World War 1 technology. Military equipment of the first world war

10.03.2020

War is not the best engine of progress, said Sakamoto Ryoma, a Japanese politician in the mid-19th century. And yet the First World War, which claimed millions of lives and became the "grave of three empires," left something behind the survivors.

The caterpillar mover, invented for difficult terrain, began to be used on heavy military equipment and underwent numerous improvements. During the four war years, airplanes evolved from wooden-framed "whatnots" to purpose-metal aircraft, as we are accustomed to seeing them.

As for the car, it started World War I already quite successful. The first breakthrough from self-propelled steam carriages to conveyor assembly in thousands of copies had already passed before sad events. During the years of his service in the army in 1914-1919, nothing radically new was introduced.

Military debut

Moreover, the first armed conflict involving a car began 15 years before the First World War - during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902, also famous for another "innovation", although much more dubious - concentration camps for prisoners of war and civilians .

The Englishman F. Simms took the French car De Dion-Bouton (De Dion-Bouton), adapted the American machine gun of the Maxim system (a popular weapon at the turn of the century) to it and thus created the world's first combat vehicle that has all the attributes that have been preserved for many years: armament, engine and wheels.

Of course, it was just a prototype, which, although it managed to ride around the battlefields, was not adopted for service and did not find wide application then. However, the author of the idea of initiative did not diminish at all. Simms clearly understood that over time his invention would be appreciated, and therefore, in 1902, he created the world's first armored car.

This funny armored car never took part in a single battle. But in 1908, Henry Ford launched the first mass-produced Model T, and self-running carriages began to fill the cities. The war was only six years away.

The most interesting thing is that the first bloodshed happened with the direct participation of the car. Archduke Franz Ferdinand died in the interior of a 1910 Gräf & Stift Double Phaeton open limousine while driving in Sarajevo with the owner of the car and part-time friend Count Franz von Harrach.

Path to fame

Despite the fact that the conservative generals of all the warring parties at the beginning of the war were guided by the principles of the 1870s and stubbornly did not draft cars into the army, our four-wheeled friends often ended up at the front themselves and were used to transport those same generals.

After the first battles, the commanders quickly realized that a car was a completely reasonable replacement for a horse-drawn wagon and could carry the wounded, ammunition and even carry weapons just as well, and sometimes better than horses. At the same time, the first barriers against cars appeared on the roads - wire. And very soon - "anti-partisan" equipment for vehicles, which made it possible to cut or remove barriers from the road.

It also unexpectedly turned out that it was much more convenient to patrol the roads in a car than on horseback, and even more so than on foot. Therefore, private cars of officers, as well as cars captured from the enemy, quickly began to be exploited.

Another job for cars, mostly trucks, was found in the medical service. During the First World War, for the first time, they began to organize the production of vehicles for transporting the wounded. The apogee of this was the Opel of the medical service, captured by an unknown photographer, equipped with a field altar.

For combined arms needs in the First World War, even real road trains were used

We were a little cunning, saying that the war did not bring anything new to the auto industry. Still, there was something. In automobiles of the beginning of the century, tires made up a rather serious part of the cost, and in the conditions of war, the wheels became unusable first. Therefore, talented German engineers came up with the idea of putting springs with steel lugs instead of an elastic rubber tire in order to move relatively calmly without fear of nails. But by the way, how many cars have you seen now with such wheels?

The First World War forever changed the face of the battle, making it massive, bloody, dynamic and merciless. The use of poisonous substances, the appearance of mortars and fragmentation grenades, the massive use of anti-personnel mines and machine guns, the production of tanks and aircraft carriers, a leap in encryption and intelligence, these are just a small list of what this war gave humanity.

1. Armored mobile combat device Tsar-tank, developed by engineer Nikolai Lebedenko in Russia in 1914-1915.

Strictly speaking, the object was not a tank, but was a wheeled combat vehicle. The tank was built and tested in 1915. According to the test results, it was concluded that the tank was generally unsuitable for use in combat conditions, which led to the closure of the project. The built copy was subsequently dismantled for scrap.

2. The British did better with this invention. Tanks were first used during the First World War and were the "answer" to the problem of protracted "trench wars", when the parties could literally forever sit in their trenches opposite each other. For several decades ahead, tanks became the main striking force in land battles.

3. For the first time, aircraft appeared capable of carrying a serious bomb load. Bomber Ilya Muromets is the common name for several series of four-engine all-wood biplanes produced in Russia during 1913-1918. A number of records were set on the aircraft for carrying capacity, number of passengers, time and maximum flight altitude.

