Weapons over the years by Madelyn Knasinski

WW1

madelyn_knasinski — 2017-06-05 22:11:22 UTC

Tanks:
-Attackers were mowed down by the thousands before they could even get to the other side of “no-man’s-land.”
-Powered by a small internal combustion engine burning diesel or gas, a heavily-armored vehicle could advance even in the face of overwhelming small arms fire
-People would add different guns to around the tanks
-British Mark 1 was the first ever tank

WW1

madelyn_knasinski — 2017-06-05 22:11:49 UTC

Flamethrowers:
-Unlike grenades, flamethrowers could “neutralize” (i.e. burn alive) enemy soldiers in these confined spaces without inflicting structural damage
→ This is because the bunkers could come in handy for the new residents
-The flamethrower was first used by German troops near Verdun in February 1915

WW1

madelyn_knasinski — 2017-06-05 22:12:06 UTC

Interrupter Gear:
- First attempt, the U.S. Army basically tied the gun to the plane (pointing towards the ground) with a leather strap, and it was operated by a gunner who sat beside the pilot
→Not ideal for aerial combat and inconvenient because it required two airmen to operate
-2nd attempt was mounting the gun well above the pilot, so the bullets cleared the propeller blades
→ This made it hard to aim
-“synchronizer,” centered on a cam attached to the propeller shaft, allowed a machine gun to fire between the blades of a spinning propeller

WW2

madelyn_knasinski — 2017-06-05 22:12:47 UTC

Pistols:
-Only used during combat
-Carried by infantry officers, tank crews and pilots
-All of them were semi-automatic

WW2

madelyn_knasinski — 2017-06-05 22:13:13 UTC

Rifles:
-Many of the armies entered the war equipped with World War 1 rifles
-WW2 rifle had a maximum range of 5500 feet
-Semi automatic and self loading
-Gas operated and fed with an 8 clip .30 caliber cartridge
-Sight was extremely accurate and the gun unaffected by weather
-Described as 9 plus pounds of terrific "knock down" power and never jammed

WW2

madelyn_knasinski — 2017-06-05 22:13:27 UTC

Submachine Guns:
-Fully automatic which meant it continuously fires as long as the trigger remains pressed
-Occasionally issued to non commissioned officers but its low velocity and failure to penetrate light armor was a significant problem
-Found somewhat ineffective in jungle battle
-M1 model had a 50 round box magazine instead of the familiar looking round drum
-Marines were issued the weapon in the Pacific and used on Okinawa

Today

madelyn_knasinski — 2017-06-05 22:13:47 UTC

M-4 Carbine:
-First entered Army service in 1997
-Standard weapon used by some Army units such as the 82nd Airborne Division and special operations units, such as Army Rangers
-Shortened barrel
→ This makes the M-4 is ideal for close quarter marksmanship where lightweight and quick action are required
-The weapon weighs a mere 5.6 lbs. (empty)
-Current versions of the rifle offer several attachments
→ These are sight mounts, flashlights, grenade launchers, and shotguns

Today

madelyn_knasinski — 2017-06-05 22:14:03 UTC

The M110 Sniper Rifle:
-Initially deployed for active use by U.S. Army soldiers in Afghanistan in April 2007
-Soldiers with Task Force Fury were the first to use the rifle in a real combat zone
-Snipers and spotters who used the weapon praised its semi-automatic capabilities as an improvement over previous bolt action rifles
→ This required soldiers to manually reload the weapon’s chamber after each shot

Today

madelyn_knasinski — 2017-06-05 22:14:23 UTC

FIM-9 Stinger Missile:
-Man portable (34.5 pounds), shoulder-fired
-Supersonic missile system designed to counter high speed, low-level, ground attack aircraft
-Effective against helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and observation and transport aircraft
-Uses proportional navigation algorithms to guide the missile to a predicted intercept point
-Stinger can be used as a man portable air defence system

Sources

madelyn_knasinski — 2017-06-05 22:15:15 UTC

Sass, Erik. "12 Technological Advancements of World War I." 12 Technological Advancements of World War I. Mental Floss, 30 Apr. 2017. Web. 25 May 2017. .

" World War 2 Weaponspart 1." World War 2 Weapons. RSS, n.d. Web. 05 June 2017. .

Smith, Stewart. "What Are the Weapons Used By Infantry, Special Ops?" The Balance. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 June 2017. .

WW1

madelyn_knasinski — 2017-06-05 22:22:23 UTC

Tank

WW2

madelyn_knasinski — 2017-06-05 22:23:56 UTC

Guns

Today

madelyn_knasinski — 2017-06-05 22:26:05 UTC

Guns