What was the impact of machine guns on trench warfare?

The machine gun came to represent the use of technology applied to weaponry. The power it gave to a single man made the offensive doctrine of the European powers obsolete, forcing the armies on the Western Front into trenches. All of the combatants were left with the option to dig in or be annihilated.

How did the machine gun impact ww1?

Machine guns inflicted appalling casualties on both war fronts in World War One. Men who went over-the-top in trenches stood little chance when the enemy opened up with their machine guns. Machine guns were one of the main killers in the war and accounted for many thousands of deaths.

Which weapon had the greatest impact in ww1?

Artillery. Artillery was the most destructive weapon on the Western Front. Guns could rain down high explosive shells, shrapnel and poison gas on the enemy and heavy fire could destroy troop concentrations, wire, and fortified positions. Artillery was often the key to successful operations.

How did the invention of the machine gun change the nature of modern warfare?

The majority of the casualties in the war were inflicted using artillery. Machine gun – The machine gun was improved during the war. It was made much lighter and easier to move around. Flame throwers – Flame throwers were used by the German Army on the western front in order to force the enemy out of their trenches.

Why was WWI all about tactics against machine guns?

The machine-guns in use at the start of the war were too heavy and cumbersome to be carried and fired by advancing troops. It was not just the guns themselves. To function they needed tripods for stability, water for cooling, barrels to replace those worn out by heavy fire, and massive quantities of ammunition.

What weapons did the German army use in ww1?

Infantry weapons

• Bayard M1908 (semi-automatic pistol)
• Beholla M1915 (pistol)
• Bergmann–Bayard M1910 (semi-automatic pistol)
• Bergmann MP 18-I (submachine gun)
• Dreyse M1907 (semi-automatic pistol)
• Flachmine 17 (anti-tank mine)
• Frommer M1912 Stop (pistol)

What machine gun did Germany use in ww1?

The Maschinengewehr 08, or MG 08, was the German Army’s standard machine gun in World War I and is an adaptation of Hiram S. Maxim’s original 1884 Maxim gun.

How did the arrival of American troops affect German attitudes about war?

How did the arrival of american troops in Europe affect the course of the war? The arrival of American troops had an effect in favor of the Allies because the American troops removed German forces from Allied territory which helped the Allies win the war by making Germany weak.

How did the US troops make a difference in the final battles of the war?

U.S. troops made a difference in the final battles of the war because they sided with France which helped defeat the Central Powers because we had more troops and weapons.

How many machine guns did Germany have in WW1?

It was not until 1887 that the machine gun made its way to the German Army and with its mass capacity and devastating blow, it wasn’t any wonder that the Germans wanted to produce the gun in their own right as quickly and effectively as possible at a Spandau arsenal. There were a meager 12,000 guns by the time the war broke out in 1914.

How did machine gunnery change WW1?

No longer a weapon fired by just anybody, the machine gunnery moved forward as an expertise and by this time were handled by specialists corps. These specialty corps would develop new firing methods that would change the way we see war and how battles are fought from the inside out.

How good was the German MG-42 machine gun?

In spite of its tendency to overheat, the MG-42 was an excellent weapon that was light-years of ahead of the US counterpart, the Browning M-1919A4 machine gun. Germany produced roughly 400,000 MG-42s during the war, some of which are still in active service.

How did soldiers use artillery in WW1?

They began to use machine guns like miniature artillery pieces, firing them indirectly at unseen targets with the aid of maps, clinometers, and mathematical calculation. They also developed procedures for safely firing over the heads of friendly troops on level ground.