TECHNOLOGICAL

ADVANCES OF WWI
By: Grace Ordonez
 The Tank
 The invention of the tank in World
War I was the answer to the
difficulties of trench warfare in the
western front.
 On the 8th September in 1915, the
first tank prototype, the Mark I tank,
was tested for the British Army.
 At first they were called "land ships"
and then called “tanks” to keep
secrecy.
 Britain took the lead in tank
development but the French did not
stray behind, utilizing tanks in 1917.
 The Germans, concentrating on anti-
tank weapons, were slower to
develop tanks.
 Chemical Warfare
 Chemical Warfare uses the toxic
properties of chemical
substances as weapons to kill,
injure or incapacitate an enemy.
 During WWI, The French were
the first to use chemical weapons
with the utilization of tear gas.
 By the end of WWI, more than
124,000 tons of gas were
produced.
 About 1,176,500 non-fatal
casualties and 85,000 fatalities
were directly caused by chemical
warfare agents during the course
of the war.
 The Use of Aircrafts
 The 1st airplanes were actually not
viewed as weapons or dangerous in
fact, but simply as “scouts”.
 Even fighter type planes were
considered scouts.
 Although horses were used to scout,
they had huge limitations.
 The scout planes had larger freedom
of movement and could get these
missions done with more speed.
 Undisturbed by the enemy on the
ground, the aircraft could observe
the enemy and its movement and
positions from up above.
 Aerial photos were a crucial element
on both sides of the war.