Nature of Warfare

The nature of warfare in World War I

Grade 9 - History
World War I

Students will understand the new technologies used within WWI.

Success Criteria

Students will extend their knowledge of warfare through questions.

Focus

Expectation

Poll

Brain Jog:

How confident are you about undertaking this lesson?

• very Confident

• Confident

• Overly Confident

• Averagely

  Confident

Over the course of World War I, many new technologies were introduced and existing technologies such as military vehicles and weapons were improved. Developments in powerful long-range weaponry, such as the machine gun and heavy artillery, were particularly important. Deadly new chemical weapons and gases were also a significant development.

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​New Technologies

Fill in the Blank

Much of this technology is blamed for extending the war, as the conflict quickly became an evenly matched battle of technology and tactics, with neither side able to break the d.......................k.

Multiple Choice

Unlike earlier wars, in which the soldiers moved around constantly to gain an advantage, both sides on the Western Front were forced to dig trenches for protection, bringing the armies to a ...............................

• end

• collaboration

• battle

• stalemate

Machine guns, which had first been used during the American Civil War, were improved for use in World War I. Many were capable of firing up to 600 rounds of ammunition (bullets) per minute in short bursts.

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​Guns and artillery

Drag and Drop

Although these new machine guns often overheated and were heavy and difficult to move through the ......................., they were devastating when used against oncoming troops.​

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

mud

snow

dirt

Fill in the Blank

Heavy artillery guns were also used widely in World War I for the first time. Like canons, these guns could fire large shells over a long distance, usually ............................... them in an arc to land on the target from above.

Dropdown

Like machine guns, heavy artillery guns were heavy and ........................ to move. They were usually mounted on wheels that often became bogged down in the mud or got stuck in bomb craters.

Select answer

In April 1915, Germany introduced poison gas as a weapon of war.
- Chlorine
- Mustard and,
- Tear gas

​Gas

Fill in the Blank

Chlorine, which was blown over the enemy trenches, burned and destroyed the respiratory tracts (airways) of anyone without a gas ...................., causing terrible pain and death.

Multiple Choice

Other gases were introduced throughout the war, including ................................. and . gas.

• Hydrogen and cinnamon gas
• Chlorine and nitrogen gas
• Mustard and tear gas
• Sulfur and pepper gas

The British army introduced the first tanks into the war in September 1916 at the Battle of the Somme in France. While they were successful at overcoming barbed-wire obstacles and trenches, the mechanical unreliability of these early tanks meant they were not always so useful.

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​Tanks

Fill in the Blank

The first tanks were designed and built quickly, so they frequently broke down or became stuck in muddy .........................

Open Ended

The crews inside the tanks had to endure unbearably hot and noisy conditions, almost constantly choking on the fumes inside the cab.

True or False?

Large-scale aerial warfare was conducted for the first time during World War I. At first, small planes were used to scout for enemy positions.

Aircraft

Fill in the Blank

Later, planes armed with machine guns were used in aerial combats, known as ......................

Multiple Select

Huge airships called ...................... (named after their inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin) were used by the Germans in the first air raid over England in January 1915.

• Blimps
• Dirigibles
• Zeppelins
• Aerostats

Open Ended

Made of a cylindrical metal frame covered with fabric and filled with gasbags full of hydrogen, zeppelins were able to fly higher than conventional aircraft and drift almost silently over their targets.

True or False?

In 1914, the sea was vital for transportation, trade and communications. Protecting the sea lanes in your own waters – or striking at those of the enemy – was an essential part of the war effort.

​The Sea

Fill in the Blank

Submarines were widely used during World War I. Initially they were used by the Germans to attack and sink trade ships carrying imported food and vital goods between allied countries. German submarines were commonly referred to as U-..................., short for Unterseeboote (undersea boats).

Multiple Choice

U-boats were able to disrupt the ..................................... of goods and people by sea and struck fear into those travelling by sea.

• transportation
• security
• navigation
• communication

Advances in communication technologies during World War I allowed faster contact between commanding officers behind the scenes and soldiers fighting on the front line.

Communication

Open Ended

The development of telephone and wireless (radio) systems allowed instant reports from the battlefield to be passed to command centres.

True or False?

Fill in the Blank

Tactical decisions could be made much more quickly. On the downside, telephone lines had to be laid in each new location where fighting took place and were easily damaged by ......................................

Word Cloud

Brain Wrap:

Write one word for warfare.