NAME:______________________________ DATE:_____________ PERIOD:______

The Weapons of World War I

Identify and investigate: machine guns, trench mortars, grenades, flamethrowers, poison gas, tanks,
planes

WORLD WAR I: A UNIQUE WAR

World War I was unique in that it was a combination of new 20th Century technology and old 19th
Century tactics.
It was the last of the old and the first of the new as far as the type of war it was.
There were soldiers riding horses with swords, as well as tanks, planes, poison gas, flamethrowers,
and machine guns.
Inevitably, this clash of old school tactics and new weaponry led to massive casualties.

WHAT LED TO THESE NEW INNOVATIONS IN WEAPONRY?

1. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION:
New technologies came about, and nations now had the resources and ability to produce large
numbers of weapons.
2. FRUSTRATION OF TRENCH WARFARE:
The Central Powers and the Allied Powers were locked in a stalemate that dragged on for a long
time; this forced both sides to come up with new ways to gain advantages and to kill the enemy.
www.firstworldwar.com
GROUP 1: MACHINE GUNS
(click on Weaponry, then Machine Guns on the list)
How many operators did a machine gun require in WWI? ______ to
_______ operators. (scroll down to Machine Gun in 1914 to answer
all questions)

How many rounds could a machine gun fire per minute? _______ to
_______ rounds.

In battle, one machine gun was the equivalent to how many rifles? ___________________________
_____________________________________________________________
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What would happen often that made machine guns inoperative?
_____________________________________________________________
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Mark Thomas | 18608112 Comet Bay College HASS Year 9

GROUP 2: TRENCH MORTARS
(click on Weaponry, then Trench Mortars on the list)

Was the trench mortar a brand new weapon or an old weapon that
was found to be useful in WWI?

________________________________________________________________

Describe how the trench mortar works: (scroll to The Mortar: A Definition)
_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________
What were the 3 main advantages of the mortar? (scroll to Its Advantages Over Artillery)
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GROUP 3: GRENADES
(click on Weaponry, then Grenades on the list)
The grenade was not a new weapon in WWI, but one that was developed a great deal at the time.
What century was the grenade first used? _______________________________

Grenades could be thrown or launched from a rifle. What were the two ways that grenades could
detonate (explode)? (scroll down to Two Forms of Detonation)
_____________________________ or ______________________________

What was the greatest grenade battle in WWI and how long did it last? (scroll down to Greatest
Grenade Battle of the War)
_____________________________________________________________
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Mark Thomas | 18608112 Comet Bay College HASS Year 9

GROUP 4: FLAMETHROWERS
(click on Weaponry, then Flamethrowers on the list)

The flamethrower was a weapon first used by the Germans in

WWI that terrorized their enemies. In what century were the
earliest flamethrowers? ________________________

What is the basic idea of a flamethrower?

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

The operators of flamethrowers led dangerous lives that were often cut short. Why is this? Give three
reasons. (look near one of the pictures)
_____________________________________________________________
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GROUP 5: POISON GAS

(click on Weaponry, then Poison Gas on the list)

Before WWI, the use of poison gas attack was considered uncivilized. What was the main reason
for the use of poison gas in WWI?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
________________________________________
What battle saw the first use of poison gas by the Germans? When they saw the yellow-green cloud
drifting towards them, what did the French think it was? (scroll down to Introduction of Poison Gas)
_____________________________________________________________
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Chlorine gas, mustard gas, and phosgene were the three main types of poison gas used. What act of
nature made the use of poison gas just as deadly to the one delivering it as to the one it was being
used against? (scroll to British Setback at Loos) ________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
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Mark Thomas | 18608112 Comet Bay College HASS Year 9

GROUP 6: TANKS
(click on Weaponry, then Tanks on the list)
The original design of the tank can be traced back to which century?
________________

In 1899, Frederick Simms designed what he called the motor war

car. What were its three main attributes (features)? (Scroll down to
Evolution of the Tank)
_____________________________________________________________
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________________________________________
What were the attributes that Colonel Swinton insisted that the tank MUST have to be effective?
(scroll down to The Birth of the Landship - or Tank)
_____________________________________________________________
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GROUP 7: PLANES
(click on War In The Air)

Aircraft at first were deemed of little use in combat. What were they
first used for? (click on Introduction)
__________________________________________________________

Fighter planes were mainly used in a defensive role in the Great War. Bombers carried out the
offense. What were the aims of strategic bombing? (click on Bombers)
_____________________________________________________________
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An ace is a pilot credited with more than five shoot-downs. Who was the top fighter pilot ace in
WWI? What was his nickname? How many shoot-downs was he credited with? (click on the Top Air
Aces)
_____________________________________________________________
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Mark Thomas | 18608112 Comet Bay College HASS Year 9