Introduction Activity “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but I know World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” Albert Einstein What does this quote imply about the regularity of war? What does this quote imply about the progression of weapons through the ages? Why, ultimately, do you think that WW IV would be fought with sticks and stones?

Weapons and Tactics of World War I Mr. Lohman 10th Grade Social Studies Middletown High School coachlohman@yahoo.com

Weapons and Tactics of World War I Bolt-Action Rifle Machine Gun Artillery Poisonous Gas Zeppelin Tanks Planes U-Boats Trench Warfare Assignments Bibliography

Bolt-Action Rifle Bolt-action rifles could fire up to 15 rounds per minute. Rifles could hit targets up to 1,400 meters away.

Machine Gun A machine gun would need 4-6 men to operate it. The gun needed to be positioned on a flat surface in order to be fired. A machine gun could fire up to 400 rounds per minute. A machine gun had the fire power of approx. 100 rifles.

Artillery Artillery refers to large-caliber, mounted field guns. The caliber of a gun refers to the diameter of the barrel.

Artillery Shells Artillery could fire shells distances of up to approx. 12,000 yards. Artillery shells could weigh up to 900 lbs. It could take up to 12 men to handle an artillery gun and load the shells.

WWI Artillery in Action

Poisonous Gases Poisonous gas was first used in WWI at the Battle of Ypers, 1915. Gases could cause choking, blistering, vomiting, internal and external bleeding, blinding, a burning of lung tissue, and ultimately, death. Gases were lobbed into enemy trenches, killing or disabling troops.

Poisonous Gases Gases were often colorless and odorless, and it could take up to 12 hours for the gas to take effect. It could take up to 5 weeks to die from gas poisoning. Gas masks were eventually created to counter the effects of gas attacks.

Poisonous Gas in WWI

Zeppelins Otherwise known as blimps, zeppelins were airships filled with hydrogen to keep them afloat. Zeppelins weighed up to 12 tonnes.

Zeppelins Zeppelins could travel at speeds of up to 136 mph, and soar to heights of up to 4250 meters. Machine guns were usually mounted on the airships, and they each carried over 4,000 lbs. of bombs.

Tanks Tanks were armored vehicles that traveled on tracks, allowing it to cross many kinds of land. Though tanks were used to cross over tough terrain, they were unable to cross trenches. Tanks protected advancing troops across “no-man’s” land.

Tanks Early tanks needed a crew of about 3 men to operate the navigation and guns. The first tanks could travel up to 3 MPH. By the end of the war, tank crews had grown to 10 men, and tanks achieved speeds of up to 4 MPH.

Planes Planes were one- or two-seat propeller planes equipped with a machine gun. Planes where first used as observation tools during battles. Eventually bombs and cannons where added to the planes. Pilots engaged in “dogfights” in the air in order to protect their men on the ground.

WWI Planes In Action

U-Boats Underwater ships that capable of launching torpedoes, or guided underwater bombs. Submarines ranged in length from about 200 feet (61 meters) to more than 550 feet (168 meters). Their rounded hulls were about 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter. More than 150 crew members can live and work in a large submarine.

U-Boats In war, a submarine usually attacks from beneath the surface of the water. A submarine must remain underwater to be effective. Early submarines could not stay submerged for long periods. They had to surface every few hours for air for their engines and crews. Enemy planes and ships could then attack them.

U-Boats in Action

Trench Warfare

Trenches were elongated pits dug 6-8 ft Trenches were elongated pits dug 6-8 ft. into the earth, and stretching out over hundreds of miles. Trenches were only wide enough to allow two men to pass side-by-side.

Trench Warfare Duck Boards would line the bottom of the trench, to serve both as a place for the men to stand on the avoid enemy fire, and also to raise men above the mud, rats, blood, and bodily wastes that filled the bottom of the trench. Parapets served as a rest for a gun, and the Parados protected the men from exploding shrapnel from behind the line.

Trench Warfare - Diagram

Barbed-wire was lined up in front of a trench to protect the men from attack.

Trench Warfare Dugouts in the side of the trenches provided shelter for the men to live in, and protection from incoming artillery fire.

The entrance to a “dugout”

Trench Warfare – Dugout

Trench Warfare Three interlocking trench lines would be used: a front line for attack and defense, a middle line of defense, and a rear line of reserves. An encampment of tents and hospitals would be located behind the third line. Men spent anywhere from one day to two weeks on the lines before given a day of rest.

The distance between opposing trenches was called “no-man’s land” The distance between opposing trenches was called “no-man’s land”. This distance could be as short as 30 meters, or as wide as 1 mile.

Trench Warfare On command, soldiers from a trench would charge across “no-man’s” land and attempt to overrun the opponents trench. Once one of the sides overran an opposing trench, the defeated would either be captured, or they would retreat to another set of trenches miles away to renew the battle over a new “no-man’s” land.

A periscope would have been used to see the enemy, without putting a soldier in the direct line of fire.

Retrieving a dead soldier from “no-man’s land”

Trench Warfare Weapons on the front included: Soldier’s would commonly use rifles, bayonets, spades, clubs, shotguns, helmets, and grenades Armies would use larger items such as machine guns, mortars, artillery, gas, barbed-wire, aircraft, and mines