Tank

How it works –

 The idea of the tank came from the development of tractors that could cross
difficult land easily by using caterpillar tracks.

 They were 'male' or 'female', depending upon whether their armament was
the 57 mm gun or only multiple smaller Hotchkiss or Vickers Machine Guns.

 The crew was eight, four of whom were needed to handle the steering and
drive gears.

Strengths –

 When they were working they could cross trenches or craters of 9 feet (2.7 m)
and drive right through barbed wire.

 Their rhomboid shape meant they could cross any terrain with ease.

 Their steel armour could stop small arms fire and fragments from high-
explosive artillery shells.

 To counter the fumes inside and the danger of bullet splash or fragments
knocked off the inside of the hull, the crew wore helmets with goggles and
masks.

Weaknesses –

 Tanks would often get stuck in the massive craters left by the bombs, or
bogged down in the mud.

 Finding crews was also a potential problem as very few people outside of the
rich had had experience of mechanised vehicles by 1916.

 Most World War I tanks could travel only at about a walking pace at best.

 They were vulnerable to a direct hit from artillery and mortar shells. There was
also the danger of being overrun by infantry and attacked with grenades.

 The environment inside was horrible; the atmosphere was filled with
poisonous carbon monoxide, fuel and oil vapours from the engine, as there
was no ventilation. Temperatures inside could reach 50°C (122°F), so it was
extremely hot. Entire crews lost consciousness or became violently sick when
they came out.
 Gas

How it works -

 Chlorine – Soldiers said it had a distinctive smell of a mixture between pepper

and pineapple. It also tasted metallic and stung the back of the throat and
chest. Chlorine can react with water in the lungs to form Hydrochloric acid,
which could burn away the victims’ lungs.

 Phosgene - Its impact was felt only 48 hours after it had been inhaled as it did
not cause as much violent coughing. By then it had already bedded itself in
the lungs and little could be done to stop it.

 Mustard gas - This gas caused both internal and external blisters on the victim
within hours of being exposed to it. Such damage to the lungs and other
internal organs was very painful and sometimes fatal. Many who did survive
were blinded by the gas.

Strengths –

 Probably the most frightening weapon - Poison gas could be used on the
enemy trenches even when no attack was going on. Soldiers could hide from
machine gun fire but they could not hide from a gas attack. Also death was
drawn out - an attack could leave a victim in agony for days and weeks before
he finally died.  
 The first time Gas was used, the French thought it was a smokescreen and
went straight towards the firing line to fight - right in the path of the gas. Its
impact was immediate and devastating. The French and their Algerian
comrades fled in terror.

Weaknesses –

 The deliberate use of poison gas went against the conventions of war, as it
was seen to be too dangerous and unethical. However, once one country had
used it, everyone could and warfare became much more horrific.

 Gas was unpredictable - When the wind was in the right direction, gas was
released from the front line so that it could drift over to the enemy front line,
and be followed by an infantry attack. However the wind could change
direction and blow the gas back onto the troops that has released it. Therefore
it could end up damaging the wrong army and this could be disastrous.

 Armies found ways to deal with gas attacks. They quickly produced gas
masks that gave protection, and soldiers also used make-shift gas masks if
they were caught in the open without a gas mask during a gas attack – a cloth
soaked in their own urine and placed over the mouth was said to give
protection against a chlorine attack.
 Flamethrower

How it works –

 The basic idea of a flamethrower is to spread fire by launching

burning fuel. They were used mostly to clear forward defenders
during the start of a German attack, so that the infantry could
attack.

 The German army tested two models of flamethrower, one large

and one small.

Strengths –

 They were undeniably useful when used at short-range, and could

set fire to a battlefield in seconds.

 They were incredibly scary

 The small model was portable and could be carried around by one
soldier. Using pressurised air and carbon dioxide or nitrogen it
belched forth a stream of burning oil for as much as 18 metres.

 The large model much heavier and harder to move, however its
range was twice as big and it could sustain flames for an
impressive forty seconds.

Weaknesses -

 They were not widely effective, especially once the enemy had
overcome their initial alarm at their use.

  They used up a great deal of fuel and so they were very

expensive to use.
 The operators of flamethrowers were always in extreme danger
The cylinder carrying the fuel might unexpectedly explode and they
were marked men; the enemy poured rifle fire into the area of
attack where flamethrowers were used, and their operators could
expect no mercy if they were taken prisoner.  Their life expectancy
was very short.
 Zeppelin

How it works –

 The Zeppelin, also known as blimp, was an airship that was used
during the early part of the war in bombing raids by the Germans.

 They carried machine guns and bombs, which they dropped on

various targets including troops, ships and cities.

Strengths –

 Initially, the British did not know how to deal with the zeppelins, as
they did not have the right technology. They were large and
frightened the British people very much.

 They flew too high for most planes, and when they were
intercepted by aircraft the ammunition in use at the time had little
effect. 
 Zeppelins forced the Allies to divert a huge amount of war material
and resources from the front line to participate in home defence.

Weaknesses –

 They were easy to shoot out of the sky.

 They had a poor ability to sustain even minor damage; hydrogen

gas is extremely flammable and can be ignited by static electricity
as well as by hot bullets. Once on fire a Zeppelin was doomed!

 As British defences became more effective, zeppelins were forced

to operate at night and above the cloud layer, where the cold
affected performance, the blackout made navigation difficult and
unpredictable winds tended to disperse the Zeppelin formations.

 They didn’t really do much damage! Navigation was very primitive,

and as the war progressed the British use of blackouts made it
even harder.  Bomb aiming was far from accurate.  It is estimated
that only 10% of the bombs dropped from Zeppelins actually hit
their targets!