3. The Aircraft
Newly integrated into the war, most aircraft were some of the most useful weapons of all.
In the beginning, most only had a few unarmed, wood-and-canvas aircraft, to be made available as aerial scouts. By November 1914, though, air warfare certainly took a leap forward, introducing interrupter gear which would give a machine gun mounted on a plane the ability to fire without wrecking the propeller.
After that, pilots started tossing grenades on enemy troops as they flew by, or they would just carry pistols to take random shots at other aircraft. Pilots like German Manfred von Richthofen (Red Baron) and Max Immelmann were superbly handy with their skills in the Fokker Eindecker aircraft. They ended up becoming the leading threats in an era of dog fights and fighter aces.
The German fighters thought they had the upper hand to their British counterparts during the Battle of Somme. But the death of the Red Baron, who was shot down in April of the next year, proved otherwise. After all, Britain introduced better fighters, like the SE5 and Sopwith Camel in 1917.
2. Tanks
Quite possibly the most innovative and destructive force to enter WWI, tanks were an immediate hit. Otherwise called “land battleships,” these tanks first rolled into action during the Battle of Somme in 1916, developed under the order of Winston Churchill.
The tank was designed to make new attempts at ending the trench warfare stalemate. Their heavy-duty armour was indestructible when it came to simple machine gun fire, and the conveyor belt-like tracks on the vehicles would be able to cross right over trenches and even barbed wire. However, tanks weren’t without their faults. They were generally pretty slow and had mechanical issues like any other machine. But as the war was nearing its end in 1918, they started rolling out more reliable, enhanced vehicles in higher numbers.
1. U-Boats
Germans were highly in favor of relying on their U-boats to vie for naval supremacy. In 1914, they had 33 U-boats (which were essentially submarines) in operation. Their main goal was preventing Britain from receiving shipments, hoping to stall their maritime trade and lead to the island’s starvation.
However, Kaiser Wilhelm was serious about restricting this method of warfare, as he was worried the US may intervene and sink them. Despite this, the restrictions were lifted in 1916 and German U-Boats were responsible for sinking around 320,000 tons of Allied ships by the start of 1917.
And just as Wilhelm predicted, mounting US casualties on ships significantly contributed to America declaring war on Germany in 1917.