Weapons of War

Question 1

Repeating Riffle

Answer 1

-Developed in the late 1800’s by 1900 was the main weapon of most armies
* Uses a 6 bullet “clip” to repeatedly fire
* Replaced the top loading musket (which could shoot 3 bullets a min)
* Could attach a bayonet to the
end which allows the gun to be used as a spear
Advantages:
-cheap
-virtually the only weapon that can be used to take enemy positions
Disadvantages:
-Short range (the only way to get to the enemy is to literally run there…think machine gun)
* Easily jams with mud and dirt
* The form of attack that creates the most casualties for your side

Question 2

Cavalry

Answer 2

-Soldiers on horseback carrying swords and repeating rifles
-Very fast and maneuverable – able to attack with both weapons and the horse, itself

Advantages:
-Can pull carts and other equipment
Disadvantages:
-Difficult to run through the mud and craters of a battlefield
* Easy target for machine guns (unable to “get down”)
* Prone to panic from the intensity of the explosions

Question 3

Machine Gun

Answer 3

-A gun capable of firing hundreds of bullets per minute
Advantages:
-cheap
-can kill many soldiers quickly
-nullified calvary
-terrifying
Disadvantages:
Easily overheats and jams
Heavy and unwieldly – limited to defensive positions

Question 4

Airplane

Answer 4

-Invented in 1901 by the Wright brothers
-a machine that can fly over the battlefield
-is equipped with a machine gun and sometimes bombs
Advantages:
-good for scouting
-Highly entertaining (gambling on dogfights)
* Pilots would sometimes drop chains, bricks and flaming bottles of alcohol
Disadvantages:
-can carry little weight
-limited range
-slow

Question 5

Chlorine Gas

Answer 5

-Imagine the effects of too much chlorine in a swimming pool, now hyper-concentrate it and make it a gas
* When released will carry on the wind
* It melts lungs and soft tissue, often resulting in death or chronic breathing problems
* First introduced by Germany on April 22, 1915 was replaced it with
mustard gas in 1917
Advantages:
-terrifying
-can kill many soldiers quickly with limited casualties
Disadvantages:
-The wind could change and blow it back on your own troop or into a nearby town
-The advent of gasmask greatly reduced its efficacy

Question 6

Artillery

Answer 6

Extremely large gun that can fire shells with incredible force over considerable distance
Advantages:
-terrifying
-Can kill many soldiers quickly with minimal casualties
* Destroys fortifications, tanks, artillery, and machine gun nests
Disadvantages:
-heavy
-hard to manuever
difficult to aim
-it is hard to find enemy artillery

Question 7

Dreadnaught

Answer 7

-comes from the English word, “fear nothing”
-first built in 1906 by the British
-The largest and most powerful class of warship in history
Pros:
-would win in a traditional ship to ship battle
Cons:
-very expensive
-difficult to aim accurately
-not very useful against submarines
-WWI mostly fought on land

Question 8

Flame Thrower

Answer 8

-invented by Germany in 1900
-Used gas under pressure to fire a lit stream of accelerant (thickened gasoline) at a target
-The tank was carried on the back of a soldier who could shoot flames towards the
enemy
Pros:
-terrifying
-can quickly eliminate everyone in a bunker or trench
Cons:
-limited range and mobility
-if tank is hit it can explode

Question 9

Tank

Answer 9

*First deployed in 1915 by the British
*Equipped with machine guns and flame throwers
An armored vehicle with conveyor-belt-like tracks over its wheels to traverse difficult territory
Pros:
-heavy duty
-artillery can advance behind it
-good for getting past barbed wire
cons:
-constantly got stuck in mud
-slow and easy target
-engines tend to overheat

Question 10

Submarine

Answer 10

• a ship which can travel underwater
  -can shoot torpedos
• also has a cannon on top
  Pros:
  -can sink supply ships
  Cons:
  -can stay submerged for an extended period of time
  -difficult to find targets
  -needs to be above war to shoot targets
  -short lifespan