4.Improved medical care. A Renault truck with a mobile X-ray unit is another know-how of that war, which greatly facilitated the treatment of wounded and crippled soldiers.

5. The appearance of iron helmets among soldiers is another invention of the First World War. Considering the massive use of machine guns and fragmentation grenades, a hail of bullets, shrapnel, and shell fragments literally rained down on the soldiers’ heads. "poked out" of the trench.

6. The evolution of military thought did not stop there and turned to the Middle Ages. Individual armor protection could stop a bullet and shrapnel

Russian troops were the first to use the so-called mobile barricades.

7. The First World War was marked by the competition of armor and projectile. Trains, cars, ships and even motorcycles were booked.

8. The First World War is the time when machine guns began to be massively used on the battlefield, forever changing the dynamics of the battle.

The legendary Lewis machine gun (below)

9. Wired and wireless communication began to be widely used. German signalmen using a tandem bicycle charge the generator of a mobile radio station. Rear of the Eastern Front, September 1917

10. Mortars began to be actively used only during the First World War. Its purpose was to deliver a fragmentation or shrapnel charge into enemy trenches. Then mortars began to be actively used in chemical warfare. Several hundred mines were fired at one section in one gulp and immediately created a thick cloud. All living things perished in this cloud. For firing chemical munitions, mortars of a simpler device, which were called gas throwers, were used. Mortars were the first to be used in the First World War by German artillerymen during the siege of the Belgian
fortresses Maubeuge, Liege, Antwerp in August 1914.

British 81-mm mortar of the Captain Stokes system (above)

9 cm G. R. type bomber and FR 58 mm mortar model 1915 (above)
British in positions with a gas cannon (below)

The British made their first gas-propelled attack on April 4, 1917 near Arras. With the advent of gas cannons, chemical warfare entered its most dangerous phase.

11. The massive use of submarines also began during the First World War.

12. British aircraft carrier HMS Argus, 1918. Aircraft carriers - ships that allowed aircraft to take off from their deck and land on it - were first used during the first world war.

13. The officer takes from the hands of the pilot a camera that has just been used to shoot the area. The massive use of aviation, both in military operations and for reconnaissance, is another innovation of the First World War.

The First World War was a turning point of the 20th century - it radically changed the political map of Europe, destroying four huge empires and giving rise to a number of nation-states. Many historians agree that it was she who marked the end of the "political nineteenth century" in Europe. The First World War lasted four years and three and a half months (from July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918) and became the largest military conflict that the history of mankind knew at that time. During this global confrontation, military equipment was rapidly developing in the world - automatic small arms were actively modernized, armored vehicles appeared on the battlefields, and a war of airplanes began in the sky. More than 70 million people were mobilized into the armed forces of the countries participating in the First World War.

The unprecedented scope of the First World War required the mobilization of the efforts of all categories of the population of the warring states, thereby largely blurring the line between the army and society, which was previously quite clear. It is not surprising that already in the first days of the war in the public space and the official propaganda of many countries, the concept of "people's war" was brought to the fore, implying the struggle of the whole people in the name of protection from external aggression, achieving final victory over the enemy and "just eternal peace" . In many ways, this explains the enthusiasm with which the news of its beginning was perceived in the countries that entered the war. The American historian and sociologist Georgy Derlugyan gives a typical example: “In the summer of 1914, all the powers that entered the war habitually prepared to catch many deserters - which were then surprisingly few. Such was the power of modern patriotic propaganda.” Interestingly, even in multinational European empires - for example, the Russian, as well as the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary (Austria-Hungary) - the 1914 mobilization took place without serious problems.
In the "Great War", which history did not know before, not only the armies and the political establishment, but also scientists, writers, artists, and the clergy actively participated. In particular, the propaganda apparatus of the warring states has become an important participant in the global conflict. Today, many experts believe that the First World War can be regarded as the first great media war in history. In terms of its impact on the future of Europe, this “war of ideas” was not inferior to the “war of armies”, destroying the socio-economic prerequisites that had appeared earlier for launching the process of European integration, giving rise to a number of totalitarian ideologies, mass political movements guided by them, as well as projects for a radical redivision of Europe and peace.
The results of the First World War were, without exaggeration, revolutionary - it became obvious that henceforth large-scale conflicts would be in the nature of a total war, which implies the involvement of almost the entire population in them and the use of all the economic resources of the warring states. One of the most important consequences of the First World War was the radical territorial changes carried out by the victors - most often this was done on an ethno-cultural basis. At the same time, this principle was inapplicable to many parts of Europe due to the dispersed settlement of many ethnic groups. In addition, many new borders were not recognized: for example, Romania and Hungary entered into a protracted political conflict over Transylvania, Czechoslovakia and Poland over the Teshin region, Romania and Bulgaria over Dobruja.
On the Warspot portal you can find publications about the First World War and its participants.

