1. The Great War: New Technology of WWI

2. Improved Hygiene & Living Standards
Introduction
WWI – First large scale modern war
Assembly Line
Fast & efficient production of new weapons
Improved Hygiene & Living Standards
Increasing population
Carnage & Death on
Unprecedented Level

3. Trenches
What other technologies are used with the trenches?

4. Trench Warfare

5. Trenches (cont’d) How a Trench was supposed to look
How a Trench actually looked

6. The space between the two trenches.
Trench Warfare
“No Man’s Land”
The space between the two trenches.

7. Tanks Most innovative technological development of war
Why were they developed?
To try to break the stalemate
1st Use – January 1916
British Mark I
Crew of 6, Speed 3mph
French Renault
¼ the weight, 2x as fast as British tanks

8. Tanks (cont’d) Video Impact Why is the tread the key to the tank?
What was it like to be inside a WWI tank?
How did the crew on the French Renault communicate?
What was the key feature of the French tank?
Impact
Very little – Tank useless in defensive war
Germans lagged behind in tank tech but it didn’t matter
Would be major weapon in 2nd World War

9. Air Power WWI – Types 1st war where air power played a tactical role
Observation Balloons
Zeppelins
Air Planes

10. Air Power (cont’d) Video Observation Balloons Zeppelins
How far could they see?
How did they communicate information back to the ground?
Zeppelins
What were they filled with?
What capabilities did they have?
What were they used for?
Drawbacks?

11. Air Planes Relatively New Technology
10 years old
Great Amount of Development During WWI
Beginning – flimsy, slow, low flying, fall apart, basically motorized kites
End – Bigger planes w/ bigger engines, more weapons
Greatest Contribution to War Effort = Reconnaissance
Video
How did engineers overcome obstacles to arming planes?
Who had the best aircraft?

12. The Flying Aces of World War I
Dogfights – close range aerial combat
Aces – an aviator who shoots down 5 or more enemy aircraft
Eddie Rickenbacher, US
Manfred von Richtoffen, Ger. [The “Red Baron”]

13. Machine Gun Most Effective Weapon - Why? Video Impact
Perfect defensive weapon
Video
What was the range of WWI machine guns?
How many rounds per minute could they fire?
Why was the swivel ability important?
Impact
What effects would the use of this weapon have?
Generals – slow to change strategies (Battle of the Somme)

14. Artillery What is artillery? Types (Video) Effects in Belgium
Big guns, larger shells
Types (Video)
Line of sight –
Howitzers –
Mortars –
Effects in Belgium
What did the German “Big Berthas” do to the fortifications in Belgium?
Paris Gun
What was it purpose? Range?
What were its drawbacks?
From a defensive position, how could machine guns be used in conjunction with mortars?

15. Poison Gas WWI – 1st use of chemical warfare
Previous international agreement
Cannot use shell w/ sole purpose of disseminating toxic gas
Tear Gas – nonfatal, irritant
Video
Chlorine Gas – What happens to those affected?
What were the drawbacks to the gas masks that were created in response to gas attacks?
Mustard Gas – What is it? What are its effects?
Impact
not decisive, made life miserable

16. U-Boats Undersea Boats Video Mainly used by Germans
Who is the father of the modern submarine?
For what purpose did the Germans use their U-boats?
What weapons were U-Boats equipped with?
What was the U-Boats key to success?
How did the use of U-boats both help and hurt the Germans?

17. Allied Ships Sunk by U-Boats
How effective were the German U-Boats in accomplishing their mission?

18. Other WWI Technologies
Flame Throwers
Grenade Launchers
Barb Wire
Other Failed Technology