Weapons & Technology
After World War 1 was officially declared on the Western Front, both sides fought to gain territory. However, both sides had mounted machine guns, which prevented anyone from crossing “no man’s land”. This resulted in the invention of trenches, a dug out in the earth, used as cover and also as a way to hold territory. This resulted in a stalemate between the two and all throughout the war; both sides came up with breakthrough weapons and technology to gain territory.
Poison Gas
Poison gas was a major military breakthrough. The gases differed in types, ranging from disabling chemicals such as tear gas and severe mustard gas, which essentially only impaired the soldier’s ability to fight. Gases also included lethal agents such as phosgene and chlorine, which killed soldiers after hours of agonizing pain. Although this may seem extreme, the number of deaths due to gas was only 4% of the combat deaths. However, the proportion of non-fatal casualties was still great and it still dwelled in the minds of soldiers as a constant fear. In the later stages of the war, gas masks were developed which resulted in fewer deaths and fewer casualties. Machine Guns Machine guns were the main source of casualties in World War 1. Both sides bore machine guns, only the British had not expected the Germans to use these weapons as well. The British had two standard machine guns, the Vickers and Lewis guns. These guns usually had a team of 2 to 3 men to operate. Usually, one to aim and shoot, one to feed the bullets in and another to cool the machine gun, usually using water. The Germans produced the Maxim, which could fire 450 rounds a minute; it had a maximum range of 4000metres. Vickers fire .303 bullets at a rate of 600 rounds per minute and had a range of also 4000metres and the effective range was 2000metres. It was always fired from a tripod due to its heavy weight. The Lewis was used later in the war; it was used because it was lightweight. Field Guns and Shells Shells were classified into three categories in World War 1, the high explosive (designed to explode on impact, wreck buildings and kill people); shrapnel (these explosives were packed into small iron balls, they exploded over enemy trenches, sharp, hot iron rained down upon the trenches, this ultimately killed or at least injured anyone below). The last type of explosive was the armor piercing that was designed to penetrate tough steel then explode, they were at first used to pierce navy ships but were later transferred to pierce armor. Field Guns or Howitzers were huge guns used to fire shells. It flattened forests, towns, buildings and stripped the land of the French Countryside into an almost alien, lunar landscape. The craters caused by these shells also were a major problem in pushing through to the opposition; these craters were often filled with water and thus, made it extremely hard to cross. Field guns were the weapons used to fire these deadly shells, they were often mounted on huge wheels, resulting in improved mobility and increased aiming accuracy. Tanks Tanks were invented as a result of American Farmers harnessing tracks (not wheels) for advanced tractors, to spread load over muddy ground. An idea came to the minds of some and proposed that these tractors were to be covered with thick steel plates and would be beneficial for the war. But the British Ministry of War dismissed the idea, most generals still stuck to the idea of using cavalry and men to win the war. Tanks were first used in September 1916 at the Battle of the Somme, but the tanks were primitive and thus did not achieve the desired breakthrough. Many were stuck in the mud, broke down and battle tactics were not worked out properly. However in 1917, at Cambrai, they were much more effective and the desired breakthrough was achieved. Tanks caused havoc and terror among the German soldiers; thus, tanks played an essential part in the final push in the war, many Germans fell victim to them. Air Warfare The overall technology of aircraft has vastly improved since the establishment of the first aircraft created by the Wright Brothers in 1903. The British Army viewed this as a major weapon in terms of spying on the enemy. Thus, the Royal Air Force (RAF) was established in 1918. By the end of the war, both sides had large aircraft to harness and drop clouds of bombs upon the opposition. These were mainly used, not to destroy trenches but to demolishing towns and cities. At first, when pilots met each other, they would execute nothing but a simple wave, later, pistols were carried aboard to shoot at each other. Finally, a machine gun was placed on the plane, the synchronization between the fire rate and the propeller needed to be extremely precise. The machine gun would only fire when the propeller blades were horizontal. Thus, these planes were firstly classified as fighter planes. Which grew and developed into something vital in WW2. However, in WW1, these planes were just used for photography and spying. The average life expectancy of a pilot was eleven days, by the end of the war, 50 000 airmen had been killed as they were easy targets for the men below. Although these planes were not responsible for major damage, they were designed to lower the morale of both the soldiers and the civilian population. Barbed Wire Barbed wire was classified not so much as an offensive tool but rather as a defensive weapon. When combined with deadly machine guns, it is extremely vital in halting the opposition from rushing towards your trench line. The trench line stretched from the coast of France all the way to Switzerland. It roughly reached a length of 645 kilometers. Methods were always sought out to protect the trenches, thus barbed wire was used. Millions of kilometers of barbed wire were laid by both sides. In some cases, the width of the barbed wire ranged from 30-40 meters. The only safe time to lay the wire was at night. Work parties of soldiers would be organized to construct or repair barbed wire in the front of the trench. This was an extremely risky job for soldiers as if they were not quiet, the enemy would launch an attack and kill the soldiers. Special construction equipment was developed to limit the noise, such as specialized mallets to muffle the noise of the hitting sound on the stakes. Diary Entry of a WW1 Soldier,
December 1914, “All I can hear are exploding bombs, muffled by the trench and the screams of agony. They carry on throughout the night, and I go made from the constant cries of death. You can feel death here. It's mixed with the smells, seeped into the walls, dripped into the mud. Every hour, someone I know, well, and respected died. “ The above extract was taken from a diary entry from a soldier who experienced what it was like at the Western Front. In particular, this part talks about what horror the shells caused in the trenches. Knowing full well that death is at their doorstep. Every hour, a man was killed, every hour, a family would grieve the death of a loved one. |
All Quiet On The Western Front
Although the book, written by Erich Remarque, does not focus on the horrific weapons in war, but rather the hardships the soldiers endured, there is a particular passage in Chapter 6, pg 73-74: “Now we hear trench mortars exploding, in amongst the shellfire. They cause the worst devastation possible. Wherever one of those lands, all you get is a mass grave.” Demonstrated excellently from the passage, Remarque has cleverly placed the audience in the eyes and shoes of the German Soldiers, showing us exactly what the soldiers saw, felt, heard, smelt and thought about in World War 1. Another passage also present in the book indicates the sheer power of poison gas, although not stated what the gas was, it was deadly. The passage also lies within Chapter 6, on page 91: "they tore theirs off, and swallowed enough to burnt their lungs to pieces….they are choking to death coughing up blood and suffocating" Again, Remarque applies his sagacious knowledge by clearly indicating what the soldiers experienced in the event of gas attacks. Even though most gas attacks did little harm, some still were fatal, a constant threat lingering at the back of their minds. We can observe from this extract just how powerful toxic gas was when inhaled, churning up their "lungs [in]to pieces". And also, how ignorant the new recruits were in the event of a gas attack. |