How Technology Affected World War I Hunter Buescher, Grant Sechler, James Swartz

Background Information World War 1 began in 1914 and ended in It began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. The Serbian nationalist secret society had been the blame of his killing. Hungary tried to force Serbia into an ultimatum but Serbia refused. Countries began to take sides, then the war started.

Manufacturing in the war World War I reflected a trend of industrialism which included the application of mass production methods. Many Countries utilized mass production methods by assembling automobiles, machine-guns, fighter planes, and uniforms on conveyor belts and distributing them to their soldiers and allies. The United States has been especially talented at mass production, since they re-invented mass production with the incorporation of the conveyor belt and mechanical drones. Mass production eventually led to faster and easier production of goods. This helped countries distribute supplies and take control of enemies at incredible rates.

Weapon Technology In The War The new metallurgical, bio industries, and many innovative mechanical inventions had created new firepower that made defense almost invincible and attack almost impossible. These innovations included 59 different guns (like bolt-action rifles and machine guns), hydraulic recoil mechanisms, zigzag trenches and pill boxes. Here are some of these incredible innovations:

Browning M1917 Invented in 1917, the Browning M1917 machine gun became one of the most useful guns in the later stages of WW I. It had a firing rate of 450 rounds per min. The gun had an ammunition feed of 250 rounds per loading belt. The Muzzle Velocity was 2,800 feet per second (astonishing feat in that era of guns). It used to be one of the lightest machine guns ever at a total of lbs.

Arisaka Type 38 (Rifle) The Arisaka Type 38 rifle was made in 1905 for the Japanese infantry. It was a single shot bolt action rifle that had a five round magazine. It was important because it was a smaller rifle with a powerful shot and the recoil was minor.

Zig-Zag Trenches Trenches were used as a safety based tactic. Instead of men being above ground exposed to firing, they could avoid bullets and fire from safety. This made their defense almost untouchable. Trenches made men more accurate because they wouldn’t have to worry about being directly shot and trenches put a barrier between enemies.

The Hand Grenade The hand grenade was a counter attack to the trenches. It allowed attacking soldiers to throw a mini bomb into the opposing trenches. Grenades usually released a toxic gas or minor explosion. On average 1 French grenade could kill people. The more powerful British models had a bombing radius of 400M. The most impressive models though, were those of the Germans. They were lightweight (1.15 lbs) and could be delayed for even longer time. This allowed the German soldiers to escape to a safe haven.

Poison Gas At the beginning of the war, Germany had the most advanced chemical industry in the world, accounting for more than 80% of the world's dye and chemical production. Although the use of poison gas had been banned in the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907, Germany turned to this industry for what it had hoped would be a decisive weapon against trench warfare. The first use of poison gas was at the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium. The German soldiers used the toxic gas to trick their enemies. The Belgium's thought it was a smokescreen and went in, they all died. This has been a useful weapon ever since.

The Gas Mask The gas mask was a defense tactic to poison gas. The British were the first ones to incorporate it in their defense tactics. It safely protects lungs from the harmful toxics of bombs by filtering chlorine and other chemicals.

The Flamethrower  A new technology introduced in the war by Germany.  Invented by Richard Fielder  Used high pressured propane tanks to fuel a continuous spray of flames.  First used to control sugar cane capacity, it later evolved into a weapon of destruction.

Tanks  World War one tanks were fitted with Maxim Type Guns or Lewis Guns, armor plating, and caterpillar tracks (these were configured to allow crossing of an 8 foot wide trench).  Early tanks were unreliable, breaking down often.  French forces had the most abundant fleet of tanks, they usually went into battle with 534 tanks.  In engagements tanks provided more opportunities foe development then for actual battle success. (Proto-type tanks)

Railroads A major asset in the war, railroads were used to transport supplies, weapons, and troops to the battle field in record breaking time. Railroads were a major advantage to countries who utilized them.

Submarines World War I was the first conflict in which submarines were a serious weapon of war. The typical WWI submarine was 200 feet long and displaced 1,000 tons of water. During the war submarines were fitted with deck guns. This permitted them to approach enemy merchant ships on the surface and signal them to stop for searching (an early war policy) and later to sink small or unarmed ships. Most war-built submarines had about three- or four-inch caliber guns.

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