Weapons of the First World War

As is known, the First World War was one of the most large-scale and bloody in the whole history. The weapons of the First World War were very diverse. Almost all existing types of weapons were used in combat operations, including new ones.

Aviation

The aviation was widely used - first it was used for reconnaissance, and then used to bomb the army at the front and rear, as well as to attack peaceful villages and cities. For raids 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 (ie tanks) at the front. By the end of the war, they had already caused great damage to the German army. The army from France had in service a tank called "Renault FT-17", which was used to support the infantry. Armored cars (armored cars equipped with machine guns or cannons) were also used in those years. During the First World War, as is well known, almost all powers had machine guns as an artillery means for conducting combat operations (close combat). The Russian army had at its disposal 2 models of such machine guns (modifications of the system of Maximov, the American designer) and the Vickers machine guns. During the war years, the number of hand-held machine guns (one more common weapon of the First World War) has increased significantly.

Chemical weapon

Back in January 1915 on the Russian front for the first time chemical weapons were used. In the pursuit of success, the participants in the fighting did not stop before the violation of customs and laws - so unprincipled was the First World War. Chemical weapons were used on the Western Front in April 1915 by the German command (poison gas) - a new means of mass extermination. From the cylinders was released gas chlorine. Heavy greenish-yellow clouds, which were directed along the very ground, rushed towards the Anglo-French troops. Those who were in the radius of infection began to suffocate. As a countermeasure in Russia, there were rapidly created about 200 chemical plants. The weapons of the First World War required modernization. To ensure the success of operations, artillery was used - simultaneously with the release of gases, artillery fire was opened. Photo of the weapons of the First World War can be seen in our article.

Soon after both sides began using poison gas at the front, the famous Russian academician and chemist ND Dzhepko. Zelinsky invented a coal gas mask that saved the lives of many thousands of people.

Navy Weapons

War, except for land, was also conducted on the seas. In March 1915, the whole world learned the terrible news: a submarine from Germany sank a huge passenger ship "Lusitania". More than a thousand peaceful passengers died. And in 1917, the so-called unlimited submarine war of the German submarines began. The Germans openly declared their intention to sink not only the court of opponents, but also neutral countries with the aim of depriving England of access to allies and colonies, leaving it without bread and industrial raw materials. German submarines flooded many hundreds of passenger and merchant ships of England and neutral countries.

Automobile transport

It should be noted that at that time the Russian army was poorly provided with road transport. In all, there were 679 cars at the beginning of military operations. By 1916, the army already had 5.3 thousand cars, and this year it was issued another 6.8 thousand, because it was demanded by the First World War. Weapons and troops needed transportation. These figures are quite impressive, however, for example, the French army, which was twice as large, had 90,000 motor vehicles by the end of the war.

Hand-held small arms of the First World War

• Officer's pistol "Parabellum", 1908. The capacity of the store "Parabellum" by standard was 8 rounds. For the needs of the fleet, it was extended to 200 mm, and in the naval version of the weapon there was a fixed sight. "Parabellum" was the main staff officer's model. All Kaiser officers were armed with this weapon.
• "Mauser" - a pistol of horse rangers. The store capacity was 10 rounds, and weight - 1.2 kg. The maximum range of the shot was 2000 m.
• The officer's pistol "Mauser" (application - First World War). The weapon was a small pocket type. Advantages - a good accuracy of shooting.
• Pistol soldier "Draize" (1912). The length of the barrel is 126 mm, weight is 1050 g without cartridges, the drum capacity is 8, the caliber is 9 mm. This weapon was quite heavy and complex, but powerful enough to provide the soldiers with the necessary self-defense in a melee trench battle.
• Self - loading rifle Mondragon (1908). The caliber of this weapon - 7 mm, weight - 4.1 kg, the capacity of the magazine was 10 rounds, and the target range - 2000 m. This was the first self-loading rifle in history used in battles. Ironically, weapons were 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 store capacity was 32 cartridges, caliber 9 mm, weight without cartridges - 4.18 kg, with cartridges - 5.3 kg, fire only automatic. This weapon was designed to enhance the firepower of infantry, to wage war in the new conditions. It gave delays in shooting and was sensitive to pollution, but showed great combat efficiency and fire density.