How Did Barbed Wire Affect World War One

Barbed Wire

And its effects on WW1

Introduction

World war 1 is undoubtedly one of the most deadly conflicts in human history. Killing an estimated 37 million people over the span of 4 years, this is one of the most deadly wars, to have ever been waged. Many things make world war one stand out, when compared to its predecessors. World war one was the last major european war since the franco-prussian war 40 years earlier. Many new technologies were also implemented in ww1, like tanks, planes, machine guns, poison gas, and the purpose of this essay, barbed wire.

History of Barbed Wire

Barbed wire is usually a long metal wire or wires, with sharpened wire strung around it at frequent intervals. Barbed wire was invented in 1874 by Joseph

This was until the Spanish American war, when it was used by the spanish defenders, during the siege of Santiago. This proved to the Americans the potential uses of barbed wire in warfare. Barbed wire was also extensively used by russian forces in the bloody

Russo-Japanese war.

Barbed Wire in WW1

Barbed wire was used for many purposes but first and foremost was the defense of encampments for allied troops. This was used for the defense of things like trenches and bases. Barbed wire was especially effective because of a biological component. Because the barbed wire was made of metal, the wire would rust rather often, increasing the probability of infection when cut by it.

Barbed wire had surprising lethal potential, and if it didn't kill you by laceration, it would kill you by disease, as seen by this account of british soldier Frank Percy Crozier. “Colonel Pope, the commanding officer of the Borderers, becomes a casualty. Tripping over some rusty wire he falls and punctures his face. Two years later a military funeral leaves AIillbank Hospital, and on the gun-carriage are the mortal remains of Pope. The dirty wire killed