Weapons and Technology of World War 1, page 1

Weapons and Technology of World War One

Taylour Hurd

CHC 2D1-07

November 2 2013

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Imagine a war so great and powerful that new weapons and ideas were created in order to fight it. World War 1,

being the most significant event in the 20th Century, was one of the greatest examples of Technological Weapons. These weapons that were invented were never introduced to society before the war. The men going to war had no

idea what the other side was going to use or not use. The new weapons were tanks, submarines, aircraft, etc

During the Great War there were several consequences of these new weapons. These consequences were increases

in casualties, trench warfare, and massive land destructions. To me, one of the saddest facts about World War I is

that millions died needlessly because military and civilian leaders were slow to adapt their old-fashioned strategies

and tactics to the new weapons of 1914. New technology made war more horrible and more complex than ever

before. The United States and other countries felt the effects of the war for years afterwards.

Submarines were important in World War 1. When underwater, bombs could go off and no damage could be

done to the submarine. Submarines sunk 2600 ships in the war. They have many advantages in the war (in the

history book, p.131). Some advantages are that they’re fast moving so ships cannot detect them, and torpedoes

could be shot and with no notice it would be launched towards the enemy. Radars were invented to help sense

torpedoes and submarines in the seas. Submarines held multiple passengers that kept the boat running smooth and

efficiently (see appendix A). Some of the disadvantages were that they had limited underwater speed and battery

capacity, they often had to go to the surface and recharge the battery, which was very dangerous as fumes could

discharged making the ship a sitting duck for even a low flying scout plane with incendiary bullets- or tracers, they

aimed for the battery boxes (see Appendix B). Another disadvantage was that it was a very limited crew, and that

there was barely any room for torpedo storage.

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Tanks had a very interesting role in World War One. They were designed to cross trenches and plough through

barbed wire. In order for the tank to become as powerful as it was, it had to include having a top speed of 4 mph on

flat land, the ability to turn sharply at top speed, the ability to climb a 5-feet parapet, the ability to cross an eight

feet gap and a working radius of 20 miles. It protected the people from machine guns, and in time, tanks became

safer and eventually had more power (see Appendix C). There were usually about ten men in a tank with two

machine guns and one light artillery gun. Tanks were important because they were able to cross on the lands that

were mined (no man’s land). Tanks were somewhat bullet-proof, so it protected the people inside it as well as

behind it, and they carried guns so they could fire on the enemy easily (see Appendix D and E). Other than that,

they were hot, slow, and not reliable. They were vulnerable to anti-tank weapons. They were inaccurate and they

could cross only certain kinds of terrain.

Airplanes were very effective in World War One. They were more effective towards the end of the war. This is

because in 1914, airplanes were just being invented. At the time they were pretty much useless since they were

very fragile and they were mostly made out of wood. They had no protection on them and they weren’t really

thought out to be a dangerous weapon. In 1917-1918, airplanes grew and