Landmines
The possible use of weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear bombs, biological and chemical weapons, terrorizes us, as it can have catastrophic repercussions if they were to be in the hands of terrorists. One of the reasons behind our fear is that no matter where we are in the world can we tomorrow suffer from the use of such weapons, and are in no place completely safe, as we have seen with the catastrophe of September 11, 2001. Yet there exists many other weapons that can be used to harms civilians, from which we are less conscious about since they don’t affect us. The result of the use of landmines, for example has been horrendous in many third world countries, hurting many non-military personnel, even once a conflict between tow nations has been resolved. They have been implanted on the battlefield of more than 70 countries in the world, and are still being built by some of the most powerful nations such as Russia, China or the United States.
The first known description of a pressure-activated landmine was by the German military historian Frieherr Von Flemming in 1726, but such mines were not commonly used in warfare until the Second World War. It has been accounted that more than 300 million mines were deployed between 1939 and 1945. In the first part of the war mines were solely used as a device to counter enemy tanks. Yet, one of the problems with Anti-Tank (AT) mines of the time was that they were easily removed and re-used by the other side, so Anti-Personnel (AP) were created to solve this problem. They were deployed around AT mines to prevent their removal. Originally, both AT and AP landmines were developed as tactical, defensive weapons. They were intended to protect troops, military bases, and key installations like power plants and water supplies. After the Second World War, with the advances in technology the landmines became an offensive weapon. Mines in the 1960’s could be simply launched from an airplane, and would only activate once on the ground, thus making it possible to drop more mines from the air than if placing them on the ground. Not only this would allow mines to be placed in a war zone in a much greater frequency, but until now, each mine that was placed was recorded and mapped, in order to be able to remove it once the conflict was over.
This act dramatically changed the safety in mines
Air Defense Artillery (ADA) has been used in multiple battles, from World War I to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Although, different names have been used to label Air Defense Artillery, they have always served the same purpose, to destroy enemy air threats. During World War II, Air Defense Artillery was known as Anti-Aircraft Artillery. This title continued, even through the battle of the Kasserine Pass. The day of 19 February 1943 began a wretched and depressing battle for America and its allies. Located in Tunisia, the Kasserine Pass is about a two mile wide gap in the Atlas Mountains, where some of the U.S II Corps and British military held off and defeated the Axis offensive. Experience was lacking for the Anti-Aircraft Artillery
The First World War saw a new form of warfare known as Trench warfare which involved trenches which were deep long dugouts made by the soldiers that lived in these trenches. The trenches proved useful as they protected the soldiers from artillery and bomb fire and were most likely situated in the eastern and western fronts of Europe. However the conditions of the trenches were far from exuberant but were in fact severely terrible. There was bad hygiene throughout the trenches, for example soldiers bathed probably only once a month and as such were prone to diseases such as trenches fever (which were due to the lice attracted by the bad hygiene). The weather was no exception as well, in the summer it would be too hot and in the winter it would be too cold and due to the nature of the trenches, when it rained the trenches would be filled with water, and due to such conditions welcomed the disease known as trench foot which was due to prolonged exposure to water and claimed the foots of many soldiers. There was also the constant danger of bomb fire and snipers would always be on the lookout for any movement. Latrines, which were toilets used in the trenches also sprouted fear as the enemy could see them in this area of the trenches and therefore were in constant danger of death. Soldiers also had to follow a strict code of conduct which was known as trench etiquette which ordered them to respect higher officers and they would have to be punished if the trench etiquette was ignored.
Grundberg, Andy. "A Dangerous Weapon." The American Scholar:. American Scholar, 1 Jan. 2008. Web. 8 May 2014. .
Crossbows are a highly effective weapon for hunting and war even in today's standards. The first records of crossbows are from China in the 6th century BC. The knowledge then spreads slowly to the west into Europe during the time of the Roman Empire, the greatest empire of all times. The crossbow remained the favored weapon of war and hunting in Rome until the 15th century when gunpowder was also introduced from China.
During World War I, many countries used a war tactic called trench warfare. This is where two opposing troops set up camp in trenches facing each other and fight. The land in the middle of them is called “No Man’s Land”. This war tactic was first made in the seventeenth century by a man known as Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban. It was the man defense tool during this war.
During the beginning of the war, most soldiers carried only rifles and bayonets, however, as the war progressed, armies used a wider variety of weapons to better equip their troops for trench fighting and attacks across No Man’s Land. These weapons included grenades, rifle grenades, mortars, and several types of machine-guns. Many of the war’s most fearsome inventions, including poison gas and tanks, were intended specifically to aid armies on the attack and by 1917-1918 they were being used effectively to break into and out of enemy trench lines
“We often think of peace as the absence of war, that if powerful countries would reduce their weapon arsenals, we could have peace. But if we look deeply into the weapons, we see our own minds- our own prejudices, fears and ignorance. Even if we transport all the bombs to the moon, the roots of war and the roots of bombs are still there, in our hearts and minds, and sooner or later we will make new bombs.
