In addition to the development of better and more varied weapons and tools for the infantry and engineers, the war also saw the use of poison gas, underground mining, airplanes, airships, submarines, and tanks. The Canadians soon acquired a reputation as fierce raiders, despite the heavy casualties they often incurred. These raids were meant to kill the enemy, to gather intelligence, and to win control of No Man’s Land. From late 1915, the Canadians engaged in a series of hit-and-run assaults on enemy trenches. Unofficial weapons, including knives, hand-made clubs, and small catapults were particularly useful in raids. Training for raids and attacks emphasized how firepower, movement, and innovation could be used to go through, or around, enemy strong points. Small units, of eight to 30 soldiers, came to rely on a balance of rifles, machine-guns, and other weapons. ![]() As the war progressed, armies used a wider variety of weapons to better equip their troops for trench fighting and attacks across No Man’s Land, including grenades, rifle grenades, mortars, and several types of machine-guns. Personal Weapons and Small-armsĪt the start of the war, most soldiers carried only a rifle and a bayonet, and most soldiers within the same small unit were similarly armed. ![]() New weapons were introduced throughout the war to help break the deadlock. Most attacks against these trenches ended in failure. The first shallow, temporary ditches gradually expanded into deeper trench systems. ![]() The enormous firepower of machine-guns, quick-firing artillery, and modern rifles forced the infantry to dig into the ground. The static battlefield on the Western Front led to the development of new and more effective weapons, and the improvement of old ones.
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