World War 1 Weapons & Battles

“It was the machine gun that froze the front” Industrialization produced new killing machines of terrible efficiency Generals, unaccustomed to new weapons, were confused In one 1916 battle, the British suffered 60,000 casualties in a single day Battle stalemated, morale sank

Casualties Great Britain 1,000,000 France 1,300,000 Russia 1,700,000 Germany and allies 3,500,000 America 50,000 At least 5,500 people died per day during the War

Machine Guns Invented in 1884 by Hiram Maxim High rate of fire (> 450 rds/min) Dominated the battlefield Mounted on wheels, on tanks, in aircraft, or hand carried

Tanks Developed 1915 to overcome stalemate on the Western Front Originally called “landships,” renamed “tank” to preserve secrecy Produce by British, German, French

Chemical Weapons First systematic use in this war Effective against troops in trenches or bunkers 1.3 million casualties due to chemical weapons Included phosgene, tear gas, chlorasines, mustard gas

Aircraft Primitive aircraft “Dogfights,” strategic bombing, aerial reconnaissance Usually ineffective

Artillery Industrialization led to larger, more powerful guns Fired hundreds of shells daily Shell Crisis of 1915

Trenches Stretched for hundreds of miles Multiple lines Used by all sides Difficult to overcome Led to development of the tank Often dangerous to occupants

Notable Battles Battles of the Marne Ypres Somme Cambrai Lasted 4 years, hundreds of thousands casualties, zero movement Ypres First use of poison gas Somme “Big Push,” horrific failure, one of the worst slaughters in history Cambrai First large-scale tank offensive, both sides surprised by British success