Invented for Sharp Shooters in the Trenches (The Great War, 1918)
The World War I German slide-rule jockeys burned the midnight oil well into the early hours coming up with this weird steel mask for their sharp-shooters... Click here to learn more about W.W. I snipers.
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Trench Mortar (Great War, 1918)
The attached is a photo from a 1918 issue of "Great War" magazine and pictures the Brandt Grenade-Thrower; designed in 1916 by the Frenchman Edgar William Brandt (1880 - 1960). A commonly used piece of trench artillery that was most often found in the French sectors; it is easily recognized for it's highly pronounced barrel, that narrowed at the muzzle. An air operated mortar of 75mm caliber, this piece by Brandt was one of several compressed air projectors deployed by the French Army.
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The Lewis Gun (The Great War, 1918)
"The Lewis gun was, in the circumstances, a weapon of very considerable value. It helped the British infantry to hold back masses of the enemy in the opening phase of the war, and became one of the most important instruments of attack and defense during the long period of trench warfare.""The light Lewis gun became the favourite weapon of the British airman, against the Parabellum gun of German pilots and fighting observers." Click here if you wish to read more about the Lewis Gun.
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Aerial Photography During World War One (Vanity Fair, 1918)
The attached article,"Photography's Notable Part in the War" was written by an active participant in the aerial reconnaissance arm of the Royal Flying Corps, Captain Henry A. Wildon. He reported that both sides in the conflict recognized early on that intelligence gathering by way of camera and aircraft was a real possibility:"Our first airplanes in France were not supplied with photographic equipment. It was not until the beginning of 1915 that the importance of of photography became apparent, and was made possible by improvements in the type and general stability of the airplane." *Silent Footage of an Aerial Reconnaissance Kite Being Launched*
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An Early Gas Mask (Magazine Ad, 1915)
When the Entente powers were first exposed to poisonous gas in the spring of 1915 their respective quartermasters scrambled to find a suitable antidote that would save the men in the front line trenches. One of the earliest improvisations was a gauze face mask that covered both mouth and nose, drenched in urine. The attached commercial illustration is from the margins of the French news magazine, "L'Illustration" which depicts one of these earlier attempts.
Click here to see an illustration of the German gas shells.
Clicke here to read more articles about W.W. I gas warfare.
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Germany Introduces the Leather Gas Mask (Popular Mechanics, 1917)
During June of 1917, the German Army introduced the "Lederschutzmasken", a leather gas mask made of specially treated Bavarian sheepskin with removable lenses. Designed to replace the rubberized cloth gas masks, the 1917 respirators proved to be far more effective against phosgene gas than the 1915 masks. The Allied powers dismissed the new design as evidence that material shortages on the German home front were forcing changes. Click here to read about the celebrations that took place in Paris the day World War One ended.
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