WWI "The Modern War"

1. WWI "The Modern War" New Technologies

2. Single Shot Rifle • Soldiers were issued a single shot rifle like the one you see below. • The disadvantage to this rifle was it’s inability to shoot long distances.

3. Machine Guns • firepower equivalent of 60-100 rifles • heavy, hard to move • positioned on a flat tripod • required a gun crew of four to six operators • reality: rapidly overheated and become inoperative without the aid of cooling mechanisms

4. fired in short rather than sustained bursts  cooling generally took one of two forms: water cooled (one gallon water jackets) and air cooled (air vents) water cooled machine guns would still overheat relatively quickly (sometimes within two minutes) large supplies of water would need to be on hand in the heat of a battle or they urinated on them result: machine guns would often be grouped together to maintain a constant defensive position.

5. Trenches: A response to machine guns

6. Trench network in France

7. WWI began with sweeping advances by the Germans through Belgium and France towards Paris  • Advances not restored until towards the close of the war • Trench warfare began • Trench warfare was essentially the warfare of stalemate- nobody really advanced • Death was everywhere- by raid or attack, peeking over the edge, (many died in their first day), disease, etc.

8. The Realities of Trench Life • Cold • Rain • Snow • Humidity • Heat • Mud • Waste • Rats • Rotting feet • Lice • Disease • Death • Fear

9. Mud: • Sticky, smelly, wet • Boots/ weapons got stuck • Water did not drain • Waste: • Latrine pits dug to a depth of 4-6 feet and usually approached by a short trench • provided an all-pervading smell • chemicals used to try to cover smell just as bad

10. Rats: • thrived literally in their millions • a single rat couple could produce up to 900 offspring in a year, spreading infection and contaminating food • Empty food cans were piled in their thousands throughout No Man’s Land, heaved over the top of the trenches on a daily basis • rats ate rotting food in such cans or invade dug-outs in search of food and shelter • crawled across the face of sleeping men • the sound of rats constantly ferreting in No Man's Land kept men awake all night • rats openly fed on the decaying remains of soldiers killed while advancing across No Man's Land

11. Rotting feet: Trench foot- a fungal infection of the feet caused by cold, wet and unsanitary trench conditions could turn gangrenous and result in amputation 20,000 casualties resulting from trench foot suffered by the British Army alone during the close of 1914 • Lice: • Bred in the seams of filthy clothing and caused men to itch unceasingly • when clothing was washed and deloused, lice eggs remained hidden in the seams • within a few hours of the clothes being re-worn the body heat generated would cause the eggs to hatch.

12. Disease- Trench Fever • Chief symptoms- headaches, skin rashes, inflamed eyes and leg pains

13. Weather • went from extreme heat to extreme cold • lack of equipment and protection

14. Cordite (an explosive powder) the lingering odor of poison gas rotting sandbags stagnant mud cigarette smoke cooking food rotting carcasses lay around in their thousands overflowing latrines no bathing- sweat, smelly feet, etc. creosol or chloride of lime, used to stave off the constant threat of disease and infection The Smell:

15. Barbed Wire Set up in no man’s land to discourage attacks

16. Caused blindness and nausea Destroyed respiratory system Caused blisters, skin burns Caused death from choking Types used- chlorine, phosgene, mustard gas, nerve gas Gas masks were essential Poison Gas

17. Casualties from Gas • Austria-Hungary- 100,000 injured, 3,000 dead • British Empire- 188,706 injured, 8,109 dead • France- 190,000 injured, 8,000 dead • Germany- 200,000 injured, 9,000 dead • Italy- 60,000 injured, 4,627 dead • Russia- 419,345 injured, 6,000 dead • USA- 72,807 injured, 1,462 dead • Others- 10,000 injured, 1,000 dead

18. Mortars: • a short, stumpy tube designed to fire a projectile at a steep angle (by definition higher than 45 degrees) so that it falls straight down on the enemy • chief advantage - it could be fired from the (relative) safety of the trench, avoiding exposure of the mortar crews to the enemy • lighter and more mobile than other, larger artillery pieces • the mortar bomb fell almost straight down so that it would (with luck) land smack in the enemy trench.

19. Flamethrowers: • The basic idea of a flamethrower is to spread fire by launching burning fuel • Used mostly to clear forward defenders preceding the infantry • Useful when used at short-range, but not for long-distance fighting • When using, the cylinder carrying the fuel might unexpectedly explode – then they were marked men (rifle fire was then centered on the flamethrowers)

20. Tanks: • Armored vehicles used to support infantry attacks • Named for their shape resembling a water tank • Britain and France produced the most- 4,000-5,000 per country • Able to cut through barbed wire, approach and fire on a trench, engage in tank-to-tank combat

21. Used for observing enemy armies, shooting and bombing troops, and air-to-air combat Dyragables, balloons and airplanes were used When war broke out the number of aircraft on all sides and all fronts was very small France- less than 140 aircraft at the start of the war, by the end of the war- 4,500 aircraft France produced no less than 68,000 aircraft during the war but 52,000 of them were lost in battle- a loss rate of 77% Not a primary weapon but became more useful as time went on Aircraft:

22. Terrorized merchant ships, passenger ships and military ships • Totally undetectable until the end of the war- radar and sonar developed • Developed by Germany but later used by the allied forces • Aircraft were used to keep them underwater Submarines- U-Boats

23. Before and After

24. The End Result Each symbol represents 100,000 dead