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Tanks
The Allies began developing these armoured ‘landships’ in 1915, but the first tanks didn’t make their way into battle until the Somme offensive the following year. -
Tactical air support
The initial plane builds were primitive, but necessity did its job, and soon both sides were racing to design mono and biplane fighters that could hold heavy bombs and machine guns while maintaining (or, at this point, having) maneuverability. -
Poison gas
First used by the Germans during the Battle of Second Ypres in 1915, gas actually proved largely ineffective as a traditional weapon; its success depended not only on the type of gas and the sophistication of its delivery method but also often on the weather conditions on the day. -
Gas Mask
Gas masks used in World War One were made as a result of poison gas attacks that took the Allies in the trenches on the Western Front by surprise. -
Machine Guns
Produced by the British with mobility in mind were the Vickers gun, a heavy-calibre machine gun that required a minimum six-man team to operate but gained a reputation for absolute reliability, and the American-invented Lewis gun, the Vickers’ lighter but less trustworthy offspring.
