Weapons of WWIWeapons of WWI

OFFENSIVEOFFENSIVE

VSVS

DEFENSIVEDEFENSIVE

Offensive Weapons

1. Repeating rifle1. Repeating rifle2. Artillery2. Artillery

3. Chemical weapons3. Chemical weapons

4.Bayonets4.Bayonets 5. Airplanes5. Airplanes

6. Tanks (eventually)6. Tanks (eventually)

Defensive Weapons

1. Machine gun

2. Barbed wire

3. Trenches

4. Repeating rifle

WW IWW I

TACTICSTACTICS

The Civil War Tactics

1. A lot of soldiers charging the 1. A lot of soldiers charging the enemy who is behind a “fixed” enemy who is behind a “fixed” positionposition

2. Muskets took 2. Muskets took minutesminutes to load to load

3.3. Muskets were very inaccurateMuskets were very inaccurate(5 football fields: beginning; 1 by end)(5 football fields: beginning; 1 by end)

WW I Tactics

1. A lot of soldiers charging the 1. A lot of soldiers charging the enemy who is in a trenchenemy who is in a trench

2. The repeating rifle made 2. The repeating rifle made shooting fastershooting faster

3. The machine gun made 3. The machine gun made shooting even faster than thatshooting even faster than that

4. Artillery was believed to be 4. Artillery was believed to be able win the warable win the war

SOME NUMBERSSOME NUMBERS1. 90% of soldiers that were killed 1. 90% of soldiers that were killed

were killed by machine gunswere killed by machine guns

2. 1 man in a trench with a 2. 1 man in a trench with a repeating rifle = 10 men outside repeating rifle = 10 men outside the trenchthe trench

3. U.S. loses 50,000 in 6 months of 3. U.S. loses 50,000 in 6 months of fighting in WWI fighting in WWI

4. U.S. loses 50,000 in 7 YEARS of 4. U.S. loses 50,000 in 7 YEARS of fighting in Vietnamfighting in Vietnam

Chemical WarfareChemical Warfare

FIRST USED: April 22, FIRST USED: April 22, 19151915

First Battle of YpresFirst Battle of Ypres

(chlorine gas)(chlorine gas)

CHRONOLOGYCHRONOLOGY

1915---To break the stalemate, 1915---To break the stalemate, the Germans use chlorine gas the Germans use chlorine gas at the battle of Ypresat the battle of Ypres

1915--The British try to 1915--The British try to retaliate, but the wind blows retaliate, but the wind blows the gas back in their directionthe gas back in their direction

End Results

1. Defensive Weapons made the war last longer: harder to push through the enemy (Stalemate!)

2. Weapon technology had improved, the tactics did not

3. The horrors of this war will make many people afraid to get involved in another “quick and easy” war again (WW II)