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Arms Race

Arms Race. AIRPLANE. More useful by the end of the war Beginning of war: used for spying, gathering information Middle of war: pilots brought bricks and dropped them over the side End of war: equipped with machine guns. Artillery (bombs, shells). Launches large projectiles

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Arms Race

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  1. Arms Race

  2. AIRPLANE • More useful by the end of the war • Beginning of war: used for spying, gathering information • Middle of war: pilots brought bricks and dropped them over the side • End of war: equipped with machine guns

  3. Artillery(bombs, shells) • Launches large projectiles • Able to take out many men in one shot • Strong & fast fire power • Able to clear obstacles (i.e. barbed wire) through “No Man’s Land” land • Caused a lot of destruction

  4. Cavalry • Soldiers on horseback • Useless because most horses could not function in the mud/trenches • German trench system was so sophisticated it had stables to house horses

  5. Chlorine gas • First used by the Germans on April 22, 1915 at Battle of Ypres • Destroyed the respiratory organs of its victims and this led to a slow death by asphyxiation (not being able to breathe) • The first defence against gas were mainly rags soaked in water or urine. Later, relatively effective gas masks were developed, and these greatly reduced the effectiveness of gas. • Deadly, BUT dependent on wind direction because if the wind shifted it could kill your own troops • It is believed that poisonous gas caused approximately 1 million causalities (dead and injured)

  6. Used for bringing supplies overseas. It was an easy target for U-boats (submarines) Usually travelled in convoys, groups of ships for protection Dreadnought

  7. Flame Thrower • Only projected a few metres, so practically useless in trenches • Only useful when enemy attacked your trench • First used by Germans

  8. machine gun • Most important weapon in trench warfare • Fast, easy to reload, fired at long range • The machine gun changed warfare with its quick destruction of many soldiers – for example, it fired up to 600 bullets per minute • The machine gun led to seemingly endless war in the trenches • At the time, machine guns were called “weapons of mass destruction”

  9. Tank • Useless at start because they would often get stuck in mud • Well developed by end of war • First used in Battle of Somme, scaring the Germans who had never seen a tank • Could be used as shield

  10. Repeating rifle • It shot long distances • Very hard to reload in the trenches due to the mud, which would cause the rifle to jam • Canadian soldiers used the Ross Rifle, which was excellent for sharp shooting, but jammed easily • They began taking the Lee Enfield Rifle from the British because it would not jam as often.

  11. Submarine (u-boat) • Very effective at destroying supply ships crossing the Atlantic. • Initially, the Germans used submarines to blockade Britain – i.e., to stop Britain (an island) from receiving shipments of food • In 1917, the Germans introduced Unrestricted Submarine Warfare against the allies and neutral ships • The sinking of neutral ships, such as the American “Lusitania” in 1915, led the U.S. to join the war on the side of the allies

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