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Mr. Tolley Global 3 Name: _______________ 6/29/2017 Rewriting the Rules of War? Weapons and Tactics of World War I Introduction World War I was like no previous war in history. The main theatre of war, the Western Front, was a deadlocked series of trenches that barely moved after war broke out in 1914 until a few months before its end in 1918. By 1916 the forces of Germany, France and the British Empire—armies millions of men strong—measured advances in terms of a few miles gained over several months meter by meter, day by day. Casualties for each big attack over the trenches or 'push' ran into hundreds of thousands on both sides, with calculations for victory based on national birth-rates to replace the losses. Another thing that made World War One so different was the long-term impact of the Industrial Revolution, with its accompanying political, social and technological changes. This was the first mass global war of the industrialized age, a demonstration of the massive strength, patriotism and killing power of modern states backed by industrial power that fueled modern militarism. And when the new power of these nations was combined and intensified into Entangling Alliances, this new form of war shook the world. By the middle of World War One, this global conflict evolved into its final stage: ‘Total War' - the organization of entire societies for war in a social, economic, and even spiritual sense. The vast populations of countries involved in WWI either fought on the real Front, or supported it on the 'Home Front' because their heightened sense of nationalism made them believe that victory for their own country was worth the cost. A century of total, global war had begun. Instructions As you read about the new technologies and tactics of WWI, complete the graphic organizer explained below in your binder. Technologies/Tactics Effects Allowed under your rules of combat? Why or why not? New Technologies and Tactics of World War I Machine Guns Machine guns were one of the main killers on both war fronts in WWI. Machine guns could shoot hundreds of bullets a minute, but leaders on all sides did not understand how they could change combat. They held on the standard military tactic of the infantry charge, which led to massive casualties. Many soldiers barely got out of their trench before they were cut down by machine gun fire. Artillery Artillery, large mounted guns that fire explosive shells, was responsible for the largest number of casualties in WWI. The most powerful land-based weapons were huge guns weighing hundreds of tons apiece that moved on railways. These cannons could bombard trenches or cities from dozens of miles away. Mr. Tolley Global 3 Name: _______________ 6/29/2017 Gas Warfare Both sides used chemical weapons against their enemies. The poison gases used, like chlorine and mustard gas, were not immediately deadly, but could disable soldiers and cause terrible physical damage. Countermeasures, such as gas masks, were quickly developed and gas accounted for relatively few of the massive casualties of the war. Airplanes Planes debuted as weapons of war in WWI. The first planes in the war were used for reconnaissance, but quickly war planners saw the potential for taking battle to the air. Pilots started dropping grenades, and then bombs, from planes. New kinds of planes – bombers and fighters (with mounted machine guns) – were developed purely for use in the war. Tanks Armor-plated tanks also debuted in WWI. The British were the first to use them, and quickly found them very effective in smashing through enemy lines because their thick armor made them immune to machine gun fire and they could strike fear into troops on the ground. Battleships & Submarines While the British and Germans both had built very powerful battleships before the war, WWI was not really a naval conflict. The Germans did develop a new naval technology, though – the submarine, which the Germans called U-Boats and used to disrupt shipping. It was the sinking of the American ship the Lusitania by a German U-Boat that led the US to enter WWI.