1. Technology and Warfare in WWI

2. Changes in Tactics  In previous wars soldiers had fought open fields with cavalry (horses) and rifles, but machine guns made such tactics suicide Gas Warfare  Germany first country to use poison gas in warfare

3. Trivia Tidbit  In 1918 a German corporal by the name of Adolf Hitler was temporarily blinded by a British gas attack in Flanders. Having suffered the agonies of gas first hand, his fear of the weapon would prevent him from deploying it as a tactical weapon on the battle fields in WWII.

4. Trenches  Standard war tactic used before the development of the tank and the advancement in airplane technology  Trenches protected soldiers from enemy fire, but not artillery attacks  ‘No Man’s Land’: area between enemy trenches.  ‘Going Over the Top’: an advancement of soldiers into ‘no man’s land’.  Stalemate: armies could not successfully advance.  Battles of Attrition: a result of trench warfare.

5. Trench Warfare – No Man’s Land

6. Tanks  tanks were firstly ineffective in the war, underpowered, unable to turn and often got stuck in mud  By 1917 tanks had developed so they could crush barbed wire and shelter solders while crossing into no-man’s land  Help allies break through German defenses on ground

7. Airplanes in WW1  First - air planes used for spying and bombing missions  Second - planes came equipped with machine guns - caused massive casualties  Canada had not Airforce - Canadian pilots flew in British Corps. By 1918, 40% British pilots were Canadian

8. Warfare in the Air  Dogfights occurred between Allied and German air forces - pilots would shoot each others’ planes down at very close range.  Air warfare seemed glorious, unlike the horrors of the trenches, but the average life of a pilot was only 3 weeks