Which technology was most effective during WW1 free essay sample

Which technology was most effective during WW1 Machine guns were invented to cause a lot of casualties on both war fronts in World War One. Men who went over-the-top in trenches stood little chance when the enemy opened up with their machine guns. Machine guns were one of the main killers in the war and accounted for many thousands of deaths. This British machine gun is being fired by a team of two who are wearing early gas masks in case of a gas attack. To ensure that the machine guns barrel did not overheat, the weapon was cooled using a large water cooling Jacket. An ammunition belt fed it bullets. This machine gun could shoot 450 rounds a minute. This was a lot less than the Germans who were much surer as to the effectiveness of the machine gun. The Germans placed their machine guns slightly in front of their lines to ensure than the machine gun crews were given a full view of the battlefield. We will write a custom essay sample on Which technology was most effective during WW1 or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The machine gun was an effective weapon because it was invented at the beginning of the war and did what it was supposed to do; furthermore it was the best weapon in the war because it killed so many soldiers. The first Tanks were used in WW1 by the British in 1916. They were developed from the early farm vehicles that used caterpillar tracks to traverse difficult terrain. The trenches of WW1 made this adaptation ideal but it was a while before they were refined enough to be effective. The first tank was called Little Willie. The first time the tank was in a battle the Germans were terrified because they have never seen a machine like it before, but when in got stuck in the mud the Germans Joked and laughed about it. When the British got the tank right and it work fine it was a very ffective because it help the trench warfare and the Germans couldnt match the British, so there tank were much less effective. This was great new technology but it was invent much later into the war, so it was not used that much in the First World War. The use of horses in World War 1 marked a short period in the progress of armed conflict. Cavalry units were at the start considered essential offensive elements of a military force, but over the course of the war, the vulnerability of horses to modern machine gun and artillery fire reduced their value on the battlefield. The development of tanks would ultimately replace cavalry in tactics. Although the value of the horse in war changed dramatically, horses still played a significant role throughout the war. They had to carry the artillery and the machine to the front line so they were still important because they were the transport of the operation. Poison gas was probably the most feared of all weapons in World War One. Poison gas could be used on the trenches even when no attack was going on. A poison gas attack meant soldiers having to put on crude gas masks and if these were nsuccessful, an attack could leave a victim in agony for days and weeks before he finally succumbed to his injuries. This was good because it killed quite a few people, but injured so many soldiers. When the armies brought in affective gas mask the gas wasnt used that much so it became rather useless. At the beginning of the war, most of the sides involved only had small air forces. The first was that the role of aircraft was reduced to a role of observation. The army well recognized that the plane would simply have a better view of the battlefield. These issions often proved to be very dangerous. In order to take the photographs required to gain accurate intelligence, the pilot had to fly in straight lines over the battlefield. Because of this fact, they were the perfect target for anti-air guns. These planes were also often very unreliable, and had to fly deep within enemy lines. This fact meant that, should the plane fail, they would often not be able to make it to safety. The airplanes werent very effective because they were in early stages of developing of planes and still were at the basic of how the plane works.