Weapons of WWI

By: Shruthi

Introduction

• In the present year, there are various types of weapons,

all being modified or inspired by previous ones, such as

the ones used in the War.

• The weapons that were used in the war were also

modified from pieces of technology from before the war.

• Aircraft, submarines, machine-guns and the wherewithal

for tanks were all around before the war began.

RiflesBritain:

• The standard rifle of the British army during World War I was the Lee-

Enfield .303

• It had been used by the army since 1902.

• Could hold 10 bullets, and that was remarkable at that time.

• A reliable rifle; well-suited to the harsh conditions of trench warfare.

• A trained regular soldier could fire 15 rounds per minute with the

weapon.

• It was so successful that further variants were used throughout World

War II and, in some countries, for decades after that.

Germany:

• They were issued with the Gewehr 98.

• A rifle with a bolt action designed by the famous Mauser

company.

• It was very accurate, and longer compared to the British

rifle.

• The only disadvantage was that it was ill-suited to the

trench conditions and it required extra sight for short-

range firing.

The Mauser company that produced Rifles for Germany

The British model

Barbed Wire

• Originally devised to corral cattle in the American West.

• It snagged on equipment and clothing and slowed a

• It was often deployed in double rows or in intricate traps, made advancing even short distances over no man's land a nightmarish proposition for the attackers.

A lone soldier is standing at the end of a drum of barbed wire gripping the ends of the

crosses

Machine Guns

• It was not a new weapon, as it was already created in 1884 by the American’s.

• It was refined and made easier to carry during World War I and caused a deadlier effect.

Britain:

The British equivalent was the Vickers machine gun, which could spit between 450-500 bullets a minute.

Germany:

Germany's standard heavy machine gun, the Maschinengewehr 08, was derived from the Maxim gun and could fire 400 rounds a minute.

British

German

Artilerry

• Artillery consisted of the military’s heavy firearms.

• Its purpose was to fire explosive-filled projectiles across relatively large distances.

• In contrast to the infantry and the cavalry, the artillery could not enter into combat on its own.

• By the same token, other weapons required artillery support in order to be effective in battle.

The three rings were the symbol for Krupp. This brand was famous for the production of artilerries. Founded by Alfred Krupp.

Poison Gas

• Chlorine gas was first used by the Germans at the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915, killing hundreds of French troops.

• Later developments in the war included the deadlier phosgene and mustard gas, which blinded those it came in contact with.

• By 1917, poison gas could be delivered with greater precision by chemical shells and mortars

A British Gas bomb from 1915

Air Craft

• The first use of airplanes in World War I was for reconnaissance. The airplanes would fly above the battlefield and determine the enemy's movements and position.

• As the war progressed, planes were used for bombings could only carry small bombs and were very vulnerable to attack from the ground.

• By the end of the war, faster long-range bombers were built that could carry a much larger weight of bombs.

• Enemy pilots began to fight each other in the air. At first, they tried throwing grenades at each other or shooting with rifles and pistols. This didn't work very well.

• Pilots soon found that the best way to shoot down an enemy plane was with a mounted machine gun.

• However, if the machine gun was mounted at the front of the plane, the propeller would get in the way of the bullets.

• An invention called an "interrupter" was invented by the Germans that allowed the machine gun to be synchronized with the propeller.

• Soon all fighter planes used this invention.

• The best of the pilots became famous and were nicknamed "aces."

Britain France America

Germany Italy

Plane Markings

Tanks

• Tanks were developed on the orders of Winston Churchill.

• Developed to break the trench warfare stalemate.• Their armour would be impervious to machine gun

fire, and their tracks would be able to cross trenches and barbed wire entanglements.

• But they were slow and beset by mechanical problems.

• By 1918 tanks were more reliable and were available to British forces in greater numbers.

• Those tanks were used to full effect in combination with sophisticated artillery, advanced infantry tactics, aircraft and well-organised logistical support.

The early design of the tanks

The modified version

The Zeppelin

• They were used for air travel, as bombers, on reconnaissance missions and for propaganda purposes.

• Was patented in Germany in 1895 and in the United States in 1899.

• The rigid Zeppelins could reach higher altitudes than the early airplanes.

• Bombs were thrown by hand from the rear cockpit.

• Cow intestines used to make special bags called 'sausage skins' to hold the hydrogen gas used to keep airship aloft. It took more than 250,000 cows to make one airship :’(

• weapons of world war 1

• another video ^w^