WW1 saw the beginning of the biggest arms race in the history of mankind. Every country fighting had to be the most technologically advanced and have the best weapons in order to win. Russia were drastically in need of better technologically as they were technologically a long way behind the other countries fighting in the war.
WW1 saw the introduction of army tanks and planes to war.
At the beginning of WW1 the nations fighting expected it to be a normal war in which cavalry and ground soldier would fight and then a country would surrender. But as the war dragged on every nation created weapons that have revolutionised conflict. Here are four revolutionary WW1 weapons:
1. Machine Guns- Probably the best WW1 machine gun is the Vickers gun. It weighed 33kg and had a four man crew. The fact that it was quite heavy and had a big crew were disadvantages but it was known to have fired for 24hrs without fault in a battle.
2. Rifles- Probably the best WW1 rifle and undoubtedly one of the best weapons ever created is the Lee Enfield rifle. It only weighed 4.09kg. It could fire fifteen rounds a minute. It had a bayonet for close combat and was used by Hitler's SS Guards. It is also used by some police officers today. It was so powerful that the German's thought that the British were carrying machine guns.
3. The Tank- In WW1 various Tanks were created such as the Mark 1,2,3 and 4, the Whippet and the Schnieder. The Mark one was very slow and had to have 8 crew members and it weighed 27tonnes. The Mark 1 and other tanks used to break down in the middle of battle. The Mark 4 was better as it was faster, it had a Lewis Gun and it was more reliable. The tanks were dangerous to be inside as they were small, hot and released dangerous fumes. The Whippet was created by Renault it was created to be quite fast.
4. Planes- This was the first time planes had been used in war so they were flimsy and primitive. At the start of the war the only gun the pilot had was a handgun but by the end the pilot had a good rifle.
WW1 saw the introduction of army tanks and planes to war.
At the beginning of WW1 the nations fighting expected it to be a normal war in which cavalry and ground soldier would fight and then a country would surrender. But as the war dragged on every nation created weapons that have revolutionised conflict. Here are four revolutionary WW1 weapons:
1. Machine Guns- Probably the best WW1 machine gun is the Vickers gun. It weighed 33kg and had a four man crew. The fact that it was quite heavy and had a big crew were disadvantages but it was known to have fired for 24hrs without fault in a battle.
2. Rifles- Probably the best WW1 rifle and undoubtedly one of the best weapons ever created is the Lee Enfield rifle. It only weighed 4.09kg. It could fire fifteen rounds a minute. It had a bayonet for close combat and was used by Hitler's SS Guards. It is also used by some police officers today. It was so powerful that the German's thought that the British were carrying machine guns.
3. The Tank- In WW1 various Tanks were created such as the Mark 1,2,3 and 4, the Whippet and the Schnieder. The Mark one was very slow and had to have 8 crew members and it weighed 27tonnes. The Mark 1 and other tanks used to break down in the middle of battle. The Mark 4 was better as it was faster, it had a Lewis Gun and it was more reliable. The tanks were dangerous to be inside as they were small, hot and released dangerous fumes. The Whippet was created by Renault it was created to be quite fast.
4. Planes- This was the first time planes had been used in war so they were flimsy and primitive. At the start of the war the only gun the pilot had was a handgun but by the end the pilot had a good rifle.
Did you know that Germany thought that it was cowardly to use machines in war so they didn't start making any until halfway through the war.