Weapons of WWI

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Weapons of WWI
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• The main weapon used by the British soldiers in
  the trenches was the bolt-action rifle
• 15 rounds could be fired in a minute and a person
  1,400 meters away could be killed

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Machine Guns

• Hiram Maxim invented the machine gun in 1884
• The Machine Gun was used during WWI took 3 people
  to shoot and stood on a large tripod
• Needed 4-6 men to work them and had to be on a
  flat surface
• Had the fire-power of 100 guns

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Planes

• Used in battle for the first time
• At first they were used to deliver bombs and for
  spying work but became fighter aircraft armed
  with machine guns, bombs, and some times cannons
• Fights between two planes in the sky became known
  as dogfights

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Tanks

• William Tritton was the man who created the
  British Mark I tank in 1916
• Used for the first time in WWI
• Developed to cope with the conditions on the
  western front
• The first tank was called Little Willie
• In WWI some tanks had two machine guns and some
  had six
• It took three men to steer
• It only went about 3-4mph
• Could not cross trenches
• The more modern tank was not developed until just
  before the end of the war
• Could carry 10 men
• Had a revolving turret

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Submarines

• Cornelis Drebbel made the very first submarine in
  1620 from wood and leather
• The Subs used during WWI were 53.8ft long
• They had a speed of 6 knots
• They only had torpedoes on board
• Torpedoes were used to blow up ships carrying
  supplies from America to Britain

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Zeppelin

• Also known as blimp
• Airship that was used during the early part of
  the war in bombing raids by the Germans
• Carried machine guns and bombs
• However, they were abandoned because they were
  easy to shoot out of the sky

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Chemical Warfare

• Chlorine Gas

• Mustard Gas

• Germans were the first to use it at the battle of
  Ypres in 1915
• Causes a burning sensation in the throat and
  chest pains
• Death was painful-you suffocate!
• The problem with chlorine gas is that the weather
  must be right

• Most deadly weapon used
• It was fired into the trenches in shells
• It is colorless and takes 12 hours to take effect
• Effects include- blistering skin, vomiting, sore
  eyes, internal and external bleeding
• Death can take up to 5 weeks

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Effects of Mustard gas