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Rifles
The rifle was the first weapon mainly used in World War I and they were created before the war had even started in 1903. Pictured here is the American Springfield sniper rifle which included a bolt-action design. The rifle played a huge role in the war by being the starting point of weaponry overall. Without the rifle, many nations would not have had any way to fight back against their enemies at the start of the war itself. https://www.historynet.com/weapons-of-world-war-i.htm -
Machine Gun
The machine gun was the second form of weaponry established and used in the war in 1914. This weapon was able to unload 450-600 rounds of ammo per minute and was a huge advantage over enemies in the war. Users of the machine gun would hide in trenches and then be able to fire at enemies while being safely guarded from enemy fire. This was a huge step of weaponry in the war and became a huge advantage to have. https://www.historynet.com/weapons-of-world-war-i.htm -
Artillery
Just after machine guns came into play in World War I, the use of artillery was put into action. This became the 20th century's most significant advance in weaponry and killed more than any other weapon. With its long range fire, the artillery's bomb-like ammo shot out from a cannon made battles during the war extremely dangerous for the enemy. Having this form of artillery in the war was crucial to winning needed battles. https://www.historynet.com/weapons-of-world-war-i.htm -
Mortars
The introduction of mortars came about shortly after the flamethrowers and became quite an effective weapon. With the use of these mortars and being able to shoot off these bombs from them, users were able to hide out in deep trenches to stay safe from enemies. This made it extremely difficult to counter enemy attacks from mortars and was considered a very effective weapon in the war for many forces. https://www.historynet.com/weapons-of-world-war-i.htm -
Poison Gas
Poison gas was brought about and gave enemies facing it even more trouble. The Germans were the first ones to use it and would go into battle wearing masks so they weren't effected by it. The gas contained contained chlorine which would attack the eyes of the enemy and made it hard to see and breathe. This use of weaponry created massive temporary pain and hardship to enemy's facing it and was a force to be reckoned with during the war. https://www.historynet.com/weapons-of-world-war-i.htm -
Flamethrower
In 1915, the flamethrower was introduced in the war. although it didn't have much use compared to other weapons in the war, it was an extremely dangerous weapon that was dealt with. Especially in very forest-like areas with a lot of trees in close combat, using the flamethrower hurt an enemies chances of being able to fight back very good because of the breathing troubles and being lit into flames from the flamethrower. https://www.historynet.com/weapons-of-world-war-i.htm -
Tanks
Tanks were one of the final uses of weaponry brought about in the war in 1917. They weighed about 14 tons but only could travel at speeds of three miles per hour. Similar to mortars, they could shoot missile like ammo and could kill enemies in large quantities. Although they broke down a lot in the war, they were extremely unstoppable machines at the time and were a dangerous competitor towards the end of the war. https://www.historynet.com/weapons-of-world-war-i.htm
