WEAPONS OF WWI The Great War saw the introduction of many new weapons.
Transcript
Slide 1
WEAPONS OF WWI The Great War saw the introduction of many new
weapons.
Slide 2
MACHINE GUNS Machine guns were big, heavy, and needed a large
crew to carry both the weapon and ammunition. German Maxim Machine
Gun: Weight: 143 lbs. Rate of fire: 600 rounds per minute Range:
3,000 yards British Vickers Machine Gun: Weight: 33 - 50 lbs. Rate
of fire: 500 rounds per minute. Range: 4,500 yards
Slide 3
Regular machine guns were too heavy to keep up with the troops
during an attack. The Infantry needed a lighter automatic weapon
that could be carried by one man. LIGHT MACHINE GUNS German Maxim
MG08/18 British Lewis Gun
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When the U.S entered WWI it we lacked many of the new weapons.
Consequently we relied on our allies for some weapons until we
could manufacture our own. American troops were issued the French
Chauchat light machine gun. The Chauchat was a piece of junk.
Produced by a bicycle manufacturer, its parts were not
interchangeable. The half-moon magazine jammed constantly. U. S.
LIGHT MACHINE GUNS U.S. BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) M1918a2
Weight: 19.5 lbs Rate of Fire: 500 rounds per minute
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Soldiers soon realized that bolt action rifles were inadequate
for the realities of trench warfare. Germany developed the
submachine gun to meet the demanded for an individual weapon with
greater firepower. German MP 18 SUBMACHINE GUNS U.S. Thompson M1A1
Thousands were produced for WWI however, the war ended before they
were shipped overseas. It gained its reputation as a weapon used by
gangsters.
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Abandoned during the 18 th Century as impractical, grenades
returned to the battlefield during WWI. Hand Grenades: A German
stick grenade, more commonly called a potato masher. GRENADES Rifle
Grenades: A French soldier using a rifle grenade. Grenade
Launchers: A French grenade catapult.
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FLAMETHROWERS French flamethrower team. German flamethrower
team clearing a trench.
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German Picklehaub In 1914 soldiers marched off to war wearing
soft caps or the useless German spiked helmet, picklehaub. With the
advent of trench warfare the number of head wounds increased at an
alarming rate. In response, the helmet returned to the battlefield.
Since helmets had not been used for hundreds of years, where did
they get the designs? They modified helmets used by medieval men at
arms during the Middle Ages. HELMETS German Coal Scuttle helmet.
British & U.S. helmet.
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Both sides developed numerous types of gas weapons. Chlorine
and mustard gas were the most common. The German army was the first
to use chlorine gas. French soldiers had not come across this
before and assumed that it was a smoke screen. It has a distinctive
smell a mixture of pepper and pineapple and they only realized they
were being gassed when they started to have chest pains and a
burning sensation in their throats! Death was painful you
suffocate! Mustard gas was the most deadly biological weapon that
was used in the trenches. It was odorless and took 12 hours to take
effect! It was also very powerful, only small amounts needed to be
added to shells to be effective and it remained active for several
weeks when it landed in the soil! The nastiest thing about mustard
gas is that it made the skin blister, the eyes sore, and the victim
would start to vomit. It would cause internal and external
bleeding, and would target the lungs. It could take up to 5 weeks
to die! GAS WARFARE
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HEAVY ARTILLERY Massive guns, 155mm +, were designed to destroy
the strongest fortifications. Pariskanone: Length: 112 feet Weight:
138 tons Range: 75 miles The French Schneider railway gun was the
biggest gun of World War I. Caliber: 520 mm Howitzer Range: 10
miles Shell weight: 3,100 lbs
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The French 75 revolutionized artillery. It had a
hydro-pneumatic recoil system that allowed the guns recoil to be
absorbed by the carriage. It also had an earth spade at the end of
the trail. The spade cut into the ground holding the gun steady
when fired. Finally, its breech was a special screw type that could
be operated very fast. The breech also incorporated a special
security latch that prevented any accidental opening. Artillery
could now use indirect fire to hit targets. RAPID FIRING
ARTILLERY
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FRENCH 75 MODEL 1897 IN ACTION
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Tanks were the allies solution to the stalemate of trench
warfare. Although developed by the British, the French created the
design of all future tanks. TANKS LANDSHIPS British Mark V Male:
Crew 8 German A7V: Crew 18 French Renault: Crew 2 It had a fully
rotating gun turret. Two of these were found in Afghanistan.
