer, and had bigger barbs on it. If you were to cut the wire it would just become more tangled, this helped the Allied offensive in July of 1916. At night, there were "Wiring Parties" in which enemies …show more content…
Tanks were first used by the British in WWI. It was proposed to the British government by Lieutenant Colonel Ernest D. Swinton. Swinton was an official observer for the British government in France and an engineer officer. In October of 1914, Swinton would take part in helping to experiment the best way to utilize this massive machine. His idea for this weapon was a "machine gun destroyer capable of smashing through wire entanglements and crossing wide trenches" (Dooly 138). When these tanks were first used in battle they were only able to protect against the basic rifle and machine gun ammo. The first tank attack was on September 15, 1916, in France near the Somme and Ancre rivers. Forty-two tanks were made for this attack and out of that, thirty-two were permitted for battle. Out of the thirty- two tanks that proceeded on with the attack, only nine survived it. Nine couldn't keep up on the soft ground, another nine broke down during this time, and the remaining five tanks were found in shell holes. Soon after tanks were improved tremendously and are still being used in wars today.
Later in April 1915, The Germans were the first to use Chlorine gas at the Second Battle Ypres. This gas killed hundreds of french troops.These chemical weapons attacked the individual's respiratory system causing death. Later the British developed a deadlier phosgene and mustard gas which caused blindness. This was the most deadly weapon used in World War I. In two years time, this poison gas was put in chemical shells and mortars and caused over one million casualties throughout the war. These chemical weapons were easily obtained and cheap to