Read the information in the boxes below and underline the advantages and disadvantages then Which weapon

Which weapon was most effective?

give them a score out of 10
Key: Advantages = Disadvantages = After all my research I believe that _the machine
Machine Gun
Artillery Guns gun_____________ was the most effective weapon used
In 1884 Hiram Maxim invented the world's first automatic portable
These guns were used to fire from behind your own lines. during WW1 because… It could mow down a brigade very
machine-gun. Maxim used the energy of each bullet's recoil force
Light guns were approximately 5lbs whereas heavy guns
to eject the spent cartridge, insert the next and fire it. The
could weigh up to 12lbs. High trajectory guns such as the quickly.
machine-gun would therefore fire until the entire belt of bullets was
Howitzers or Motar were good at firing shells long
used up.
distances. The Heavy Howitzers could fire shells weighing
The Maxim Gun could be stored and transported easily and could
over 900kg over 18km, however they could be difficult to
fire 400-600 rounds of ammunition per minute, approx. 8-10 bullets
be pulled across the mud and shell-shattered ground. The
a second. Each gun had the firepower of about 100 rifles. The
weapon made a big difference in war such as defending
machine gun required a crew of 3-6 men to work and could be
the walking infantry in no-man’s-land.
housed inside concrete blockhouses. During an infantry charge,
several machine guns could cut down a whole brigade in minutes. Score: /10 It was more effective than the other weapons because…
However mud often got into the barrel and they were known to
overheat.
Score: /10 Gas
This chemical weapon was cheap and was the most
frightening having severe effects. You couldn’t see a
Tanks What do you now know?
gas attack coming and within seconds of inhaling its
The tank proved very successful in the muddy terrain. After numerous
vapour it destroyed the victim's respiratory organs,
developments of armoured tractors a prototype ‘landship’ was created
bringing on choking attacks. However, the wind could
with the code name ‘tank’. After more developments the tank could fit
blow gas back towards your own men. In addition
10 men, one artillery gun, and two machine guns and take them at
through the development of gas masks this weapon I’m now
speeds of just over three miles an hour across any terrain including
became ineffective and it was viewed as unethical ___/10 in my
craters and could drive through barbed wire. By 1916 the tank was still
around the world. knowledge of
unreliable and often broke down, and still travelled at very slow speeds. WW1
Score: /10
By 1917 despite mechanical problems tanks had been successful at Weapons
pushing back the enemy by 8km, the technology was improving.
However it was difficult to find crew to drive the tanks as only the rich
had experienced of mechanised vehicles, they were also vulnerable Glossary
from being hit. Being inside a tank was horrible, it was hot and the Infantry = soldiers fighting on foot
Cavalry = soldiers on horses
fumes from the engine were poisonous.
Artillery = large cannon-like guns
Score: /10 Brigade = a group of soldiers
No-man’s land = the area between the two
fighting sides trenches
Weapons of World War One

What do you know

already?

I’m currently
___5_ /10 in my
knowledge of
WW1 Weapons
Bayonet
The Bayonet was a bladed weapon like a knife. It was then attached to the
barrel of a rifle for use in close combat. There could be difficulties fixing the
bayonet during battle. The bayonet was only good when fighting at close
range. Often men with bayonets were mown down by the enemy before
they could use them. However if they did get to the other side one
advantage of using a bayonet in close crowded combat, as opposed to a
gun, was its avoided risking hurting one of your fellow soldiers. Also soldiers
reportedly said they felt protected when carrying a bayonet so there was
undeniably psychological value to the infantry in carrying a bayonet, even if
in practice it was rarely used.

Flame Thrower
The basic idea of a flamethrower is to spread fire by launching burning fuel.
The German army tested these weapons first. The smaller, lighter flame
thrower was designed for portable use, carried by a single man. Using
pressurised air and carbon dioxide or nitrogen it produced a stream of
burning oil for as much as 18 metres. The larger model worked along the
same lines but was not suitable for transport by a single person, but had a
maximum range twice that of the smaller model; it could also sustain flames
for a (then) impressive forty seconds, although it was decidedly expensive
in its use of fuel.
The flame throwers tended to be used in groups of six during battle, each
machine worked by two men. They were useful when used at short-range to
help clear a trench, but were of no wider benefit. The operators of flame
throwers equipment also lived a most dangerous existence as the cylinder
carrying the fuel might unexpectedly explode.