10 Weapons and Vehicles in WWI
Luke Ball
Airplanes
Primarily made of canvas, wood, and wire. At first, they were only used for observing enemy troops, but both sides began to shoot down planes with weapons on the ground with rifles, pistols, and machine guns from other planes, so in 1916 the Germans armed the planes with machine guns, that could fire forward without shooting off of the fighters' propellers
Chemical Warfare
Chemical warfare first appeared by the Germans when they used poison gas during a surprise attack in 1915, in Flanders, Belgium. It was first released from large cylinders, and carried by the wind into enemy lines. Later, phosgene and other gases were loaded into artillery shells and fired into enemy trenches. The Germans used chemical warfare the most, until realizing that the enemy soldiers wearing gas mask didn't fight as good. All sides used the gas frequently by 1918, and it's use was a frightening development that caused serious suffering, or even death.
Submarines
Submarines sunk boats from long distances, and they attacked and sunk German U-Boats, and in order for the submarines to located and sink the U-Boats, the British added the underwater listening device, and underwater explosives.
Warships
Warships became faster, and stronger than ever before. They used newly invented radios to communicate more effectively.
The Browning Machine Gun
The Browning Machine Gun became one of the most rare weapons in American military history. It was initially categorized as a heavy machine gun in 1917, but later was downgraded to the medium gun category at a later time.
The Tank
The tank was designed by Richard Edgeworth. The tank was also known as the "Steam Powered Tractor". In 1885, it was converted to the internal combustion engine. The top speed was 4 mph, had the ability to turn at top speed, had the ability to climb 5 ft, can cross an 8 ft gap, working radius of 20 miles, and can hold a crew of 10 men with 2 machine guns on board, and 1 artillery gun.
42cm Type M-Gerat 14 L/12 (Big Bertha)
Was a German initiative set into action before WWI (1914-1918). Was 96,000 lbs (43 tons), can lob 1,800 lb shells, which is nearly 8 miles. Firing 419 mm projectile, and the mounting elevation range was +40 to +75 degrees and had a traversal of 4 degrees.
The muzzle velocity is 1,300 ft per second. Required a crew of dozens of men, and took at least 6 hours to assemble, and disassemble the weapon.
The Austin-Putilov
The Austin-Putilov was used in Russia, and England, but was a British design. It could hold a crew of 5 men, weighed 11,440 lbs, it was 16' long, 6'4.75" wide, the range was 125 miles, the armor was 8 mm, the armament was 2 x MG, the engine was 50 hp, and the top speed was 31 mph.
7.7 cm Feldkanone 16
The Imperial German Army adopted the weapon in 1896 through modele 1897. It was given a larger barrel, could range out to 11,700 yds, had a box-type carriage from the 10.5 cm Feldhauitze 98/09. The caliber is 7.7 cm, and one shell weighed 16 lbs.
Cannon de 75 modele 1897
Was adopted by the national army, was French-made, required a crew to re aim the weapon. Weighed 3,400 lbs, was 9 ft long, contained a 155 mm caliber, and a HE shell weighed 12 lbs. The muzzle velocity was 1,600 ft per second, and the effective range was 9,350 yds.