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German 13.2mm Tank Abwehr Gewehr M1918: The first anti-tank
rifle. The T- Gewehr was capable of penetrating around 20mm of
armor at 100 m and 15mm at 300 m. ANTI-TANK GUNS With the advent of
tanks came the demand for portable anti-tank weapons. While most
artillery pieces could knock out tanks, they werent easily
available to the front line troops. The first anti-tank weapons
were nothing more than elongated rifles made for specially designed
large caliber ammunition, 13mm and above. U.S. Browning M2.50 cal.
Machine Gun: The.50 cal was designed near the end of WWI as an
anti-tank gun. It remains in service today as an all purpose
weapon.
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WWI saw the first use of aircraft. The first planes were used
for observation and had a two man crew, pilot and observer. The
first aerial combat occurred when two observers shot at each other
with pistols. Unlike the pilot, the rear seat observer was not
strapped into the plane. In aerial combat he had to hang on for his
life. It wasnt uncommon for the observer to fall out of the plane
when it rolled suddenly. This was always fatal since the observer
didnt have a parachute. OBSERVATION AIRCRAFT British Airco DH4: An
excellent observation plane used throughout the war. Crewmen called
it the Flying Coffin since the fuel tank was positioned between the
pilot and observer.
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Rittmeister Manfred von Richthofen was the greatest ace of
World War I. He is credited with shooting down 80 aircraft. To show
off his prowess he painted his aircraft red. The British called him
the Red Baron, the French the Red Devil. He became squadron
commander of Jasta 1, the famous the Flying Circus. Richtofen was
killed by anti-aircraft fire during a dogfight. FIGHTER AIRCRAFT
German Fokker Dr. I Triplane: The most famous plane of WWI. Baron
Manfred von Richthofen flew a Dr. I painted red, hence his nick
name "The Red Baron..
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German Fokker D VII: Arguably the best plane of WWI. FIGHTER
AIRCRAFT
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British - SE 5: The most numerous British fighter plane of the
war. It carried one Lewis machine gun on top of the upper wing.
Reloading the gun while maneuvering the plane in combat was
difficult. A second machine gun was mounted in front of the cockpit
in later models. FIGHTER AIRCRAFT
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British Sopwith Camel: Excellent British plane but very
unforgiving to inexperienced pilots. It suffered from severe engine
torque, which pulled it to the left. Also famous as Snoopy's
aircraft from the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schultz. FIGHTER
AIRCRAFT
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French Nieuport 27: A very good aircraft built for speed but it
could easily become a death trap. The upper wing had a tendency to
rip off if the plane went too fast in a dive. Also used by the
Americans. FIGHTER AIRCRAFT
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French Spad VII: The best French fighter plane of the war. It
was very fast and, due to its weight, dove like a rock. FIGHTER
AIRCRAFT Americas top ace Eddie Rickenbacker shot down 28 enemy
planes while flying a Nieuport and later a Spad VII. He was awarded
the Congressional Medal of Honor.
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GERMAN GOTHA G IV: One of the largest bombers of the Great War.
The Gotha replaced Zeppelins in bombing raids on London and
southern England. It was the first strategic bomber. BOMBER
AIRCRAFT
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Zeppelins were rigid airships held aloft by hydrogen cells, or
gasbags, attached to an aluminum frame. At first they could fly
above any enemy aircraft and were only vulnerable to heavy
anti-aircraft cannon. Zeppelins were used to bomb England. They
became obsolete due to improved fighters and the development of
incendiary bullets. ZEPPELINS Zeppelins on their way to bomb
England. Zeppelins on trial over the North Sea.
Slide 24
Japans defeat of the Russian fleet at the battle of Tsushima
caused British naval planners to rethink ship design. The result
was a revolutionary new ship, the HMS Dreadnought, which made all
other ships obsolete. It was almost solely armed with big guns.
Secondary cannon were completely removed or limited to just a few.
The Dreadnought was the forerunner of the modern battleship.
DREADNOUGHTS
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WWI saw the first large scale use of submarines. Their primary
role was to sink enemy commerce shipping. The Germans practiced
unrestricted submarine warfare, sinking any ship in the war zone
without warning. The most infamous instance of this type of warfare
was the sinking of the passenger liner Lusitania in 1915.
Unrestricted submarine warfare helped drive the U.S. into WWI.
U-BOATS