"Over There"

“Over There”

                                     By Collette

The killing power of new weaponry greatly increased during WWI. Air power changed from just reconnaissance work to air battles. Although the machine gun was used in the American Civil War, modifications allowed it to fire 600 bullets per minute devastating both allied and axis troops. The tank was not as useful as it could have been because it followed the army rather than clear the way for troops to push forward. The introduction of chemical warfare made life lived in the hundreds of miles of trenches on each side of “no man’s land,” deadly.

There were five types of gases used by the warring powers. The French introduced the first: tear gas. To counteract, the Germans introduced chlorine gas identified by its eerie green color. Next, the French utilized phosgene which could not be seen. Mustard gas developed by Bayer (aspirin) in Germany was especially dangerous and was yellow in color. After the Americans entered the war, they developed Lewisite gas that was not identifiable. This weapon accounted for 1.3 million casualties including many civilians and was outlawed for future wars.

The following sites might be useful:
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trench_warfare
www.history.com/photos/world-war-i-trench-warfare
www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/gas.htm
www.thefinertimes.com/Weapons-of-War/weapons-used-in-world-war-i.html