IB 20 th Century Topics

 Technology during World War I reflected a trend toward industrialism and the application of mass production methods to weapons and to the technology of warfare in general.

 Artillery  Guns  Tanks  Air warfare  Naval Warfare  Flame Throwers  Poison Gas

 Of all the types of weapons in existence in 1914, artillery underwent the most revolutionary and scientific advances.  The majority of casualties inflicted during the war were the result of artillery fire.

 The machine gun directly impacted the organization of the infantry in 1914, and, by the middle of 1917, put an end to the tactic of company sized waves. Platoons and squads of men became important instead.  The Lewis Gun  The Browning Automatic Rifle

Developed in 1911 by the United States, the Lewis Gun was a light machine gun. In 1915 the British purchased this gun for use on the western front. It was the standard support unit for the British infantry during World War 1.

 was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1918; adapters on cartridge belts allowed the BAR man to walk and fire the gun at the same time.

Although the concept of the tank had been suggested as early as the 1890s, few authorities showed interest in them until the trench stalemate of World War I caused serious contemplation of unending war and ever escalating casualties Early tanks were unreliable, breaking down often Regardless of their effects on World War I, tank technology and mechanized warfare had been launched and grew increasingly sophisticated in the years following the war

 The aircraft underwent many improvements during World War I  While early air spotters were unarmed, they soon began firing at each other with handheld weapons and even throwing spears  An arms race started which quickly lead to increasingly agile planes equipped with machine guns.

 Manned observation balloons floating high above the trenches were used as stationary reconnaissance points on the front lines, reporting enemy troop positions and directing artillery fire.

Many methods were used to try and destroy planes from the ground. Some people used rifles, but they didn't work very well. Antiaircraft artillery was the main weapon against planes. They could fire four rounds a minute at a range of 3,000 yards.

 The years leading up to the war saw the use of improved metal techniques to produce larger ships with larger guns and with more armor

 A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water  Germany’s version of the sub, the U- boat, was hugely successful in sinking British battleships

Germany began experimenting with flame-throwers in These powerful weapons used pressurized air, carbon dioxide, or nitrogen to push oil through the nozzle. The oil was ignited by a small charge and became a jet of flame. These machines were mainly used to clear enemy soldiers from their front line trenches. They had a range of 40 meters.

Their short range made them hard to use anywhere besides no man's land. they were too hard to move around only enough oil to burn 40 seconds at a time. Britain also experimented with flame- throwers, and they also found them to be ineffective.

 The early military uses of chemicals were as a tear-inducing irritant rather than fatal or disabling poisons.  During the first World War, the French were the first to employ gas

Chlorine gas (used first by Germany) Yellow-green clouds came toward the French and had a smell similar to a mixture of pineapple and pepper. They thought the German were hiding behind a smokescreen, ready to attack. After they felt a burning in their chests and throats, however, they noticed they were being gassed. An hour later a four-mile gap was in the French line. Chlorine gas led its victims to a slow death, as it destroyed their respiratory organs.

 The most widely reported and, perhaps, the most effective gas of WWI was mustard gas  Delivered in artillery shells, mustard gas was heavier than air, and it settled to the ground as an oily liquid.  Once in the soil, mustard gas remained active for several days, weeks, or even months, depending on the weather conditions  The skin of victims of mustard gas blistered, their eyes became very sore and they often began to vomit.  Mustard gas caused internal and external bleeding and attacked the bronchial tubes, stripping off the mucous membrane.  This was extremely painful and most soldiers had to be strapped to their beds.

 Later, Allied forces began wearing gas masks. The masks were made of pads soaked in urine, which repelled the chlorine.