The development and usage of the first atomic bombs has caused a change in military, political, and public functionality of the world today. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki revolutionized warfare by killing large masses of civilian population with a single strike. The bombs’ effects from the blast, extreme heat, and radiation left an estimated 140,000 people dead. The bombs created a temporary resolution that lead to another conflict. The Cold War was a political standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States that again created a new worldwide nuclear threat. The destructive potential of nuclear weapons had created a global sweep of fear as to what might happen if these terrible forces where unleashed again. The technology involved in building the first atomic bombs has grown into the creation of nuclear weapons that are potentially 40 times more powerful than the original bombs used. However, a military change in strategy has came to promote nuclear disarmament and prevent the usage of nuclear weapons. The technology of building the atomic bomb has spurred some useful innovations that can be applied through the use of nuclear power. The fear of a potential nuclear attack had been heightened by the media and its release of movies impacting on public opinion and fear of nuclear devastation. The lives lost after the detonation of the atomic bombs have become warning signs that changed global thinking and caused preventative actions.
The term weapon of mass destruction has been in existence since the 1930’s. Weapons of mass destruction can be better identified as nuclear weapons, biological weapons, chemical weapons, or radiological weapons. A true definition of weapons of mass destruction is “any destructive device; any weapon that is designed or intended to cause death or serious bodily injury through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals, or their precursors; any weapon involving a biological agent, toxin, or vector; any weapon that is designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life”. Weapons of mass destruction, also known as WMD’s, can be described as nuclear bombs, missiles, toxic chemicals, or hand grenades, artillery shells, and even ammunition often used in cannons. . These weapons of mass destruction are used in some countries on a daily basis. The sole purpose for using WMD’s should be for protection, however, if used by persons other than the military they can be used for nefarious reasons. This paper will identify reasons why the UK has joined forces with other organizations to stop the use of weapons of mass destruction, and their reasoning behind it. It will also illustrate why I believe that weapons of mass destruction are necessary for the protection of our people, our country. The United Kingdom has taken a stand and plans to stop the widespread use of weapons of mass destruction. The United Kingdom will need to use its weapons of mass destruction to save the lives of soldier’s during war. While the UK government has weapons of mass destruction, they do not believe in using them because they believe weapons of mass destruction raises serious humanitarian and security...
Antipersonnel landmines kill thousands of people every year. Antipersonnel landmines do not recognize a cease-fire; they continue killing or maiming for many years after the conflict is over. Antipersonnel landmines do not discriminate between soldiers or civilians. On the contrary, more and more they are being used in an indiscriminate way, terrorizing civilians and transforming agricultural fields into killing fields. In addition, de-mining is a very slow and very expensive process, and after a war most countries are not prepared to cope with the constant health care demands imposed by the number of injured by landmines. Finally, landmines make it very difficult for refugees to go back to their cities and villages. As response to the landmine problem, the international community has come up with a treaty to ban landmines. On March 1, 1999, the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty came into effect; so far 134 countries have signed the treaty. Unfortunately, the U. S. is not one of them.
Meyer, R. (2004). The Phychological Effects Of Weapons Of Mass Destruction (WMD) On Military and Civilian Personnel. United States Government.
...y was first started it seemed almost as though it was a lost cause because of the lack of access to the appropriate officials, organisations, governments, and people to make it happen. After seven years of planning and working, with the help of global and domestic groups they were able to influence countries to change their policies towards landmines. In turn, those countries helped influence even more countries. Rutherford (141) explained that much of the success was due to changing global perceptions and norms; they succeeded because they had power to control the ways that landmines were perceived.
In 1784, someone using a flintlock pistol shot Edward Culshaw. In those days, there were no bullets, as we know them. Gunpowder and a ball of lead were put into the gun’s muzzle and packed with paper wadding. A spark made when the gun’s hammer struck some flint at the back end of the barrel ignited the powder. When the constable examined Culshaw’s wound, he found a piece of newspaper used as wadding to pack the powder in the killer’s gun. The prime suspect in the killing was a man named John Toms. When a piece of newspaper found in Toms’ pocket was compared with the piece found in the wound, the pieces fit together like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Based on the evidence, Toms was easily convicted. The Toms case was probably the first in America in which ballistics was used to solve a crime.