Aubrey’s Boot Camp: The Top 3 Advances in World War 1

World War One Trenches

World War One Trenches

Aubrey Williams, Senior Reporter

Did you know, that several of the technological advances in warfare occurred during World War 1? There were so many advances that have changed modern day warfare for the better. Though I am not going to be covering all of them in this story, I will be covering some of the most commonly known, and the ones that I think have helped improve warfare, such as: tanks, Aircraft Carries, and tracer bullets.

World War 1 was brutal, especially during the nighttime. When no one could see anything they were shooting at, it became a very unproductive use of time. The British created the tracer bullet, a bullet that left a phosphorescent trail. The first tested product of the tracer bullet, (that was made in 1915), wasn’t all that helpful, it was sporadic and only lasted 100 meters. Though in 1916 when they tried again, it was much more successful producing a regular stream of white-green light when fired. It was a huge success and still helps modern day warfare today.

The tank was one of the greatest technological advances of World War 1. While
both sides were fighting in trenches, it became a mass murder session because no one could get through the middle of the two armies without being shot. The tank was a solution being heavily armored, treads instead of wheels that go flat, and having serious guns. The first working tank that wasn’t a prototype was the British Mark 1 tank that was designed in 1915. The tank was superior to a car and saved a many of lives in World War 1. There are still being remade, and new models to help improve the performance of the tank. The most current tank is the M1A2.

The creation of poison gas was another one of the huge advances that occurred in World War 1. Both parties of the war used poison gas, and there were extreme losses in human life. Germany was one of the first to use a largely scaled portion of poison gas. They did so on Russia, during the battle of Bolimov. Germans also distributed the poison gas on the French in trenches, but before long their enemies had accumulated and started to use poison gas as well. So as all sides of the war were using poison gas it had depleted a lot of lives, but when the invention of the gas mask came into play poison gas was utterly ineffective.

These inventions have majorly impacted the way we fight today. For example, new versions of the tank are still being created. Though there are more examples of major advances in World War 1, these made superior impacts in today’s warfare, and in the warfare of the time in which they were created. The Tracer bullet helps to see in the dark, and helps people see in the dark.

This is a link to the World War 1 museum in Kansas City Link.