World War I
Technology
The Two Fronts:
Trench Warfare
• Western Front – By 1915 both sides had dug in
along the French-German border. Hundreds of
miles of trenches on each side. Between them
was known as “No-mans land”.
• Eastern Front – Russia had vast numbers of
people but no technology and terrible leaders.
Russian winters killed many people.
New Technology
• Tank – Introduced by the British in 1916.
An armored vehicle with tracks.
• Machine Gun – By WWI, the Maxim had
been improved. Now, it could shoot about
500 rounds per minute.
• Chemical Warfare – Germans came up
with the idea of using gas against the
enemy. Eventually both sides would use it.
Gas caused blindness, blisters or death.
• Submarines – The U-boat used in
unrestricted submarine warfare. They sunk
what they could when they could.
• Airplane - Not a weapon in the beginning of
the war. They were used to spot troops.
Opposing pilots would take guns and shoot at
each other.
Eventually, guns were mounted on the plane
and timed to the propeller.
Did not have a huge effect on the war itself.
They helped morale more than battles.