Technology of WWI
By:
Dalila Heto, Jocelyn Salinas, Isaiah Walker
New technology made trench warfare deadly, WWI was
the first modern war with the introduction of machine
guns, tanks, poison gas, airplanes, submarines, and trench
warfare. These new inventions led to countless casualties
on both sides.
Trench Warfare
● Deep holes in the ground were used as a common
defense.
● Conditions were bad, with rats and bugs everywhere.
● Disease like trench foot were common in Trenches and
The Flu Epidemic of 1918 caused one-third of the
troops death.
● Going “over the top” was when soldiers would climb
over the trenches and head into no man’s land to be
slaughtered by enemy machine guns.
Machine Guns and Tanks
● Could fire up to 500 to 800 bullets per minute.
● An advantage was that machine guns provided a great
defense against enemies advancing.
● Since 90% soldiers were killed by machine guns,
neither sides would advance causing stalemate.
● Tanks were armored vehicles used to break the
German trench lines. It was one of the weapons that
defeated Germany.
● However, these tanks only went 3 mph.
Zeppelins and Airplanes
● Zeppelins were used by the Germans to bomb the
trenches in France and English cities.
● Zeppelins became outdated. The British developed
planes that could fly higher than the Zeppelins and
would shoot them down.
● Airplanes were used to fly behind enemy lines and
attack.
● Later on in the war, both sides used planes so they did
nothing in trying to break stalemates.
Submarines
● Submarines were first used by German forces. They
were called u-boats.
● Submarines attacked British supply ships, which caused
a shortage in supplies for British soldiers.
Poison Gas
● Shells filled with tear gas, chlorine, mustard gas were
dropped on enemy trenches causing blindness, skin
blisters, and death from choking.
● Disabled enemy trenches, long enough for army to
advance.
● Inaccurate, wind could blow gas back on YOU.
● Gas masks provided protection leaving poison gas
ineffective.
German U-boat
Zeppelins and airplanes
Machine gun & tank
Poison Gas
The End