WWI Project

Weapons of War&

Trench Warfare

By Shelby Powers

Weapons• Rifle• Machine Gun• Gas• Pistol• Bayonets

• Zeppelin• Tank• Planes • Torpedoes• Grenades

Which weapon was most commonly used in WWI?

Rifle

• Advantages-Most widely used

-1,400 meters was average range

-Could be operated by one soldier

• Disadvantages-Accuracy was only 600 meters-Had to take time to refill it

Machine Gun

• Advantages-Kill many people at once-Long range-Other countries had to make new fighting strategies

• Disadvantages-Ammunition was heavy

-Gun itself was bigger and heavier-Inaccurate compared to rifle-Often got overheated-Took 2-3 people to move and fire

*French-worst*Germans-best

Bayonets

• Advantages-New bayonets were produced enabling soldiers to shoot with bayonet still in place-Defensive weapon-Used with close contact fighting-Used for food

• Disadvantages-Not everyone was well trained with the bayonet-Risk getting shot

Gas

• Advantage-Killed many people at once

• Disadvantages-Gas masks

-Had to carry around-Ran out fast

*First used by the French

Grenades

• Advantages-Killed people in large amounts-Could be thrown into an exact location

• Disadvantages-Tiring to carry around-Ran out quickly

*How did it work?

Torpedoes

• Used by submarines

• Germans used them

• Used to blow up ships from America-Britain

Zeppelin

• Air ship (Blimp)• Rigid so it could be

bigger• Powerful engines

• Metal• Gasbags with

helium• Carried weapons• Abandoned quickly

Planes

• Advantage-Weapons could be delivered fast to the soldiers-Spied on other people

• Disadvantage-Could be shot down

- “Dogfights” (fighter planes)

Tank

• Used for the first time in WWI• Needed 3 people• Maximum Speed?• 3 mph!• Couldn’t cross

trenches• New tanks were made toward end of

the war

Trench Warfare• What is it?

-warfare in which the opposing forces attack and counterattack from a relatively permanent system of trenches protected by barbed-wire entanglement.

http://www.merriam-webster.com

/dictionary

/trench%20warfare

Combat in which each side has a system of protective trenches

Trench – top view

Problems in the Trenches

• Rat problems (1 pair = 900 offspring)

• Smell of rotting bodies

• Trench fever caused by lice

• Death• Trench Foot• Frogs• Many more

Sources

• http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/rifles.htm

• http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWbayonet.htm

• http://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/bayonets.htm

• http://www.howstuffworks.com/grenade.htm

• http://www.historyonthenet.com/WW1/weapons.htm

• http://jimmythejock.hubpages.com/hub/World_War_1_Trench_Warfare

The End!