Technological developments during World War One

Technology and Warfare

World War I demonstrated a lucid transformation in how wars were fought. One of the most obvious technological developments of this time manifested via the weaponry used. Tanks and machine guns had a tremendous impact on the way that soldiers engaged in warfare and influenced what it meant to be a soldier. Mass production and the development of flying machines also had a grave impact on modern warfare and the speed at which weapons and vehicles could be made and replaced.
So much of World War I is connected to trench warfare: armies on all sides created trenches on the perimeter of the western front, starting from the body of water that divides southern England and northern France to Switzerland. These trenches were enforced with barbed wire and stations for machine guns. Trench warfare was directly responsible for how long the war went on, because it easily created a stalemate: with both sides keeping their soldiers bunkered down within trenches that were heavily armed. Leaving the trench to confront the enemy meant almost certain death as machine guns could rain bullets down any assailant. This created a war that seemed to go on forever, as soldiers had to deal with the monotony, filth, lack of hygiene and imminent danger of trench life.[footnoteRef:1] This means that the monotony that shaped trench warfare for the average soldier was marked with much suffering and had a deeply macabre aspect to it: [1: Robert Tignor et al., Worlds Together Worlds Apart, (New York, Norton, 2014) 707. ]

“The typical trench dugout resembles catacombs more than anything else. A long gallery is cut in the ground with pick and shovel. Its dimensions are about those of the cages, which Louis XI devised for those of his prisoners whom he wished especially to torture, that is, the height is not great enough to permit a man to stand up and the breadth does not allow him to stretch out. Down the length of one curving wall the soldiers sit huddled, pressed close, elbow to elbow. They are smoking, eating morsels of dry bread or staring blankly at the wall in front of them. Their legs are wrapped in blankets, their heads in mufflers. Slung or piled about them, filling every inch of extra space, are rifles, sacks, cartridge belts and other equipment. A villainous draught sweeps by. Tobacco smoke and steaming breath show how swiftly it drives through. The floors are covered with straw, in which vermin breed.”[footnoteRef:2] [2: Alan Seeger, Letter and Diary of Alan Seeger (New York, Scribner, 1917)]

This passage clearly demonstrates that the technological development of the machine gun caused life at war for the average soldier to be riddled with much suffering and profound discomfort. At the same time, the machine gun that enabled this extreme monotony also enabled an immense number of wartime casualties. “Machineguns were modified during the war to be more mobile and to use the same ammo as the infantry rifles. Most of these weapons fired approximately 500 rounds/minute, of about .30 caliber, with effective ranges out to 2,000 meters… The effect of these new weapons was devastating to the uninitiated and resulted in enormous numbers of casualties. The range and volume of fire created by machineguns in the defense increased the killing ground that an attacker needed to cover before reaching the defending enemy.”[footnoteRef:3] This means that machine guns quickly transformed from a weapon of defense, to one that centered on offensive assaults. Hence the technological development of a light machinegun meant that in the later stages of war infantry units could reorganize to use this massive firepower when attacking. [3: Major Daniel T. Lathrop, The Advancement Of Weapons Technology Prior To World War One, (Pickle Partners Publishing 2014), 30.]

Another technological aspect of war that was connected to trench life was the development of poisoned gas. Despite the fact that poisoned gas didn’t cause many casualties, it can be viewed as a successful method of psychological weaponry. Soldiers knew that poisoned gas could be unleashed at any time, and it was something that was constantly guarded against. The fear of poisoned gas was immense, even though it was an ineffective weapon for killing large numbers of men. Tanks debuted in World War I during the Somme offensive in 1916. Tanks were important in that they were able to infuse the Western front with movement, breaking the stalemate and offering a potential for effective weaponry. Tanks weren’t perfect and could kill their occupants, but the technology inherent within them offered much potential for the future.

Of course not all technological developments that impacted the shape of the war were related to weaponry. The invention of the telegram, while used for decades in America, was directly responsible for America declaring war on Germany, when an illicit telegram was discovered that showed that German officials were attempting to rally Mexican support to regain territories lost to U.S. in 1848.[footnoteRef:4] Furthermore, the development of aircraft, originally for recreational use and travel, meant that warfare could be fought in the skies as well. Moreover, the mass production and assembly line that was becoming a major part of industry meant that weapons, cars, aircraft and all other tools needed for battle could be mass-produced. For example, Henry Ford helped to standardize the manufacturing process so that automobiles could be made with a speed and effectiveness never before experienced: for the war this meant that vehicles and aircraft could be used, consumed, replaced and repaired as needed.[footnoteRef:5] [4: Robert Tignor et al., Worlds Together Worlds Apart, (New York, Norton, 2014) 707.] [5: Ibid.]

In conclusion, technology in American and around the world continued to make great strides. The strides made by technology meant that how wars were fought drastically altered, as did the life of the soldier and what it meant to exist within the battlefield. The machine gun increased deaths of the war, but also elongated the war, by enabling trench warfare. Developments in technology meant that weapons became more powerful and more deadly and could be manufactured at intense speed, meeting the demands of modern warfare.







































Bibliography

Lathrop, Daniel T. The Advancement in Weapons Technology Prior to World War One Influence the Rapid Evolution of German Infantry Tactics from 1914 to 1918. 2014. 

Seeger, Alan. Last modified May 2017. http://www.gwpda.org/memoir/Seeger/Alan1.htm#III.

Tignor, Robert L. Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, 4th ed. New York: Norton, 2014.