vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv Weapons vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
Machine GunsMachine guns were very big and heavy and needed up to six people to operate them. They were placed all along the Western Front.
Machine guns fired up to 600 bullets in a minute and were very dangerous. Many soldiers dreaded the enemy soldiers who operated machine guns more than anyone else. |
Chemical Weapons
Gas could affect a person's sight and breathing in just a few minutes so protective masks were given to all soldiers.As shown in the photograph, many working horses and mules also wore gas masks. These were specially designed for them during the war.
|
Grenades
Hand grenades were used to cause injuries (not necessarily death)
Bombing parties tasked with the bombing of trenches and positions using grenades of various types. Bombing parties formed a major component of any infantry attack. |
Aeroplanes were very recent inventions when World War One broke out. As aircraft technology developed, planes became very important to the war.
France only had 140 aircraft when war began but by the end of it, they had used around 4,500. |
Britain used tanks in battle for the first time on 15 September 1916.
By the summer of 1918 they were commonly used on the front line. Britain produced around 2,600 tanks during World War One |
Field guns fired shells that exploded when they hit something. They were large and complicated weapons to operate.
They could fire shells as far as seven kilometres and had to be placed on a flat surface. It was often difficult to find a good position for the guns because the battle field was uneven and muddy. Each field gun needed a team of between four and six men to operate them. |