Technology on the Western Front (AQA GCSE History)

Technology on the Western Front - Summary

Before the First World War, major advances in technology shaped how wars were fought. The Maxim Gun, created in 1884 by Hiram Maxim, was the first effective machine gun. It had already proved reliable in earlier conflicts like the Boer War, showing how effective and reliable it could be. Machine guns became a key weapon in the First World War, making attacks across open ground extremely dangerous and contributing to stalemate.

Other inventions, like aeroplanes, trains, and motorcars, also played a vital role. Aeroplanes, initially used for scouting enemy positions, soon became weapons of war, dropping bombs and engaging in aerial combat. Trains were essential for transporting troops, weapons, and supplies quickly over long distances. Motorcars improved the speed and efficiency of communication and logistics.

These technological advancements significantly influenced the strategies and outcomes of the First World War. They helped armies to fight more efficiently but also contributed to stalemate, the immense scale of destruction and loss of life.

Artillery in the First World War

• Artillery are large guns that fire shells (bombs) over long distances

• Artillery was regularly used in the First World War

  • An artillery bombardment would be used before an infantry attack in the hope of:

    • destroying the enemy trenches

    • cutting the barbed wire

    • lowering the morale of the enemy

    • destroying enemy weaponry

• There were different types of artillery shells. Some contained:

  • smoke

  • gas

  • high- explosives

  • shrapnel

• Artillery was responsible for 60% of all wounds in the First World War

Rifles, grenades and flamethrowers in the First World War

Rifles

• Rifles were standard issue, and given to all soldiers

  • British soldiers were issued with a Lee Enfield rifle

    • Lee Enfield rifles were modified to be used by snipers

  • German soldiers were issued with a Geweher 98 rifle

• Rifles were effective weapons in the First World War, as they were:

  • lightweight

  • able to fire quickly

    • Between 15 and 20 bullets a minute

  • accurate

    • Up to a distance of 600 metres

• Rifles could be used in close combat

  • They had a 40-centimetre knife attached to them called a bayonet

Grenades

• Soldiers used grenades in the First World War

  • Soldiers used them when advancing into enemy trenches

Flamethrowers

• Soldiers also used flamethrowers

  • They were effective in enemy trenches

    • They could be used to clear enemy trenches

  • It took two soldiers to use a flamethrower

    • One to direct the flames, and another to hold the gas container

Machine guns in the First World War

• A machine gun is a fully automatic firearm

  • In the First World War, they could shoot up to ten bullets per second

• In the First World War, machine guns were heavy and had to be operated by a team

  • Two to four soldiers were used to operate a machine gun

• The British Army claimed that machine gun fire made up 40% of all wounds on British troops during the First World War

Poison gas in the First World War

• Poisonous gas was first used in the First World War in 1915

  • Germany released chlorine gas from cylinders put in the ground by specialised troops

  • It was released on Allied troops during the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915

  • The gas killed approximately 800 Allied soldiers and injured 3,000 Allied soldiers

• Gas was used as a way for soldiers to advance on their enemy

  • The first time gas was used a six-kilometre gap opened in the French font-line

• There were different types of poisonous gases used during the First World War such as:

  • chlorine

  • mustard gas

  • bromine

  • phosgene

• Gas attacks resulted in:

  • Serious injuries depending upon the type of gas

  • Types of injuries including:

    • blindness

    • suffocation

    • burns

    • death

  • The creation of the gas mask

    • They prevented serious illness and death

• However, poisonous gas was an unreliable weapon

  • The wind could move the gas and it could fall back on the side that released it

Tanks in the First World War

• Tanks were heavily armoured vehicles on a continuous interlocked metal track

• They were created to:

  • travel over rough and muddy ground

  • crush barbed wire

  • cross 'no man's land'

• Tanks were first used in 1915 in the Battle of the Somme

• By 1918, the British Army had created 2636 tanks

  • Germany only had 20 tanks

    • They were not convinced of their value

• Tanks were unreliable as they:

  • often broke down

  • could only travel five miles an hour

• However, towards the end of the war, they were helpful in breaking the German lines during the Hundred Day Allied Advance

  • As they:

    • provided protection to soldiers from enemy fire

    • helped to crush barbed wire

Aircraft in the First World War

• In 1914, aeroplanes were mainly used for reconnaissance

  • As aeroplanes were slow and unreliable

• Aeroplanes were used to monitor the:

  • front lines

  • army movements

  • artillery and weaponry

• There was some fighting in the air during the First World War

  • They were known as 'dog fights'

• Initially, pilots shot at each other with pistols in the air

  • Machine guns were fitted to the front of aeroplanes in 1915

    • They often hit the propellers until a mechanism was created to time the firing of the machine gun between the blades

• Bomber planes were used to drop bombs on the enemy

  • In the early years of the First World War, pilots dropped small bombs over the sides of the plane

  • In 1917, the Gotha bomber was created by Germany

    • This aeroplane could travel long distances and dropped bombs on English towns

  • Britain created the Handley Page, a long-range bomber

• Airships were also used in the First World War

  • Germany developed the Zeppelin

    • They bombed British, French and Belgium cities

How had technology developed by the end of the First World War?

• As the war progressed, so did technology

Artillery

• By the end of the war, special shells were created to:

  • destroy barbed wire

  • explode when making contact with the ground

• Anti-aircraft guns were created to shoot down enemy planes

• Artillery became bigger and more accurate

  • Germany created the 'Paris gun'

    • This gun could fire shells up to 130 kilometres in distance

• The 'creeping barrage' improved as technology and time to perfect it made it more effective in battle

Mines

• Mines were used more frequently towards the end of the First World War

  • Tunnels were dug under enemy trenches filled with explosives and detonated killing the enemy

    • They were used at the Battle of the Somme in 1916

Machine guns

• By the end of the war, machine guns became fully automatic and new firing methods had been created