Weapons and modes of communication at the outbreak of World War I were primitive. A hundred years of peace in Europe did not foster the development of high-tech armaments. But as the Great War progressed, newer and better weapons appeared and heralded a new era of ordnance development. Rifles:
Rifles were the most common infantry weapons used in World War I. The bolt-action rifle was a favorite of Allied troops. A bolt-action rifle had a range of about 1,400 meters (0.87 miles) and could fire fifteen rounds a minute.
| Weapon | Country | Models/Types |
|---|---|---|
| Riffle | Germany | Steyr-Mannlicher M1895 |
| Gewehr 71 Mauser | ||
| Gewehr 88 Mauser | ||
| Gewehr 98 Mauser | ||
| Austria- Hungary | Steyr-Mannlicher M1880 | |
| Steyr-Mannlicher M1880/1890 | ||
| Steyr-Mannlicher M1895 | ||
| Gewehr 88 Mauser | ||
| Turkey | Gewehr 88 Mauser | |
| Mauser Model 1887 | ||
| Mauser Model 1889 | ||
| Mauser Model 1890 | ||
| Mauser Model 1893 | ||
| Mauser Model 1903 | ||
| Bulgaria | Steyr-Mannlicher M1888 | |
| Steyr-Mannlicher M1890 | ||
| Steyr-Mannlicher M1895 | ||
| Britain | Lee-Enfield | |
| Lee-Metford | ||
| Pattern 1914 Enfield | ||
| Winchester Model 1894 | ||
| Winchester Model 1895 | ||
| Winchester Model 1907 | ||
| Mauser-Vergueiro | ||
| France | Lebel Model 1886 | |
| Berthier M1907-15 and M1916 | ||
| Fusil Automatique Modele 1917 | ||
| Winchester Model 1907 | ||
| Winchester Model 1910 | ||
| Fusil Gras mle 1874 | ||
| Italy | M1870 Italian Vetterli | |
| Winchester Model 1895 | ||
| Winchester Model 1907 | ||
| Winchester Model 1910 | ||
| USA | M1903 Springfield | |
| M1892-99 Springfield | ||
| M1917 Enfield | ||
| M1918 Browning Automatic | ||
| Winchester Model 1907 | ||
| Winchester Model 1895 | ||
| Remington Model 8 | ||
| Belgium | Mauser Model 89 | |
| Serbia | Steyr-Mannlicher M1895 |
Poison Gas:
The stalemate of the Western Front and the need to end the prolonged trench warfare led to the introduction of poison gas in World War I. The Germans, though infamous for use of deadly gasses, did not introduce it. The French used tear gas grenades in 1914. The Germans quickly introduced the use of chlorine and mustard gas as weapons.
| Weapon | Types |
|---|---|
| Poison Gas | Chlorine |
| Mustard | |
| Phosgene | |
| Tear Gas | |
| Chloroacetone | |
| Bromine |
Although poison gas accounts for about 4 percent of the causalities in World War I, the agonies of soldiers maimed by gassing have inspired the most heart-wrenching accounts.
| Nation | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Germany | 9,000 |
| Austria-Hungary | 3,000 |
| Russia | 56,000 |
| France | 8,000 |
| British Empire | 8,109 |
| USA | 1,462 |
| Italy | 4,627 |
Grenades:
A significant number of grenades were used in the trenches of World War I. The British troops used the Mark I grenades quite extensively. By 1915, the British troops preferred the grenade known as “No. 15.” About half a million of these were used in World War I.
The Mills Bomb was, perhaps, the most popular grenade used. Introduced in 1915, it was subsequently improved upon in 1917.
By 1914, German troops put over 70,000 hand grenades to use. The Germans developed their own grenades:
Diskushandgranate, Stielhandgranate, Eierhandgranate, and Kugelhandgranate.
The Battle of Pozieres Heights in July 1916 was the largest grenade battle of World War I.
Machine Guns:
Machine guns accounted for most of the deaths in the Western Front. While the British troops preferred the standard Vickers gun, a number of other models were designed and developed in the course of World War I.
| Weapon | Country | Models/Types |
|---|---|---|
| Machine Guns | Germany | Maschinengewehr 08 |
| Madsen Gun | ||
| Parabellum MG14 | ||
| Parabellum MG17 | ||
| Bergmann MG15 | ||
| Austria- Hungary | Madsen Gun | |
| Salvator-Dormus M1893 | ||
| Skoda M1909 | ||
| Schwazlose MG M.07/12 | ||
| Turkey | Maschinengewehr 08 | |
| Maxim Gun | ||
| Bergmann MG15 | ||
| Bulgaria | Maschinengewehr 08 | |
| Maxim Gun | ||
| Britain | Vickers Gun | |
| Maxim Gun | ||
| Lewis Gun | ||
| M1895 Colt-Browning | ||
| M1917 Browning | ||
| Hotchkiss Mark I | ||
| France | Hotchkiss M1909 | |
| Hotchkiss M1914 | ||
| St. Étienne Mle 1907 | ||
| Italy | Vickers Gun | |
| M1895 Colt-Browning | ||
| Hotchkiss M1914 | ||
| St. Étienne Mle 1907 | ||
| Lewis Gun | ||
| Fiat-Revelli Modello 14 | ||
| Perino Model 1908 | ||
| Russia | Madsen Gun | |
| Lewis Gun | ||
| M1910 Maxim Gun | ||
| M1895 Colt-Browning | ||
| USA | Lewis Gun | |
| M1917 Browning | ||
| Hotchkiss M1909 | ||
| Hotchkiss M1914 | ||
| M1895 Colt-Browning | ||
| Belgium | Lewis Gun | |
| Hotchkiss M1914 | ||
| Hotchkiss M1909 | ||
| M1895 Colt-Browning | ||
| Serbia | Maxim Gun | |
| Schwazlose MG M.07/12 |
Flame Throwers:
Flamethrowers were introduced in World War I. Two models of the Flammenwerfer were used by German troops: the Kleinflammenwerfer and the Grossflammenwerfer (meaning small and large flamethrower, respectively). In the battle of Hooge more than thirty-one British officers and 751 other soldiers lost their lives.
The French Schilt was a modified version of the German Flammenwerfer. The Germans then developed the Wex. Flamethrowers were limited in their range and hence not considered very useful. Flamethrowers were ultimately abandoned due to the costs. The Germans are known to have used about 650 flamethrowers in World War I
Tanks:
The trench warfare of the Western Front was broken and some amount of mobility restored only with the introduction of tanks. While the Allies concentrated on the development of tanks, the Germans concentrated on creating better antitank weapons.
| Tanks | Country | Year of Introduction | Range (miles) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark I | Britain | 1916 | 22 |
| Mark IV | 1917 | 34 | |
| Mark V | 1917 | 44 | |
| Medium Mark A | 1917 | 39 | |
| Schneider CA1 | France | 1917 | 46 |
| Char St. Chamond | 1916 | 34 | |
| Renault FT M17 Mitrailleur | 1917 | 21 | |
| Renault FT M17 Canon | 1918 | 21 | |
| A7V | Germany | 1917 | 21 |
Over 8,530,000 soldiers were killed in World War I. Despite the destruction, the war itself spurred research and development of weapons and ordnances to new heights.
Battle of Fler- Courcelette – 1916