As you know, the First World War was one of the most ambitious and bloody in history. The weapons of World War I were very diverse. Almost all existing types of weapons were used in the fighting, including the creation of new ones.
Aviation
Aviation was widely used - at first it was used for reconnaissance, and then it was used to bombard the army at the front and in the rear, as well as to attack peaceful villages and cities. For attacks on the cities of England and France, in particular Paris, Germany used airships (often used weapons of the First World War, they were also called "Zeppelins" - in honor of the designer F. Zeppelin).
Heavy artillery
The British in 1916 for the first time began to use a small number of armored vehicles (i.e. tanks) at the front. At the end of the war, they already caused great damage to the German army. The army from France was armed with a tank called the Renault FT-17, which was used to support the infantry. Armored cars (armored vehicles equipped with machine guns or cannons) were also used in those years. During the First World War, as you know, almost all the powers were armed with machine guns as an artillery weapon for conducting combat operations (close combat). The Russian army at its disposal had 2 models of such machine guns (modifications of the system of H.S. Maxim, the American designer) and Vickers machine guns. Over the years of the war, the number of light machine guns used has increased significantly (another common weapon of the First World War).
Chemical weapon
Back in January 1915, chemical weapons were first used on the Russian front. In pursuit of success, the participants in the hostilities did not stop at the violation of customs and laws - the First World War was so unprincipled. Chemical weapons were used on the Western Front in April 1915 by the German command (poisonous gases) - a new means of mass extermination. Chlorine gas was released from the cylinders. The heavy greenish-yellow clouds streaming down the ground swept toward the Anglo-French forces. Those who were in the radius of infection began to choke. About 200 chemical plants were rapidly created as countermeasures in Russia. The weapons of the First World War required modernization. To ensure the success of operations, artillery was used - at the same time as the release of gases, artillery fire was opened. Photos of weapons of the First World War can be seen in our article.
Soon after both sides began using toxic gases at the front, the famous Russian academician and chemist N.D. Zelinsky invented a gas mask that saved the lives of many thousands of people.
Navy Weapons
Apart from land, war was also waged on the seas. In March 1915, the whole world learned the terrible news: a submarine from Germany sank a huge passenger ship, Lusitania. Killed more than a thousand civilians. And in 1917 the so-called unlimited submarine war of German submarines began. The Germans openly declared their intention to sink not only the ships of the opponents, but also the neutral countries with the aim of depriving England of access to the allies and colonies, thereby leaving it without bread and industrial raw materials. German submarines flooded many hundreds of passenger and merchant ships in England and neutral countries.
Automobile transport
It should be noted that the Russian army at that time was poorly provided with road transport. In total, there were 679 vehicles at the start of hostilities. By 1916, there were already 5.3 thousand cars in the army, and another 6.8 thousand were produced this year, because this was demanded by the First World War. Arms and troops needed transportation. These are pretty impressive numbers, however, for example, the French army, which was half the size, had 90 thousand vehicles by the end of the war.
World War I Handguns
- Officer pistol "Parabellum", 1908. The capacity of the Parabellum store according to the standard was 8 rounds. For the needs of the fleet it was lengthened to 200 mm, also in the marine version of the weapon there was a fixed sight. "Parabellum" was the main full-time officer model. All Kaiser officers armed themselves with these weapons.
- "Mauser" - a gun of horse rangers. The magazine had a capacity of 10 rounds and a weight of 1.2 kg. The ultimate range of the shot was 2000 m.
- Gun officer "Mauser" (application - World War I). This weapon was a small pocket type. Advantages - good accuracy of fire.
- Gun soldier "Draise" (1912). Barrel length - 126 mm, weight - 1050 g without cartridges, drum capacity - 8, caliber - 9 mm. This weapon was quite heavy and complex, but powerful enough to provide the soldiers with the necessary self-defense in the conditions of hand-to-hand trench combat.
- Mondragon self - loading rifle (1908) The caliber of this weapon is 7 mm, weight 4.1 kg, the magazine's capacity was 10 rounds, and the aiming range was 2000 m. It was the first self-loading rifle in history used in battles. Oddly enough, the weapon was developed in Mexico, and the level of technical capabilities in this country was extremely low. The main disadvantage is the extreme sensitivity to pollution.
- 9-mm submachine gun MR-18 (1918). The magazine's capacity was 32 rounds, caliber - 9 mm, weight without cartridges - 4.18 kg, with cartridges - 5.3 kg, only automatic fire. This weapon was designed to enhance the infantry firepower, to wage war in the new conditions. It caused delays in firing and was sensitive to contamination, but showed great combat effectiveness and fire density.