WW1 Weapons and Warfare Flashcards
How did machine guns, bolt action rifles and artillery work in WW1?
Rifle:
Able to fire 15 rounds per minute and could kill someone 1400m away.
All British soldiers carried this and French soldiers used bayonets.
Machine Guns:
Able to fire 400 rounds per minute but needed 4-6 men to use, so not the main weapons of soldiers.
It had to be placed on a flat surface.
Artillery:
Needed crews of up to 12 men; shells weighed up to 400kg which lent devastating blows to enemies.
They were large calibre mounted field guns.
What is Mustard Gas?
Took up to 12 hours to take affect, you would only die in 5 weeks.
Odourless and extremely painful so only small amounts needed. It stayed in the soil for up to 7 weeks.
Made skin blister, eyes sore, vomiting and caused external and internal bleeding mainly targeting the lungs.
What is chlorine gas?
Germany was first to use gas in 1915 at Ypres against France. French soldiers didn’t expect this and thought it was a smoke screen. Smelt of a mixture of pineapple and pepper.
Allied forces discovered urine soaked cotton pads neutralised chlorine gas.
What are Zepplins?
Airships used during the early part of WW1.
Could travel up to 136mph and reach heights of 4250m.
Carried machine guns and around 2000kg of bombs,
Eventually abandoned as it was easy targets to shoot down since it used hydrogen to fly.
What were tanks like now and in WW1?
At first tanks were extremely ineffective in WW1.
“Little Willie” Was the name of the first tank ever used it was slow and unable to cross trenches and could hold up to 3 men.
More effective tanks were completed near the end of war and could hold 10 men.
Called “Flat Tipo” and had a revolving turret and reached speeds of 10kmph.
How were planes used in WW1?
Planes were used to deliver bombs in WW1 and armed with machine guns. Mainly used for recon work but was also known to fight enemy aircrafts to protect men on the ground.
The Red Baron was a famous Germany air pilot fighter had 80 kills and used many smart tactics like using the sun to hide from enemy planes then attacking them unaware.
He was a circus pilot and joined the German imperial service in 1915. He was killed in April 21st 1918 by a British soldier.
What were some strategies in trench warfare?
Trenches were used on the eastern front (Russia, Turkey, Gallipoli) and Western front, the Britain’s and French built trench’s to slow the Germany invading forces.
Troops built tunnels to get to enemy trenches, unfortunately enemy forces would usually intercept them and ended up fighting them.
Troops attacked at night to use the cover of darkness, enemy forces used flares that made the battle field as bright as day.
What were some Trench systems?
Front Line trench: Soldiers waited here to attack
Supply Trench: Food, ammunition, and communication was stored here.
Reserve Trench:
Defence for trench’s consisted of barb wires, concrete machine gun nests, mortar batteries. Troops lived in holes underground.