On September 10, 2015, the Russian Post in the long-term series "History of the First World War" puts into circulation four stamps dedicated to domestic military equipment. The stamps depict: Ilya Muromets bomber; 7.62 mm Mosin rifle; 76.2 mm field rapid-fire gun; destroyer "Novik"

The years of the First World War were marked by the complication of combat tactics, the appearance and use of new types of weapons and equipment on the fronts - aviation, tanks, automatic weapons, powerful artillery.

Destroyer "Novik"- joined the Baltic Fleet in October 1913. Its creation and the construction of subsequent ships of this type is one of the brightest pages in the history of domestic military shipbuilding. In the history of the Russian Navy, it was the first turbine warship. Set a world speed record. The destroyer could take on board 50 anchor mines. By the beginning of the First World War, it was the best ship in its class, served as a world model in the creation of destroyers of the military and post-war generation. None of the newest German destroyers could compete with the Novik. The destroyer "Novik" and subsequent ships of this series have passed a glorious battle path, showing an enviable longevity. After the end of the civil war, the Noviki, along with other warships, became part of the Soviet Navy. The Novik itself was named Yakov Sverdlov. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he entered the fight against the fascist fleet. "Yakov Sverdlov" died on August 28, 1941, blown up by a mine, during the transition of warships and transports from Tallinn to Kronstadt. In total, ten of the seventeen Noviks died during the war.

"Ilya Muromets"- the common name for several series of four-engine all-wood biplanes produced in Russia at the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works during 1913-1918. The aircraft set a number of records for carrying capacity, number of passengers, time and maximum flight altitude. The aircraft was developed by the aviation department of the Russian-Baltic Carriage Works in St. Petersburg under the leadership of I. I. Sikorsky. "Ilya Muromets" became the world's first passenger aircraft. By the beginning of World War I, 4 Ilya Muromets were built. By September 1914 they were transferred to the Imperial Air Force. For the first time, the squadron aircraft flew on a combat mission on February 14 (27), 1915. During the war years, 60 aircraft entered the troops. The squadron made 400 sorties, dropped 65 tons of bombs and destroyed 12 enemy fighters. At the same time, during the entire war, only 1 aircraft was directly shot down by enemy fighters (which was attacked by 20 aircraft at once), and 3 were shot down. On November 21, 1920, the last sortie of Ilya Muromets took place. On May 1, 1921, the Moscow-Kharkov postal passenger airline was opened. One of the mail planes was handed over to the aviation school (Serpukhov), where about 80 training flights were made on it during 1922-1923. After that, the Muromets did not rise into the air.

Field rapid-fire gun model 1902, also known as the “three-inch”, was developed at the Putilov plant in St. Petersburg by designers L. A. Bishlyak, K. M. Sokolovsky and K. I. Lipnitsky, taking into account the experience in the production and operation of the first Russian gun of this caliber. It was actively used in the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, the Russian Civil War and other armed conflicts involving countries from the former Russian Empire (Soviet Union, Poland, Finland, etc.) Modernized versions of this gun were used at the beginning of World War II war. For its time, the gun included many useful innovations in its design. These included recoil devices, horizontal and elevation guidance mechanisms, precision sights for firing from closed positions and direct fire. According to its characteristics, it was at the level of French and German guns similar to it and was highly appreciated by Russian gunners. In some cases, the gun was used as an anti-tank weapon.

7.62 mm rifle model 1891(Mosin rifle, three-ruler) - a repeating rifle adopted by the Russian Imperial Army in 1891. It was actively used from 1891 until the end of the Second World War, during this period it was modernized many times. The name "three-ruler" comes from the caliber of the rifle barrel, which is equal to three Russian lines (an old measure of length equal to one tenth of an inch, or 2.54 mm - respectively, three lines are equal to 7.62 mm). The Russian Mosin rifle received its first baptism of fire during the suppression of the uprising of Chinese boxers in 1900. The rifle proved to be excellent during the Japanese war of 1904-1905. It was distinguished by relative simplicity and reliability, range of aimed fire. The rifle was produced by the Soviet army almost until the very end of the war and was in service until the end of the 1970s.

