Weapons of World War One
Sopwith Camel
WWI Sopwith Camel designed by Herbert Smith
Image Source: WarbirdsNews
Throughout the operation of the Sopwith Camel, a pilot would pull the trigger on the synchronised machine guns whilst in line with the enemy aircraft in order to shoot it down.
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The Sopwith Camel was highly manoeuvrable during flight; however, it was extremely hard to handle as more than ninety percent of the aircraft’s weight was situated within the two-metre section. For inexperienced pilots, the Sopwith Camel often stalled during flight and would quickly spin out of control. Although there were a few flaws with the British Sopwith Camel, it was an extremely mobile and manoeuvrable whilst in the air as well as having incredible strength. During its 17 months of service throughout World War I, the Sopwith Camel was credited with shooting down 1,294 enemy aircraft.
Chlorine Gas
Throughout World War One, chlorine gas was used to asphyxiate the opposing force whilst in the trenches. This method is also a part of trench warfare. Throughout WWI, the delivery of chlorine gas was released from thousands of pressurised cylinders. These gas attacks only took place is weather conditions were ideal for the transfer of the gas to enemy trenches, however, his method to deliver poison gases by projectiles were prohibited by 'The Hague Convention' of 1899.
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The use of chlorine gas for attacks was quite effect as the delivery process was extremely simple and produced a concentrated cloud of which was capable of overwhelming enemy forces, even those with gas mask protection as the gas produced a burning sensation in the chests and throats of the victims, as well as destroying their respiratory organs which lead to a slow death by asphyxiation.
The first German gas attack using over 6000 canisters of chlorine gas.
Image Source: Independent UK
British 8-Inch Howitzer Mark 1
Eight-Inch Howitzer Mk 1 near Carnoy, Battle of Albert, 1916.
Image Source: Wikipedia Commons
Eight-Inch Howitzer Mk 1 near Carnoy, Battle of Albert, 1916.
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A howitzer is a piece of artillery equipment characterised by a short barrel and the use of small propellant charges to launch projectiles over relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent. The 8-inch Howitzer had a working crew of fourteen men and had the ability to fire two rounds of 132-kilogram shells per minute. These projectiles had the ability to be fired across a ten-kilometre distance, therefore, making them a quite successful weapon during World War One. However, moving the weapon to new locations was a time-consuming and heavy task, requiring the gun and mounting to be broken down into three main loads. All together, these loads weighed approximately twelve tonnes.
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Establishing a position for firing was also a very tedious job as the assembly and preparation of the gun required a group of at least twenty-five men. In non-ideal conditions – such as muddy grounds - it could take two days to set the platform and a further 12 hours to deploy the gun, therefore, making the British 8-inch Howitzer Mark I a non-effective weapon throughout the First World War.
British Q Ships
During World War One, Q-Ships (also known as decoy ships) were designed to look like merchant ships in order to lure German submarines (U-Boats) to come into ranges of the concealed weaponry of these ships.
However, a major problem was discovered by the Admiralty in 1914. This problem was that Q-Ships had no way of detecting other submarines whilst underwater. Another problem encountered with the Q-Ships; when underwater, submarines were powered by batteries, which could only operate for a short time and recharging them required the submarine to be on the surface. Additionally, the speed of a submarine beneath the water was very slow. After World War I, Q-Ships were concluded to be completely overrated as they did not manage to sink enough U-Boats to justify the strategy.
HMS Tamarisk, British First World War Q-Ship
Image Source: Navy Museum New Zealand
Gewehr 98
Gewehr 98 made in 1898.
Gewehr 98 made in 1898.
Gewehr 98 made in 1898.
Image Source: Simple Booklet
The Gewehr 98 (M98) rifle was a manually operated magazine fed, control-feed action rifle. The controlled-feed bolt-action of the Gewehr 98 is a distinct feature and is regarded as one of the major bolt-action system designs.
The Gewehr 98 was extremely well-constructed and highly accurate, although, it was ill-suited to the conditions of the Western Front. Because these rifles were larger than the Lee-Enfield Rife, it was unwieldy in a trench. Along, with the difficulty of moving the Gewehr 98, it also required an extra sight for short-range firing.
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The Gewehr 98 is best left to sniping, as the slower fire rate compared to the Gewehr M. 95 leaves much to be desired in close quarters combat. However, the Gewehr 98 has the distinct advantage of having the fastest muzzle velocity meaning the bullet will reaches its target quicker. Additionally, the flat trajectory of the bullets makes sniping at long range easier than with other weapons available at the time. Therefore, throughout World War I, the Gewehr 98 was quite effective during battle, however, it did still have many flaws.
Bibliography
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History Learning Site. 2017. Sopwith Camel - History Learning Site. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/aerial-warfare-and-world-war-one/sopwith-camel/ [Accessed 24 August 2017].
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Independent.ie. 2017. A History of World War One in 10 deadly weapons - Independent.ie. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.independent.ie/life/world-war-1/a-history-of-world-war-one-in-10-deadly-weapons-30249206.html [Accessed 23 August 2017].
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The Independent. 2017. Chemical weapons: The day the first poison gas attack changed the face of warfare forever | The Independent. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/chemical-weapons-warfare-remembrance-day-poison-mustard-gas-first-world-war-ypres-isis-a7005416.html [Accessed 24 August 2017].
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Q-Ships | World War One - The War at Sea. 2017. Q-Ships | World War One - The War at Sea. [ONLINE] Available at: http://navymuseum.co.nz/worldwar1/ships/601/ [Accessed 24 August 2017].
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Spartacus Educational. 2017. Chlorine Gas. [ONLINE] Available at: http://spartacus-educational.com/FWWchlorine.htm [Accessed 26 August 2017].
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Wartime Issue 26 - The Big Guns | The Australian War Memorial. 2017. Wartime Issue 26 - The Big Guns | The Australian War Memorial. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/about/our-work/publications/wartime/26/big-guns [Accessed 29 August 2017].