The First World War represented one of the most horrifying chapters of our planet’s history, as it caused the death of 20 million people and the injuries of another 21 million. A number of 10 million people of those who died were civilians. While speaking about such a dreadful conflict at a large scale isn’t comfortable, surely we need to know what happened in order to try to prevent another global war in the future.
About a century ago, when the First World War took place (from 1914 to 1918, to be more precise), the ways armies fought were significantly obsolete compared to what the world has today. But even so, nations were pretty ingenious when it came to figuring out dreadful ways of defeating the adversary.
Machine guns:
Rapid-fire machine guns, such as Vickers and Maxim, revolutionized warfare, as they were able to provide significant firepower, leading to trench warfare.
At the beginning of World War I, it was the Germans who had an advantage in machine guns, but as the global military conflict progressed, both the Allies and Central Powers came up with their own machine guns extensively.
Poison gas:
Chemical weapons were also used in the war to inflict widespread death and injury, such as phosgene, chlorine, and mustard gas. These chemical weapons led to the development and usage of gas masks.
Both the Allies (the UK and France, primarily) and the Central Powers (Germany, especially) have used chemical weapons. The Germans were those who pioneered the use of chlorine gas at Ypres in 1915, leading to the widespread use of gas masks.
Artillery:
Heavy artillery, such as howitzers and cannons, played a very important role in World War I, causing a lot of damage to both armies and infrastructures.
All of the major military powers involved in the global conflict used heavy artillery. Each of the sides employed a variety of artillery, such as field guns and heavy howitzers.
Aircraft:
Aircraft were initially used for reconnaissance, but they later became equipped with bombs, machine guns, and even air-to-air combat elements. Both sides involved in the war, meaning the Allies and the Central Powers, have used aircraft. However, the Germans, French, and British developed and deployed various forms of aircraft in large numbers.
Bolt-action rifles:
Bolt-action rifles are able to shoot bullets at a much higher speed than semi-automatic guns. Therefore, it became obvious that rifles, such as the Mauser and the Lee-Enfield, were used by infantry on the front lines.
For instance, the Lee-Enfield rifle was commonly used by British and Commonwealth forces. The German and Ottoman forces, on the other hand, were known to use the Mauser rifle.
Flamethrowers:
Burning the enemies alive was another hobby of the German Army during the First World War, as the horrifying invention was also used by Nazi Germany in the Second World War. This deadly weapon was invented in 1900 by a German engineer known as Richard Fiedler, and the soldiers were using it as a way to clear enemy trenches. However, both Germany and the Allied forces have been using flamethrowers during World War I.
Tanks:
You might have guessed by now that tanks were also used during the First World War. These mechanical monsters were actually introduced later in the war, changing the dynamics of ground warfare and providing mobile and protected firepower that was able to traverse difficult terrain.
The British were the first to introduce tanks in the war in 1916. The Allies, especially the French and the British, made more significant use of tanks as the war went on. As for the Germans, they came up with their own tanks and deployed them in smaller numbers.
Submarines (U-boats):
German submarines also played an important role in the war, as they targeted enemy ships using torpedoes and impacting naval operations. The German Army was known to use submarines most effectively during the First World War. Numerous enemy ships and even civilian vessels were destroyed by German submarines.
Barbed wire:
Barbed wire might not be a weapon in the traditional sense, but it also played a major role during the war when it came to fortifying trenches and impending infantry advances.
All sides of the Western Front have been using barbed wire extensively during the war to fortify trenches and impede the advances of the enemies.
Feel free to also read one of our previous articles about the top 10 most deadly weapons used in World War II.