Issue form: in sheets with decorated margins (3×4) of 11 stamps and a coupon
Stamp size: 50×37mm
Sheet size: 170×180 mm
Circulation: 396 thousand copies of each stamp (36 thousand sheets each)

The First Day Cancellation will take place on September 10, 2015 in Moscow and St. Petersburg

In addition to the issue, the Russian Post issued an art cover, inside - postage stamps and efficiency.
For release by the company Peterstamps prepared maximum card and stamp card

maximum cards issued by Prtrerstamps

Stamp card issued by Peterstamps

War spurs scientific and technological progress. The states leading wars are trying to destroy the enemy soldiers more, and, at the same time, to protect their soldiers from defeat. Perhaps the most prolific invention was the First World War.

R2D2. Self-propelled firing point on electric traction. Behind her, a cable dragged across the battlefield.

French trench armor against bullets and shrapnel. 1915

Sappenpanzer appeared on the Western Front in 1916. In June 1917, after capturing some German body armor, the Allies conducted research. According to these documents, the German body armor can stop a rifle bullet at a distance of 500 meters, but its main purpose is against shrapnel and shrapnel. The vest can be hung both on the back and on the chest. The first samples assembled were found to be less heavy than later ones, with an initial thickness of 2.3 mm. Material - an alloy of steel with silicon and nickel.

Such a mask was worn by the commander and driver of the English Mark I to protect their faces from shrapnel.

Mobile barricade

German soldiers captured a mobile barricade

Mobile infantry shield (France). It is not clear why there is a man with a cat

Experimental helmets for machine gunners on airplanes. USA, 1918.

USA. Protection for bomber pilots. Armored pants.

Various options for armored shields for police officers from Detroit.

An Austrian trench shield that could be worn as a breastplate. He could have, but there were no people who wanted to constantly drag such a heavy piece of iron on themselves.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from Japan.

Armored shield for orderlies.

Individual armor protection with the uncomplicated name "Turtle". As far as I understand, this thing did not have a “sex” and the fighter himself moved it.

Shovel-shield McAdam, Canada, 1916. Dual use was supposed: both as a shovel and a shooting shield. It was ordered by the Canadian government in a series of 22,000 pieces. As a result, the device was uncomfortable as a shovel, uncomfortable due to the too low location of the loophole as a rifle shield, and was pierced through by rifle bullets. After the war melted down as scrap metal

Carriage, UK 1938.

Armored observation post

French bomber

military slingshot

As for armored vehicles, the most unimaginable designs existed here.

On April 24, 1916, an anti-government uprising broke out in Dublin (Easter Rising - Easter Rising) and the British needed at least some armored vehicles to move troops along the shelled streets.

On April 26, in just 10 hours, specialists from the 3rd Reserve Cavalry Regiment, using the equipment of the workshops of the Southern Railway in Inchicore, were able to assemble an armored car from an ordinary commercial 3-ton Daimler truck chassis and ... a steam boiler. Both the chassis and the boiler were delivered from the Guinness Brewery

armored rubber

Truck converted into an armored car

Danish "armored car", based on the Gideon 2 T 1917 truck with plywood armor(!).

Peugeot car converted into an armored car

Bronetachanka

This is some kind of hybrid of an aircraft and an armored car.

Military snowmobiles

Same but on wheels

Armored car not based on a Mercedes car

In June 1915, the production of the Marienwagen tractor began at the Daimler plant in Berlin-Marienfelde. This tractor was produced in several versions: semi-tracked, fully tracked, although their base was a 4-ton Daimler tractor.

To break through the fields, entangled with barbed wire, they came up with just such a hay wire mower.

And this is another one that overcame any obstacles.

And this is a tank prototype

Tank FROT-TURMEL-LAFFLY, a wheeled tank built on the chassis of the Laffly road roller. Protected by 7 mm armor, weighs about 4 tons, armed with two 8 mm machine guns and a mitrailleuse of unknown type and caliber. By the way, the armament in the photograph is much stronger than the declared one - apparently the “holes for the gun” were cut with a margin.
The exotic shape of the hull is due to the fact that the idea of the designer (the same Mr. Frot), the car was intended to attack wire obstacles, which the car had to crush with its body - after all, monstrous wire fences, along with machine guns, were one of the main problems for the infantry.