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1914 - sea was vital for transportation, trade & communications

protecting the sea lanes in your own waters(or striking at those of the enemy) was an essential part of the war effort

submarines were widely used during WW1

intially used for ...

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large scale aerial warfare was conducted for the first time in WW1

At first, small planes were used to scout for enemy positions

Later, planes armed with machine guns were used in aerial combats (dogfights)

Zeppelins (huge airships) were used by the Germans in the first air raid over England in January 1915

Made of cylindrical metal frame covered with fabric and filled with gasbags full of hydrogen

can travel silently over their targets

the ability to hit the target accurately was poor

vulnerable to strong winds that could blow them off course.

towards the end of the war, zeppelins were replaced by multi engine bomber planes

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The British army introduced the first tanks into the war in September 1916 at the Battle of the Somme in France

successful at overcoming barbed wire obstacles and trenches

the mechanical unreliability of these early tanks meant they were not always so useful

first tanks were designed and built quickly which led to frequent breakdowns and getting stuck in muddy trenches

crews inside the tanks had to endure unbearably hot and noisy conditions, almost constantly choking on the fumes inside the cab

by the end of 1917, improvements in the design and manufacture and tank battle tactics made tanks more efficient

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Germany introduced poison gas as a weapon of war

Created in April 1915

Chlorine was blown over many trenches, burned and destroyed the respiratory tracts (airways) of anyone without a gas mask --> terrible pain and death

Other examples of gas: Mustard and tear gas

Poison gas attacks were so horrific that the use of chemical and biological weapons were banned under treaty signed in 1925 known as the Geneva Protocol

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Machine guns:

first used in American Civil War

improved for use in WW1

capable of firing up to 600 rounds of ammunition (bullets) per minute

often over heated

heavy

difficult to move through mud

devastating when used against oncoming troops

Heavy artillery guns:

guns could fire large shells over a long distance, usually projecting them in an arc to land on the target from above

heavy

difficult to move

mounted on wheels that often became bogged down in the mud or got stuck in bomb craters