The types of weapons, artillery and other methods of warfare was very important. It often decided who would win the attacks and defenses.
In WWI many new methods of warfare were invented. These included tanks, zeppelin, planes, torpedoes and gases. There were also a wide variation of rifles, machine guns, shells and mortars used.
In WWI many new methods of warfare were invented. These included tanks, zeppelin, planes, torpedoes and gases. There were also a wide variation of rifles, machine guns, shells and mortars used.
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Semi-automatic rifles such as this Lee Enfield (left) (used by British) were the main weapon used. They were fired over the trenches at the enemy on the other side and could kill a target 1400 meters away. The accuracy of the Enfield used by the British surprised the Germans. In return they then invented a equally accurate rifle, The Mauser Gewehr 98.
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Machine guns were very powerful and damaging. They had the same firepower to a 100 guns! However they needed 4-6 men to operate them and had the be on flat surface. The trenches had special places for the machine guns to be fired from. This is a Maxim MG08 (right) (used by the Germans). It could fire up to 600 bullets per minute over a distance of more then one kilometer. This compact and powerful gun played a vital role in the Battle of Somme. The British equivalent was the Vickers machine gun. Although it was weaker (500 rounds/min) it only required 3 men to operate it.
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Mortars were very effective in the trenches. They were small stands with short barrels that could launch small projectiles a few inches big. The projectiles went high into the air and landed straight on top of the enemy. There were advantages to this, they could be fired from a safe distance and was also smaller and more mobile then other artillery. The Germans were first to start manufacturing these. The Minenwerfer (left) (used by Germans) was a short range mortar and was used the most. It could launch 7.5mm projectiles a lot more accurately then heavier artillery. These projectiles then exploded on impact to the ground. However even though the Germans had a head start on the idea of mortars, the British invented a brand new mortar that was surpassed the Minenwerfer. Although it could only
launch 4 inch projectiles, it could fire them very quickly (22 per/min). This is because when the projectile was dropped into the barrel, a pressure sensitive plate was triggered which triggered the firing pin.
launch 4 inch projectiles, it could fire them very quickly (22 per/min). This is because when the projectile was dropped into the barrel, a pressure sensitive plate was triggered which triggered the firing pin.
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The heavy artillery was a vital part throughout the whole war and was constantly used to fire continuous shells. There were many different types of shells but the main ones were: shrapnel, armor piercing and high explosive. These were projectiles cased in lead and full of explosives, shrapnel etc. Big Bertha (right) (used by the Germans) was the biggest artillery in the whole of the war. It could launch 16.5 inches shells up to a effective firing range of 12.5 kilometers. This was a huge margin bigger than the biggest British artillery, Howitzer which could only fire 9.2 inches with the maximum range at around 12.7 kilometers.
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Tanks were a brand new invention in WWI. It was created because of the need of a moving siege weapon to stay with the advancing troops. With steam being developed in the Industrial Revolution, it was used to power the motors on the tank. It had steel armor a few inches thick and a rotating turret on top. The Tank mark VII (left) (used by the British) was the first tank to have a electric starter motor. It had the top speed of 4mph and range of 45 miles. The biggest flaw with the tanks were that they couldn't cross trenches which resulted in the attempts to do so failed and the tank got stuck in the trench. The British and French concentrated on building tanks while the Germans concentrated on building anti-tank machinery.
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Gas attacks and chemical weapons were only involved in 4 percent of all deaths. However it effected many soldiers mentally because of the way victims suffocated. It was first used by the Germans when they fired shells with gas canisters it them. The types of gases mainly used were tear gas, mustard gas, phosgene and chlorine. Using the gases was sometimes unreliable because if the winds change they could blow back at you. They could also be easily be prevented with gas masks and by staying away from the ground. Chlorine gas could be stop be putting a damp cloth over your mouth but it was found that cloth with urine was better.
Overall the Germans had better methods of warfare and weapons. This is because they were holding their line and could focus more on developing their offensive power then focus on how to advance the Allies. However the Allies took some of the ideas of the Germans and developed them even further to create a improved version beating the Germans'.