World War I - War Tactics & Innovations

World War I 1914-1918

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TEKS: High School U.S. History
4E analyze the impact of machine guns, airplanes, tanks, poison gas, and trench
warfare as significant technological innovations in WWI on the Western Front

I will be able to identify the

impact of technological

innovations and war

techniques.

World War I

War Tactics

Trench
Warfare

soldiers literally “dug in”
along the frontlines

-Long, deep ditches dug as
protective defenses

You could hide from enemy
gunfire down in a trench

-Easier to move about as
gunfire is overhead

-Soldiers lived and fought in
the trenches

This style of warfare led to an
enormous amount of casualties

Trench
Systems

What was
life like in

the trenches

of WWI?

Rats the size of

cats, lice,

disease, and

paranoia

Multiple Choice

This photograph shows a military tactic that -

• required the ability to attack quickly, resulting in a reliance on cavalry forces

• made frontal assaults difficult, resulting in long periods of stalemate

• required highly skilled soldiers, resulting in lengthy training periods

• made troops more vulnerable to long-range missiles, resulting in heavy casualties

World War I
Weapon Technology

Warfare
Technology
Modernized
During WWI

Infantry
Weapons

of WWI

Rifles

Machine Guns

ARs

Flame Throwers

Grenades

Pistols

Clubs

Machine Guns

a single gun equivalent to

80-100 individual rifles

Could fire 400-600 bullets per minute
at beginning of war but could fire
800-1200 bullets per minute by the
end of the war with new technology

Often many machine guns would be
grouped together to be e�ective
because they would often jam or
overheat

Multiple Choice

Which action completes this diagram?

• Submarines attacked unarmed ships

• Airplanes conducted reconnaissance missions

• Armored tanks crossed fortified lines

• The use of machine guns resulted in massive casualties

Tracer Bullets

allowed soldiers to visually
track the path of their
bullets during nighttime
combat because it left a
light trail behind them

Flame Thrower

spreads fire by launching
burning fuel
Used to clear forward defenders
during the start of an attack
Over 650 German flamethrower
attacks in WWI

Flamethrower
Operators in
WWI Trench
Warfare

armored vehicle with conveyor belt style
tracks over its wheels
Easily break through enemy lines and traverse
di�cult terrain and lead soldiers through
“no-man’s land”
First used in 1916 at the First Battle of the Somme in France

Tanks

German
A7V Tank

French Renault
FT-17 Light
Tank

French
Saint-Chamond
Heavy Tank

British

MK I

Heavy Tank

Multiple Choice

During World War I, tanks were used on the western front primarily to -

• launch long-range rockets at enemy aircraft

• destroy railroads and bridges used by enemy troops

• lead infantry advances across no-man's land and into enemy territory

• release chemical weapons in advance attacks on enemy positions

Multiple Choice

How did the military innovation shown in this photograph affect the course of World War I?

• it helped transport large numbers of troops to the battlefield

• it helped break the stalemate of trench warfare

• it made communications with officers on the front lines possible

• it made the use of land mines obsolete

Poison Gas

chemical weapons - shot at soldiers
inside of canisters and shells that
would explode and spray poison gas,
killing or severely injuring anyone
nearby; had to wear gas masks
- Mustard Gas - blisters the skin, eyes, and lungs
- Phosgene - 85% of chemical weapons deaths
- Chlorine Gas - lung irritant
Chemical Weapon Casualties: 30,000 died
and 500,000 injured

Chlorine

Gas &

Gas Masks

Multiple Choice

What was the primary reason for these masks during World War I?

• to hide the identities of soldiers from approaching enemies

• to protect soldiers from spreading contagious diseases

• to help soldiers use night vision technology to find the enemy

• to protect soldiers from the effects of poison gas

Airplanes

used for reconnaissance

weapons added, including
machine guns and bombs

Fighter/combat planes, transport
planes, spy planes

At the
beginning of
the war, planes
were used for
spying.

By the end of
the war, planes
were used in
battle.

Aircraft
Carriers

warships that carry fleets of
airplanes
Allow naval forces to use air power over
great distances without planes needing
to stop and refuel on land
Flat tops to allow for take-o� and landing

Germany used its fleet of 351 unterseeboote
(called U-boats in English) to wage submarine
warfare against Allied ships. Facing an
overwhelming naval blockade by the British, the
Germans declared the waters around the British
Isles a war zone.

Submarines

& U-boats

A painting of the sinking
of the Lusitania by a
German U-boat

Impact of
World War I
Weapon
Technology

Weapon

Impact

Machine Gun

allowed defenders the ability to dominate the battlefield and
cause the death of advancing enemy soldiers

Tracer Bullets

allowed soldiers to see where they’re shooting at night; helped
blow up hydrogen-filled Zeppelin balloons

Flame Thrower

flush soldiers out of their trenches and into the open;
psychologically terrifying weapon

Tanks

could cross trenches and wire entanglements easily

Poison Gas

didn’t need good aim to cause many casualties;
psychologically terrifying weapon

Airplanes

easy to spy on enemies beyond the trenches

Aircraft Carrier

planes could be used farther distances than being tied to a
land base

Submarine

sneak attacks underwater;
psychologically terrifying weapon

Weird
Weapons
and
Equipment
of WWI