Total Casualties 107 Million men mobilized 107 Million men mobilized 13.5 million killed 13.5 million killed 34 million wounded 34 million wounded 11.7 million POW’s and missing 11.7 million POW’s and missing 59 million total casualties 59 million total casualties 55% of men mobilized 55% of men mobilized

What were the new war technologies used in WWI?

New Weapons of War Machine Gun Machine Gun Tank Tank Airplane Airplane Poisonous Gas Poisonous Gas

“We were surprised to see them walking, we had never seen that before,… The officers went in front. I noticed one of them walking calmly, carrying a walking stick. When we started firing we just had to load and reload. They went down in their hundreds. You didn’t have to aim, we just fired into them.” - German machine gunner

Dispersion of chlorine in World War I

20-30% of all casualties were due to gas

Effects of Gas

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 hoped would be a decisive weapon to break the deadlock of trench warfare. Chlorine gas was first used on the battlefield in April 1915 at the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium. Later, mustard gas, phosgene and other gasses were used. England and France soon followed suit with their own gas weapons.

Impact on Soldiers “I had just got a pan full of slum and started eating when I saw part of the temporary trench which I had left screened by an exploding shell. I thought it had come over the trench, but no- just then Smithy and Neterfield jumped out calling for stretchers. I dropped my mess and ran to the trench and looked in. Poor Art was dead, one arm completely severed from his body. Danny had a whole in his stomach and we placed him on a stretcher and sent him back to the first aid station.” - Corporal Sherwood

Questions?