Which new weapons were used in the war?

Watch: New wartime inventions

New weapons and machines changed the way war was fought forever.

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Watch our video to find out more about the weapons and technology used in the war.

Tanks, submarines and planes

The war was fought on land, sea and in the air.

New machines were being developed all the time to overcome the difficult conditions of battle.

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Tanks were created for travel across battlefields
They prevented soldiers from being caught by barbed wire or gunfire. Cars were unsuitable because they could not get across the muddy ground.
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The first-ever tank design was called 'Little Willie'
It weighed 18 tons and held a crew of two plus four gunners. It was the first completed tank in history but it never went out to war.
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Design continued and a better tank was sent to the front line
The British Mark I tank was used in September 1916. It held ten men and reached speeds of almost four miles per hour.
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Warships were ships with guns for fighting sea battles
Battleships were the largest warships and had very big guns. A Destroyer was a small, fast warship which fired guns and torpedoes.
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Submarines were smaller but could destroy powerful warships
They sailed to places ordinary ships could not get to and stopped enemy ships from getting too close to Britain. The British Royal Navy had the world's largest submarine service when war broke out.
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Bigger aircraft carried bombs to drop on troops
This was originally done by either the pilot or co-pilot dropping a bomb over the side of the plane.
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German Zeppelin airships weighed 12 tonnes
Zeppelins carried around 2000 kilograms of bombs and carried out raids on England. However they were slow and eventually the British realised they could be shot and set on fire.
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The Gotha bomber caused more damage than the Zeppelins
The Gotha had a 24 metre wingspan, the length of two buses. It could fly for 500 miles and carried 500 kilograms of bombs to drop on Britain.
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The Giant bomber was even more powerful
It had a 42 metre wingspan, almost as wide as a football pitch. It could carry 2000 kilograms of bombs, four times as many as the Gotha. Not one Giant bomber was shot down during the war.

What new technology was made?

It wasn’t only weapons and machinery which saw major developments.

New methods of photography, sound recording and ways to communicate changed the war too.

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Until 1916 taking photographs on the front line was banned
This was in case it helped the enemy to find out secrets. After 1916 official photographers took pictures and films for the army. Some new cameras were small enough for personal use.
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Cameras attached to planes were used to take pictures
Photographs allowed the army to spy on the Germans and make maps of the trenches and front line. With these maps they planned where and how to attack.
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New microphones were used to identify enemies and dangers
The hot-wire microphone helped troops to work out where shells had been fired from. The hydrophone was used to hear sounds under water and locate U-boats (submarines).
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Telephones picked up and sent Morse code between trenches
This allowed important messages to be delivered so soldiers across the front knew the plans for defence and attack. Wireless radio was also used, mainly at sea and by aircraft.

How did technology change the world?

World War One was a time of fast change. Creative minds and great engineers worked together to develop new technology.

Some of these inventions became essential to life in the 20th Century.

Personal cameras, telephones and radios are used by people even today.

Sadly a lot of the new technology was focused only towards making more powerful, deadlier weapons to fight the war.

Mark I tank at the British Museum on 16 October 1919 — Image caption,
Mark I tank at the British Museum, 16 October 1919.

Activities

Activity 1: Explore these new inventions

The war was fought using a wide range of weapons, from personal guns like pistols and rifles, to larger weapons like machine guns.

Explore our interactive sketch book. Click on different weapons and items to find out more about them.

Activity 2: Explore message sending devices

Signallers used various tools to transmit messages.

Click on the labels in the picture below to find out more.

A special electric Lucas lamp was also used to send messages via Morse code.

But this was a problem. Anyone could see the light so the enemy could work out the message if they managed to crack the code.

Activity 3: Quiz – New weapons in World War One

Activity 4: History Explorer game

Play this game to test your knowledge and learn even more facts about World War One.