The Weapons and Technology of World War One

The Weapons and Technology of World War One

World War One brought about many new weapons and advancements in

technology on both sides. Both took huge steps towards modern

technology and these carried on even after the war had begun. Yet

these weapons could not be of much advantage to one side for very

long, because the other side immediately researched every new weapon

introduced when it was found out. So whilst one side would be

developing something new the other would be playing catch up or

possibly coming in from another angle.

These advancements were made on all sides of the war; the air, the

ground, and the sea, although I shall mainly be looking at the changes

on the ground. Apart from the new weapons, the new defence mechanisms

that were introduced shall be looked at as well: The most profound

being the Gas Mask, which was developed soon after the introduction of

the gas itself in 1915. But also other less well-known defence

equipment such as the Steel helmet will be looked at also.

The weapons brought about during the time of World War One have

completely changed war and fighting forever, but then the defence

brought in as well has blocked some of the advancements from being

used more readily today. The War changed technology drastically but

the technology changed people´s lives even more.

The Tank

By far the most important invention introduced during the Great War

was the tank. Primitive tanks were introduced for the sole aim of

having protected artillery that could break through the defence line

but as the war progressed the Tank advanced, with larger guns and more

armour. The brains behind it were the...

... middle of paper ...

... 4,340 yard high trajectory - and

everyone listened in to the telephone report of our battery commander,

who

had his observation post 1,625 yards from the bombarded fort, and

could

watch at close range the column of smoke, earth and fire that climbed

to

the heavens.

the Big Bertha Howitzer

World War One has been classed as one of the most memorable events to

ever take place in History. Not only did it cause the most deaths ever

recorded at the time, but it also went down in history for the vast

amount of weapons and ideas that were invented during it. Some of

these have been modernized for use in the 21st Century but the

majority were just mindless killing machines. World War One changed

history and if it had never taken place then it would be a wonder to

know what kind of world we would be living in.