Modern Warefare

This is a Mills Bomb; a grenade developed by William Mills in 1915 that was used by British troops. It has a central spring-loaded firing pin and spring-loaded lever locked by a pin. Once the pin was released, and the grenade was in the air, the lever flew up and released the striker. This ignited a four-second time fuse which allowed the thrower to take cover before it exploded. It was an improvement on other grenades that would often wound the front lines of both armies. This shows everyone is trying to make their weapons better and therefore deadlier. By knowing how the Mills Bomb works, historians can understand better what happened during some British battles.

Above is a picture of the Mark A tank which was nicknamed the Whippet. The Whippet was faster than earlier tanks. On November 1917, they were introduced and proven to be offensively effective. Nearly 400 tanks were used against Germany and like a battering ram, punched straight through the German lines.

"[The] vapor settled to the ground like a swamp mist and drifted toward the French trenches on a brisk wind. Its effect on the French was a violent nausea and faintness, followed by an utter collapse. It is believed that the Germans, who charged in behind the vapor, met no resistance at all, the French at their front being virtually paralyzed."

Written in the New York Tribune, April 27,1915 describing the use of gas at Langemarck

Gas was used first by the Germans in 1915. Soon other countries followed with using gas and they began using gas masks as a defense. Gases caused wounds and widespread panic, but not direct killing. The gas was one of the biggest causes of death and injuries. This shows the lengths of how far some countries would go to win