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Table of Contents
World War I
Flamethrowers
During WWI, the Germans were the first to employ flamethrowers. Their flamethrowers could shoot flame jets up to 130 feet (40 m).1)
Horrifying Statistics
WWI included about 65 million men from 30 countries. Almost ten million people died. The Allies (Entente Powers) lost around 6 million men. The Central Powers lost around 4 million people.2)
Deaths
During WWI, over two-thirds of all military casualties occurred in battle. In earlier battles, sickness was the leading cause of death.3)
Aerschot
German forces shot and murdered 150 people in Aerschot in August 1914. The assassination was part of a war doctrine known as Schrecklichkeit (“fearfulness”). Its goal was to frighten inhabitants in occupied regions so they would not resist.4)
Male And Female Tanks
During WWI, British tanks were divided into “males” and “females”. Male tanks were armed with cannons, whereas female tanks were armed with heavy machine guns.5)
First Prototype Tank
During WWI, “Little Willie” was the first prototype tank. It was built in 1915 and could go at speeds of up to 3 mph (4.8 km/h).6)
Battle of Messines
The artillery barrage and mines made a tremendous amount of noise. Explosives exploding behind the German lines on Messines Ridge in Ypres, Belgium, could be heard 140 miles (220 kilometers) distant in London in 1917.7)
Pool of Peace
The Pool of Peace is a 40-foot (12-meter) deep pool in the Belgian town of Messines. It plugs a hole left by the British detonation of a mine holding 45 tons of explosives in 1917.8)
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (1892-1918), also known as the “Red Baron,” was the most successful fighter pilot of the whole war. He downed more planes than any other WWI pilot. He was killed after being shot near Amiens. René Fonck (1894-1953) of France was the Allies' most successful fighter pilot, downing 75 enemy aircraft.9)
Dogs
Dogs were deployed as messengers during WWI, carrying orders to the front lines in capsules connected to their bodies. Telegraph wires were also laid down by dogs.10)
Big Bertha
Big Bertha was a 48-ton German cannon used during WWI. It was named after the designer's wife, Gustav Krupp. It could shoot a 2,050-pound (930-kg) shell 9.3 kilometers (15 km). However, assembling a workforce of 200 workers takes at least six hours. Germany possessed 13 of these massive cannons, dubbed “wonder weapons”.11)