New technologies helped soldiers defend themselves against enemy attacks. When poisonous gas was thrown gas masks were able to protect them. Trenches were helpful but didn't really protect the soldiers against gun fire. They were unable to fire from within the trenches, they had to leave their trenches to the "no man's land" risking their lives. Attackers who left their trench and reach the enemy's trench would then face rolls of barbed wire. When soldiers didn't have their gas masks on, the enemy would through poisonous gas that could blind, burn, or kill them. The Germans decided to take it to a whole new level and create "U-boats," with torpedoes and guns to sink Allied ships. Cannons and rifles were modernized and deadlier in World War
Soldiers were able to fight at much larger distances and with the invention of repeating rifles they were able to fire more bullets in a shorter amount of time. This caused army generals to have to rethink battle plans and come up with new strategies to avoid
Military mining also played a crucial role in the victory of Vimy Ridge. Also referred to as “subways” this extensive underground network reduced casualties amongst the advancing infantry, and returning wounded. The tunnels also enabled supplies to be brought up under less hazardous conditions. Artillery also played a defining role in the capturing of Vimy Ridge. Due to aerial surveillance more than 80% of the Germans guns were identified.
The first world war is known to be one of the harshest wars in history for many reasons. One of those reasons is the unleashing of terrifying new weapons, gas weapons. Dangerous chemicals and gases have been used as weapons since thousands of years ago, though it was until World War 1 where the first large-scale of them was used. Battles normally ended in a draw, which prompted finding new fighting strategies. Four main kinds of gases were used; tear, chlorine, phosgene, and mustard (I, n.d.).
In “The Rear Guard” the soldiers in the trench are depicted as “muttering creatures” showing the intense fear and poor conditions they they are suffering. The conditions are shown to be terrible, as it says “Tins, boxes, bottles, shapes too vague to know, A mirror smashed, the mattress from a bed” This shows that the soldiers have let the trench become untidy, possibly because of an attack by the enemy or a mutiny, either way the soldiers rather face the hellish conditions that have been created in the trench than face the war above; not even to remove the body of a fallen
During WWI many improvements were needed to protect the soldiers from bullets and explosives, similar to the upgrades in football equipment needed to prevent head injuries. At the beginning of WWI the Germans wore no helmet, a leather tunic, leather pants, and leather boots. Football players in the late 1800s wore a leather cap, leather shoulder pads, leather football pants, and leather cleats. Due to the advance in technology, there was a need for improvement in headware to protect the soldiers and players. Injuries and fatalities became more noticeable and so they new it was time to upgrade their equipment.
These advanced weaponry and warfare tactics gave an advantage to the
For example the use of poison gas terrified the soldiers it drowned them in fear even though the poison gas didn’t killed most of the soldiers it put them out of service for a while because they had to be treated. Then one of the new weapons that could possibly said it was under rated was barbed wire. The use if barbed wire made the enemy soldiers slow because while going through the wire it got cough on clothes and could possibly get them trap, which made them an easy target for snipers and even machine guns. Another reason why ww1 was called the war to end all wars was because it resulted in the death of about 10 million and 30 million wounded.
Underwater listening devices made it possible for the british navy to locate and destroy German U-boats. Underwater explosives, which created a powerful shockwave capable of sinking ships in near vicinity, were also developed. Warship became faster and more powerful than ever before. Radio allowed for effective communication between ships. WWI set the stage for WWII, which gave rise to more new technologies and earlier weapons used in other wars were furthered and made better.
It was used to harass soldiers engaged in close range fights and made it them easier targets because they were distracted by the tear gas. Tear gas was a non-lethal weapon and it was first introduced by the French. They used 26mm grenades and filled them with the tear gas. And then the Germans were the next to use tear gas and they used it against the British.
Before the war began, Germany had the largest chemical industry in the world, and during the war, used this to their advantage to make numerous poison gasses, and would launch them in artillery shells deep into Allied trenches, causing chaos and death. The Allies soon followed suit, and began developing their own poison gasses. The stalemate continued, but things were much more dangerous on the battlefield now. Constant gas attacks took place on both sides, killing around 1,000,000 in total. Gas, however, did not have a large effect on the war, and fighting continued as
This also reduced the dust explosion which occurred from the gunpowder being too dry. This development led to rapid military advancements in the form of artillery, even leading future military scientists to produce rockets. This invention made fighting a war much easier and less time-consuming. Those European countries able to produce the invention were able to become dominant in their colonial endeavors and among other European nations
“Imagine yourself in the pitch dark, after two or three days of wet, cold, hunger, sleeplessness, staggering down a trench, knee-deep in mud, carrying various burdens that almost equal your own body-weight” (Ellis, 48). This was the everyday life of the typical soldier involved in the World War I trench warfare. During WWI trench warfare was common. It began in September 1914 with the German army digging themselves in for a battle that would last what seemed like a life time for the soldiers involved. Soldiers on either side alike lived in deplorable conditions.
During World War I, the majority of the fighting on the western front was done from trenches. These trenches were built differently by each country, but they all served the same goal, to provide soldiers cover and concealment, as any movement outside of trenches could be extremely costly. The life of a typical soldier fighting in World War I trenches is characterized by zero sleep, rat infestations, amputations, and a constant fear of death. The fighting in these trenches was violent and often seemed futile, with the small land gains being paid for with huge losses of life. Trenches in World War I were built with only protection in mind.
Chemicals were the most feared weapon of World War One for a good reason, many soldiers froze or turned and ran in terror when they saw evidence of gas because those caught in it without a proper gas mask died a slow and painful death. The morale of an army while it is intangible, is extremely important, and nothing could destroy it like chemical weapons. Sometimes the main goal behind a gas attack wasn’t even physical harm, often it was simply to terrorize the enemy or even hide an infantry or some other kind of assault. Soldiers that didn’t die from exposure to gas were usually so adversely affected they could no longer perform basic tasks, let alone fight a battle. Mustard gas, for example, is one of World War One’s most famous and feared weapons, yet it rarely killed those exposed to it.
It was developed and designed by the Royal Air Force, with an intention to protect Britain babies from possible chemical warfare, such as poison gas attacks. Poison gas is extremely harmful and can cause skin blisters, blindness, breathing problems, and can even lead to death. The reason why the baby gas masks were so crucial in times of the second world war, was because the Britain government assumed that the Germans would use chemical weapons since they were used quite frequently during World War 1. As a result, lessons were given on how to use the baby gas masks by schools, workplaces, health visitors and child welfare centres.