The Changing Face of War

New Technology of WWI

Goal of Today

• We will be covering the advancements of American and German weapons, and what part they played in the war.

• Manfred von Richtofen- “The Red Baron”

• Sergeant Alvin York

20th Century Weapons,19th Century Mindset

• WWI saw the rapid deployment of large armies with new, more efficient firearms, and battlefield technology.

• Advances such as the tank, machine gun, and airplane changed the way land warfare was waged. Still, many commanders hung onto old tactics left over from the 1800’s

• This resulted in massive casualties on both sides

Infantry Rifles• Countries on all sides had by now adopted

magazine fed, bolt-action rifles as the standard infantry weapon

• The most famous and arguably the best was the German Mauser Karabiner 98

• Basis for most of today’s bolt action rifles

• British soldiers used the Enfield rifle

Pistols• Many officers were issued pistols, but many

enlisted men also acquired them for self-defense

• This was the beginning of semi-automatic pistols.

• Germany had the P08 Luger in 9mm and the C96 Broomhandle Mauser in 7.63x25mm

• America started to equip its soldiers with the Colt 1911 .45 automatic

• The British still used the Webley revolvers

Submachine Guns

• Long Battle Rifles were too long and too slow to be used when assaulting enemy trenches

• So, the Germans fielded small pistol caliber submachine guns

• American Army also fielded shotguns

The Machine Gun• First modern machine gun was invented by Hiram

Maxim in 1883

• This design was recoil operated so could fire at incredible speeds

• Most were fed from cloth belts and required two men to operate

• These guns needed water jackets to keep the barrels from melting

• These weapons were used on all sides, for either defense of the line, or to lay down suppressing fire for advancing troops

• Germans and British also developed flame throwers as psychological trench clearing weapons

• Poison gas was also used on both sides BUT, the #1 killer of WWI was actually Artillery

• Artillery

• The biggest guns used in the Great War could fire shells as large as a soldier. The troops were terrified of them. Men watched their fellows being blown apart or dreadfully wounded by shrapnel.

• Generals ordered artillery to bombard enemy trenches for hours on end before sending their own troops 'over the top' to attack. The idea was that the artillery would kill many enemy soldiers, terrify others and destroy barbed wire defenses and machine gun positions.

• In fact, enough enemy machine guns usually survived to mow down the infantry when they finally attacked. In many ways, artillery fire made it even harder to attack enemy trenches as it destroyed all cover and created the famous barren landscape of blasted trees and shell holes that was known as 'no man's land'.

The Tank• First deployed by the British at the Battle of

Somme as a way to end the stalemate of trench warfare

• Was a tracked, completely armored vehicle

• Almost impervious to small arms fire, but was somewhat unreliable, and very slow

• Led to German design of Anti-tank rifle

• Study this source carefully. As you study the source, ask yourself:

• What is shown in this source?

• Can you tell what the original aim of the tank was

• Do these sources suggest it was an effective weapon?

• Does this suggest the tank was a propaganda weapon as well as a battlefield weapon?

• Do these sources give any hint of the weaknesses of this weapon?

• Which aspects of trench warfare do these sources provide information on?

• Can you tell what the original aim of the tank was

• Do these sources suggest it was an effective weapon?

• Does this suggest the tank was a propaganda weapon as well as a battlefield weapon?

• Do these sources give any hint of the weaknesses of this weapon?

• Aircraft

• Civilians saw the great zeppelin airships that dropped bombs on British towns and cities. Soldiers at the front were more familiar with the smaller balloons used for observation and with aircraft.

• In the earliest days of the war, pilots of enemy aircraft used to salute each other as they passed in the air. This did not last for long. It became obvious that planes gathered valuable information about the enemy and they had to be destroyed.

• At first, pilots took pistols with them and shot at each other in the air. Then the planes were armed with machine guns, but these only became effective in 1915 when each side found a way of timing the shots so that they did not shoot off their own propellers.

• .As the war went on, planes were used to drop bombs over the enemy, usually with little accuracy. By the end of the war, Britain and Germany had built special aircraft that could fly long distances carrying a heavy cargo of bombs. British inventors had also devised effective bomb-sights that allowed more accurate attacks. The age of the bomber had arrived.

U-boats

Naval Warfare

• British blockade of Germany –U.S. protests restriction of trade

• Germans attempt to blockade Britain and France, with U-boats –Violates Prize Rules

• 1915, Germany declares “unrestricted submarine warfare”

The Heroes• Both opposing sides of WWI had heroes to inspire

the men and boost morale

• The Germans had Manfred von Richtofen (more commonly known as “The Red Baron”)

• America had Sergeant Alvin York

Richtofen• Richtofen was a very skilled German pilot • In the course of the war, he shot down 80 Allied Aircraft

Even today, he is considered the “ace of aces” • No one knows for sure who killed him For his services, he

was awarded the Pour le Mèrite

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlf---13Q0g

Sergeant Alvin York (1887-1964)

• Probably the most famous American of WWI

• Assigned to the 82nd Infantry Division, which later became the 82nd Airborne

• On October 8th 1918, he single-handedly killed 25 German soldiers, knocked out 35 machine guns, and captured 132 German soldiers, all with only a bolt-action rifle and a semi-automatic pistol

• For his heroic actions, York won the distinguished service cross, the Medal of Honor, and the French Legion of Honor

• http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/greatwar/g3/cs1/default.htm