World War 1 Weapons Essay

World War I is a part of mankind’s history that revolutionized the way warfare was fought. This great struggle introduced many weapons that were experimental at the time, but essentially lay the foundation for warfare in wars to come. Weapons such as machine guns, tanks, gas, artillery, submarines, planes, etc. that were new at the time of World War I are still an instrumental part of war today. However, of these new weapons the plane truly is one of the most essential weapons that was used in World War I. Many scholars choose to argue that air power in World War I was mainly centered around Zeppelin airships and that planes were merely an experimental weapon used for observation, arguing that the plane never dealt devastating physical damage during World War I. Nonetheless, research shows that the plane deeply impacted the outcome of World War I in many ways. At the start of the war, the plane was used for simple reconnaissance. A pilot could fly over enemy troops while their co-pilot took photos to bring back to their commanding officer. This gave superior intelligence to military generals due to the fact they had the ability to obtain a bird's eye view of enemy troops and their positions. Nevertheless, it would come to pass that the plane would do much more than photography

Hallstead, a writer for AVIATION magazine describes the Zeppelin as “the most hazardous bomb delivery systems ever put into the air” (16). This statement is a blunt but honest truth about the nature of Zeppelin bombing missions. Germany was essentially flying gigantic flammable balloons filled with explosive bombs. As if that was not dangerous enough other reasons such as mechanical failures, design flaws and Great Britain's ability to adapt and defend against the Zeppelin made Germany realize that these giant airships also had giant