Single Shot Rifle  Soldiers were issued a single shot rifle like the one you see below.  The disadvantage to this rifle was it’s inability to shoot long distances.

Machine Guns  firepower equivalent of rifles  heavy, hard to move  positioned on a flat tripod  required a gun crew of four to six operators  reality: rapidly overheated and become inoperative without the aid of cooling mechanisms

 fired in short rather than sustained bursts  cooling generally took one of two forms: water cooled (one gallon water jackets) and air cooled (air vents)  water cooled machine guns would still overheat relatively quickly (sometimes within two minutes)  large supplies of water would need to be on hand in the heat of a battle or they urinated on them  result: machine guns would often be grouped together to maintain a constant defensive position.

Trenches: A response to machine guns

Trench network in France

WWI began with sweeping advances by the Germans through Belgium and France towards Paris Advances not restored until towards the close of the war Trench warfare began Trench warfare was essentially the warfare of stalemate- nobody really advanced Death was everywhere- by raid or attack, peeking over the edge, (many died in their first day), disease, etc.

The Realities of Trench Life Mud Waste Rats Rotting feet Lice Disease Cold Rain Snow Humidity Heat Fear Death

Mud: Sticky, smelly, wet Boots/ weapons got stuck Water did not drain Waste: Latrine pits dug to a depth of 4-6 feet and usually approached by a short trench provided an all-pervading smell chemicals used to try to cover smell just as bad

Rats: thrived literally in their millions a single rat couple could produce up to 900 offspring in a year, spreading infection and contaminating food Empty food cans were piled in their thousands throughout No Man’s Land, heaved over the top of the trenches on a daily basis rats ate rotting food in such cans or invade dug-outs in search of food and shelter crawled across the face of sleeping men the sound of rats constantly ferreting in No Man's Land kept men awake all night rats openly fed on the decaying remains of soldiers killed while advancing across No Man's Land

Rotting feet:  Trench foot- a fungal infection of the feet caused by cold, wet and unsanitary trench conditions  could turn gangrenous and result in amputation  20,000 casualties resulting from trench foot suffered by the British Army alone during the close of 1914 Lice: Bred in the seams of filthy clothing and caused men to itch unceasingly when clothing was washed and deloused, lice eggs remained hidden in the seams within a few hours of the clothes being re-worn the body heat generated would cause the eggs to hatch.

Disease- Trench Fever Chief symptoms- headaches, skin rashes, inflamed eyes and leg pains

went from extreme heat to extreme cold lack of equipment and protection

The Smell:  Cordite (an explosive powder)  the lingering odor of poison gas  rotting sandbags  stagnant mud  cigarette smoke  cooking food  rotting carcasses lay around in their thousands  overflowing latrines  no bathing- sweat, smelly feet, etc.  creosol or chloride of lime, used to stave off the constant threat of disease and infection

Set up in no man’s land to discourage attacks

Poison Gas  Caused blindness and nausea  Destroyed respiratory system  Caused blisters, skin burns  Caused death from choking  Types used- chlorine, phosgene, mustard gas, nerve gas  Gas masks were essential

Austria-Hungary- 100,000 injured, 3,000 deadAustria-Hungary- 100,000 injured, 3,000 dead British Empire- 188,706 injured, 8,109 deadBritish Empire- 188,706 injured, 8,109 dead France- 190,000 injured, 8,000 deadFrance- 190,000 injured, 8,000 dead Germany- 200,000 injured, 9,000 deadGermany- 200,000 injured, 9,000 dead Italy- 60,000 injured, 4,627 deadItaly- 60,000 injured, 4,627 dead Russia- 419,345 injured, 6,000 deadRussia- 419,345 injured, 6,000 dead USA- 72,807 injured, 1,462 deadUSA- 72,807 injured, 1,462 dead Others- 10,000 injured, 1,000 deadOthers- 10,000 injured, 1,000 dead

Mortars: the mortar bomb fell almost straight down so that it would (with luck) land smack in the enemy trench.the mortar bomb fell almost straight down so that it would (with luck) land smack in the enemy trench. lighter and more mobile than other, larger artillery pieceslighter and more mobile than other, larger artillery pieces chief advantage - it could be fired from the (relative) safety of the trench, avoiding exposure of the mortar crews to the enemychief advantage - it could be fired from the (relative) safety of the trench, avoiding exposure of the mortar crews to the enemy a short, stumpy tube designed to fire a projectile at a steep angle (by definition higher than 45 degrees) so that it falls straight down on the enemya short, stumpy tube designed to fire a projectile at a steep angle (by definition higher than 45 degrees) so that it falls straight down on the enemy

Flamethrowers: The basic idea of a flamethrower is to spread fire by launching burning fuel Used mostly to clear forward defenders preceding the infantry Useful when used at short-range, but not for long-distance fighting When using, the cylinder carrying the fuel might unexpectedly explode – then they were marked men (rifle fire was then centered on the flamethrowers)

 Armored vehicles used to support infantry attacks  Named for their shape resembling a water tank  Britain and France produced the most- 4,000-5,000 per country  Able to cut through barbed wire, approach and fire on a trench, engage in tank-to-tank combat Tanks :

Aircraft:  Used for observing enemy armies, shooting and bombing troops, and air- to-air combat  Dyragables, balloons and airplanes were used  When war broke out the number of aircraft on all sides and all fronts was very small  France- less than 140 aircraft at the start of the war, by the end of the war- 4,500 aircraft  France- less than 140 aircraft at the start of the war, by the end of the war- 4,500 aircraft  France produced no less than 68,000 aircraft during the war but 52,000 of them were lost in battle- a loss rate of 77%  Not a primary weapon but became more useful as time went on

Submarines- U-Boats Terrorized merchant ships, passenger ships and military ships Totally undetectable until the end of the war- radar and sonar developed Developed by Germany but later used by the allied forces Aircraft were used to keep them underwater

Each symbol represents 100,000 dead