Introduction
During the war, everybody was trying to think of new and better ways in order to kill each other and unfortunately, this gave rise to some rather horrific inventions.
Flamethrower
One of the more horrific inventions of World War I is the flamethrower. The Germans were among the first to come up with this particular contraption and there were actually two different types that were used. The first type could be operated by a single person, but the second type required a second individual to carry the fuel source. These flamethrowers were used as a way to flush enemy troops out of the trenches.
Air Warfare
Flying was relatively new, as the Wright brothers had only developed the airplane about a decade earlier. This particular technology really took off (no pun intended) during World War I. At first, most of the flyers that were used in the war were similar to the prototype that was made up by the Wright brothers. Being unarmed, the men that took to the air would use a variety of different methods of attacking each other, including hand-held weapons and even spheres. This is one of the inventions, however, that continued to be developed throughout the war and air warfare is still a main part of many of the battles that are fought today.
Camouflage
The word associated with low-visibility military uniforms first appeared in the English language in 1917, thanks to World War I. The idea of making troops’ uniforms hard to see evolved from the beginning of the European conflict – consider that French troops began the war wearing blue and red uniforms. Coverings for helmets and early printed fabric began appearing around this time. Little did anyone know that 90 years later, camouflage patterns would appear on everything from designer clothing to school notebooks.
Submarines
Submarines are also one of the inventions of World War I. The fact of the matter is, submarines had been used since the Civil War in warfare but it was not until the early 1900's that they were further developed to their full potential. The submarine continued to be one of the more formidable weapons used in the naval sector of the war.
Superheterodyne Receiver
The basis for virtually all modern radio and radar communication systems was invented by E. H. Armstrong, a captain in the Army Signal Corps posted in France during the Great War. He patented it shortly afterward and sold his patent to Westinghouse.
Tanks
The tank is one of the inventions of World War I that is still used in many wars today. The concept of the tank was thought up as early as Leonardo Da Vinci's day, but there was very little that could be done about this particular concept and the invention really never took off until it was needed for warfare during World War I. Gasoline powered engines were rather new and they provided a perfect way to drive these large vehicles. They were very effective at first, but the German forces eventually figured out that they were a rather unreliable vehicle.