1. New Technology of
World War One

2. Brand New WWI Technology
The Bolt Action Rifle was used for the first time during WWI
Chlorine and Mustard gas were used for the first time during WWI
Brand New WWI
Technology
Zeppelins were used by the Germans as weapons
Tanks were used during World War One for the first time
Heavy artillery obliterated German trenches from almost a mile behind the Allied lines
Machine guns became devastating weapons of war and killed millions of people

3. A Bolt-Action Rifle
The weapons that most British soldiers carried in the trenches was the bolt-action-rifle. This was a new weapon which made it possible for the soldier to fire 15 rounds a minute and was so accurate that it could kill a person almost 1400 metres away. The French attached a bayonet to this weapon.

4. Machine Guns
Unlike today, machine guns were not the main weapons of British soldiers. They needed between 4-6 men to man them in 1914 and had to be positioned on a flat surface. The new machine guns could fire up to 400 rounds per minute and they had the fire power of almost 100 guns.

5. Artillery Fire
Artillery was the word used to describe large calibre mounted field guns. The pictures below are examples of two different heavy artillery guns that were used to fire shells from behind the trenches. They were used to deliver devastating blows to the enemy. They needed 12 men to work them and they weighed up to 900lb.

6. CHLORINE GAS
The First World War was also the first war in which gas as used. The two different gases that were used were chlorine and mustard gas.
Chlorine gas had a distinctive smell – a mixture of pepper and pineapple – people only realised they were being gassed when they started to have chest pains and a burning sensation in their throats. Death was very painful – they suffocated.
Allied sources discovered that urine soaked cotton pads neutralised the chlorine gas, but it was not pleasant to fight like this.

7. Mustard gas was the most deadly biological weapon used in the trenches
Mustard gas was the most deadly biological weapon used in the trenches. It had no smell and took 12 hours to work. It was also very powerful, only small amounts needed to be added to shells to be effective and it remained active for several weeks.
The nastiest thing about mustard gas is that it made the skin blister, the eyes sore and the victim would start to vomit. It would cause internal and external bleeding and would target the lungs. It could take up to 5 weeks to die.
Mustard Gas

8. Zeppelins
The Zeppelin is an airship used during the early part of the war in bombing raids by the Germans. These airships weighed 12 tonnes and contained over 40,000 cubic feet of hydrogen. They were propelled along by 2 Daimler engines and travelled at speeds of up to 136mph and heights of 4250 metres! They carried machine guns and 4,400lb of bombs! Zeppelins carried out raids and were eventually abandoned as they were easy targets for artillery. The zeppelins were filled with gas and when a bullet pierced the outer covering the gas would ignite and the zeppelin would blow up in a big explosion.

9. New Planes This is a German Bi-plane called the Fokker
The First World War also had another first. Planes started to be used for the first time to deliver bombs. Planes now became fighter aircraft armed with machine guns, bombs and even cannons. They were even used for reconnaissance work. Pilots were even known to fight enemy aircraft in the air, in ‘dogfights’ to protect the men on the ground.
This is a British plane called a Voisin

10. Tanks
Tanks also started to be used in warfare in this war, since armoured cars could not cope with the terrain. The first tank was nicknamed ‘Little Willie’; it had a Daimler engine, a caterpillar track and needed a crew of three. Its maximum speed was 3mph and it was unable to cross across trenches. Not a success for the allies.
Little Willie

11. Later Tanks
The more modern tank was not completed until several weeks before the end of the war. It was called the Fiat Tipo! It could fit a maximum of 10 men and had the first revolving turret and could actually reach speeds of 4mph! The first tanks were used during the Battle of the Somme but the mud made them very hard to manoeuvre.