Weapons of World War I

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World War I weaponry consisted of a variety of new innovative technology for that era. The Hand grenade for one was introduced in 1908 by the British. Their version was the long-handed impact detonating grenade, which the French later improved upon with an antiquated ball grenade.^[1]. The major Grenade used by the German army was the impact-detonating ‘discus’ bomb and the M1913 black powder baller Kugel grenade with a friction-ignited time fuse.^[2]. British forces however mainly used a different style of hand explosive that was at times more difficult to use, yet still useful in battle. This was the ‘jam tin’ which consisted of a tin filled with dynamite or gun cotton packed round with scrap metal or stones. To ignite, at the top of the tin there was a bickfords fuse connecting the detonator , which was lit by either a cigar, or a second person^[3]. Hand Grenades were being used and innovated throughout the war, each side having an attempt at a more successful weapon. Hand Grenades were not the only attempt at projectile explosives, but a Rifle grenade was brought into the trenches in order to attack the enemy from a farther distance. The Rifle grenade was invented by an English man named, Frederick Marten Hale before the war began. At this time the weapon was not seen as useful, and overlooked by the British army. Later throughout the war effort, Germany showed great interest in this weapon, leading to allies on the receiving end, causing Britain to search for a new defense^[4]. The Trench mortars and bomb throwers were also used in a similar fashion, to fire upon the enemy from a safer distance within the trench. Mortars were short tubes capable of firing higher than a 45 degree angle^[5].

Another weapon that could be used from within the trenches was poison gas, most frequently, Chlorine gas. These poison gas attacks resulted in destroying the lungs of soldiers and leaving them to drown in the liquid their own bodies created^[6]. Although chlorine gas had hideous effects, it was not always deadly. The French produced phosgene which proved to be more powerful than the Chlorine. The poison gas was used heavily by the Germans but still they experienced many difficulties in combining a gas attack with an infantry advance. Without the wind steadily blowing towards the enemy, the troops would find themselves moving into their own gas cloud^[7].

Infantry weapons used by major powers were mainly bolt action rifles, capable of firing ten or more rounds per minute. German soldiers carried 7.92mm Gewehr 98 Mauser rifles, good for accuracy and speed^[8]. Rifles with telescopic sights were used for snipers, which was first used by the Germans^[9]. Machine guns were also used by the large powers; a favorite was the Maxim gun, created by Hiram Maxim, a fully automatic weapon, with a high volume of concentrated fire^[10]. The machine gun was useful in stationary battle but was not practical for easy movement through battlefields,and was therefore often dragged or disarmed and carried.

Military technology led to important innovations in weaponry, the grenades, poison gas, and artillery, along with the submarine, warplane and the tank^[11]. Tanks were used in France in 1916, but they were found to have faults in their design. The main problem was the inability of the tanks to mobilize over the terrain. Tanks consisted of a crew with a commander, driver, two steer men, and four gunners^[12]. These being some of the weapons that were either brought into the war and improved on or created for World War One.

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