Click here to download the Lesson #8 Worksheet before you begin!
Warm-up for the brain: Weapons and technology are of utmost importance for a country to be able to defend itself and its allies. With these things, countries can project their power through military might. This in turn, affects diplomacy. What are some weapons or technologies you think are the most important to a country and why?
|
Clear Target: Identify key technologies of World War One.
TASK #1: Familiarization
Study the technologies of World War One below. Hover over the images as some contain links for further investigation of the topic.
Air combat was introduced in World War One. Most famous of the original flying aces was Baron Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the "Red Baron." The Red Baron was credited with 80 confirmed kills until he himself was shot down, presumably by enemy ground fire of all things. He is famous for flying the Fokker Dr.1 triplane, painted red, of course.
|
The machine gun had the distinct advantage of a high rate of fire and this was especially lethal over an wide, open area. This weapon, combined with artillery, made "no-man's land" virtually impossible to cross.
|
The term U-boat comes from the German Unterseeboot, or "undersea boat." These German submarines were responsible for sinking 12,000,000 tons of shipping in WWI. While they did sink Allied military ships, most of the damage done was by sinking commercial shipping loaded with supplies and munitions destined for the Allied Powers. The most infamous incident was the sinking of the passenger liner Lusitania which turned many Americans against Germany.
|
The tank was introduced in World War One by the British during the Battle of the Somme. The inside of the tank was hot, loud, and diesel fumes permeated the hull. It did offer protection from small arms fire however, and could cross over trenches and rough terrain. The tank was slow and cumbersome and not really a big difference maker on the battlefield in WWI. However, it sparked advancements in the technology and tanks/anti-tank weapons would be decisive factors in World War Two.
|
World War One also saw the introduction of chemical warfare onto the battlefield. The Germans started off the use of deadly chemical weapons with their use of Chlorine Gas at the Battle of Ypres. Later various chemical weapons would be used such as Mustard Gas (a blister agent) and Phosgene (pulmonary agent).
|
Artillery was the deadliest weapon in World War One, being responsible for over 70% of casualties. While artillery was not first used in World War One, the advancements that were made leading up to the war had created a bigger, more accurate, and more explosive weapon. Some pieces hurled artillery shells that weighed as much as your car!
TASK #2: Matching Exercise
After you study the technologies above, see if you can correctly match the technology to its description.
Access the matching exercise here. Return here to check if your answers were correct.
Access the matching exercise here. Return here to check if your answers were correct.
Wrapping it up: New technologies and lack of strategy against them led to WWI being the deadliest war to this point in history. Many weapons that made their first appearance in WWI (planes, tanks) would go on to be improved upon and be even deadlier in WWII.