New Weapons for a New War How Technology Shaped WWI

A Comparison

The “New” War New technology gave the battlefield advantage to those on the “defensive” Assaults by massed infantry (foot soldiers) could be easily repelled Rail transport could deliver reserve troops to trouble areas too quickly for invaders to capitalize on breaks in enemy lines Trenches + barbed wire + machine guns = failure for infantry charges

The New Reality

New Inventions Barbed Wire Machine Gun Flamethrower Poisonous Gas Artillery Tanks Airplanes Zeppelins Submarines (U-Boats)

Barbed Wire Cheap, easy to manufacture in large quantities and simple to use Created a major obstacle for enemy infantry Severely hampered infantry charges, making them easy targets for machine gun fire The bodies of dead soldiers often hung, trapped in the wire, for weeks Special teams of “cutters” were trained to sneak up to the wire in the night and disable it in preparation for an attack

Machine Gun Under-appreciated before the war, the machine gun soon gained the respect of soldiers and generals alike Able to fire nearly 600 rounds a minute Effective at mowing down large amounts of advancing troops Nicknamed “coffee grinders” because they ground enemy soldiers into pieces Could only be used when stationary and were prone to jamming and over-heating

Flamethrower Invented by the German army Shot a stream of ignited fuel, burning enemy soldiers Initially, it was used to great effect due to the fear it inspired Due to its cumbersome equipment and short- range, it was not a truly effective weapon Carrying a large tank of explosive fuel on your back was definitely a drawback with people shooting at you

Poisonous Gas Banned by the Hague Conventions of 1907, it was used, initially, by the Germans in April 1915 Other nations also began using poison gas Fired from artillery, the gas bombs would release their poison The gas was heavier than air, so it would sink into the trenches Chlorine and Mustard gas were the most widely used They would destroy a soldier’s lungs, eyes and severely burn the skin Gas masks soon became standard issue for all soldiers It is estimated that poisonous gas created over 1,000,000 casualties but had very little tactical effect on the outcome of the war

Long-Range Artillery Artillery could now fire shells at targets that were miles away Gunners often could not see their targets and had to calculate the trajectory to keep from missing or hitting their own troops Cities could be bombarded from many miles away. This meant that many civilians would be killed Initially, artillery would pound enemy trenches for hours, hoping to kill the soldiers. Often this failed as soldiers were “dug-in”

Artillery Fire

“Creeping Barrage” – The artillery would fire in a line, slowly moving the falling shells towards the enemy trenches. This would allow the infantry to follow close behind, protecting them from enemy machine guns. This was a more effective tactic, but soon the enemy would simple fire its own artillery barrage right behind the falling shells Technology was developed to triangulate the position of enemy artillery and fire at it. By war’s end, 85-90% of all artillery was destroyed in the first few minutes of a battle

Tanks Called the “Iron Horse”, early tanks were slow, heavy, unreliable and prone to breakdowns First used in 1917, Generals often did not see their potential and did not use them effectively Only near war’s end, when they were used in large numbers, did they make a difference, demonstrating their usefulness in charging trenches Unreliability was their greatest weakness. Often more tanks would be lost due to mechanical failure than enemy fire

Zeppelins Large sky ships made of canvas stretched over ametal frame and filled with hydrogen Used occasionally to bomb military targets and cities Slow moving and highly flammable, they made excellent targets for aircraft Used most effectively as observation posts for spotting enemy movements and fortifications In this capacity, Zeppelins contributed to the stalemate of WWI by preventing sneak attacks and reporting large troop movements

Airplanes Airplanes made little tactical impact on the overall war Planes could drop small bombs or act as reconnaissance scouts Air combat had a romance and allure that was not associated with the “trenches” Pilots were viewed as modern knights, their “dogfights” had an air of honour Pilots became famous and their exploits were celebrated

Submarines (U-boat) Germany was in the lead with this technology at the beginning of he war Proved to be an effective weapon against conventional surface navies Germany sank hundreds of British merchants ships Gave Germany an advantage at sea

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Questions 1.Why was there a need for new technology in war? 2.Who ultimately benefits from this technology? 3.What is the most feared technology in war today?