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Welcome Back to the Documentary on New War Technology: Im Ron Sanchez and Im here with WWI experts, Nicole Servage, Jared Slaybaugh, and Kevin Putnam. So Jared, what do you have to say about Technology? Jared: Weapons during World War One did not just consist of rifles, machine guns and different gases. The new technology also included the introduction of new air weapons and ground based vehicles. RON: Nicole what do you have to say about Technology? Nicole: The Zeppelin, or blimp as it is also known, is an airship and it was used during the early part of the war in bombing raids by the Germans. These airships weighed 12 tonnes and contained over 40,000 cubic feet of hydrogen. They were propelled along by 2 Daimler engines, which enabled the craft to travel at speeds of up to 136mph and heights of 4250 metres! They usually carried machine guns and around 4,400lb of bombs! Ron: Zeppelins carried out many raids and were eventually abandoned as they were easy targets for artillery. The zeppelins were filled with gas and when a bullet pierced the outer covering the gas would ignite and the zeppelin would blow up in a big explosion. Kevin: Tanks also started to be used in warfare in this war, since armoured cars could not cope with the terrain. The first tank was nicknamed Little Willie; it had a Daimler engine, a caterpillar track and needed a crew of three. Its maximum speed was 3mph and it was unable to cross across trenches. Not a success for the allies. Jared: The more modern tank was not completed until several weeks before the end of the war. It was called the Fiat Tipo! It could fit a maximum of 10 men and had the first revolving turret and could actually reach speeds of 4mph! The first tanks were used during the Battle of the Somme but the mud made them very hard to manoeuvre. Ron: The First World War also had another first. Planes started to be used for the first time to deliver bombs. Planes now became fighter aircraft armed with machine guns, bombs and even cannons. They were even used for reconnaissance work. Pilots were even known to fight enemy aircraft in the air, in dogfights to protect the men on the ground. Kevin: Horses were still being used during WWI. Horses were still being used in great numbers during World War I. High ranked army officers commonly rode horses during World War I. Horses and mules were also used to carry heavy equipment to and from the front during the war. Unfortunately, many of these horses and mules died before they got to the front because of the harsh journey overseas. Horses and mules also died in WWI because of their inability to free themselves from the thick mud. Many others were wounded and killed during battle. There was a tremendous shortage of horses in Canada during the latter stages of WWI.
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