Tanks were introduced in 1916, at the battle of the Somme Offensive, on the allies’ side. When they were first introduced, there were two types of tank, the ‘male’ type which had two Hotchkiss 6-lb guns and 4 machine guns, and the ‘female’ type which had 5 machine guns. They could achieve a top speed of 4 miles per hour, and turning was a complex manoeuvre, which meant they had to come to a halt. This made them an easy target and resulted in them not being too useful. However, as the Germans hadn’t seen these weapons used before, they didn’t know how to defeat them. The armour was 6-12mm of steel plate and could resist bullets fired from as close as 10metres, so they were hard to defeat. Three new types of tanks were introduced; the Mark IV’s, which carried more amour; the Whippet, which was lighter; and the most effective mark V which was more powerful and had better steering.
In 1912, the British Army started the Royal Flying Corps. This group used the aeroplanes to survey large areas. This helped the war effort by observing the enemy’s movements and finding the best places for artillery bombardments. The aeroplanes would have a pilot and an observer. By 1915, cameras were fitted so the observer could take aerial photographs and soon after, the aeroplanes were fitted with wireless, so they could report by Morse code. In 1917, there weren’t any solo fighters; the British went up in squadrons to help to protect each other. Aeroplanes were also used for bombing, and were typically used for attacking the German bases. The Germans also used the Zeppelin; this was an airship for bombing civilian targets, but in 1916, it was replaced by Gotha aeroplane.
At the beginning of the war, men signed up eagerly. They all wanted to be in uniform and see the ‘show’ before it ended. The hopes of a short war, wore off quickly, as did the enthusiasm. There was a feeling of bitterness and anger towards the Generals for their foolish plans. To boost morale, the government introduced the CIB, (Combat Infantryman’s Badge,). At that time, 4 out of 5 deaths in the army were infantry soldiers; the CIB was created to encourage people to join the infantry. Both sides found it hard to get new soldiers to recruit; however, they needed these new soldiers to help them defeat the opposition. Both sides then decided to make it compulsory for all males aged 16-65, to enrol in the army. They also aloud the remainder of the males to act as the home guard, and protect the cities from invasion. This system of sending the males to war was greatly unpopular throughout the UK. Many families were spit up, and many deaths were grieved. However, this was all forgiven when the news came through of the victory of the war.
Before the war, women had been losing their second-class citizen stereotype, and the war helped it. With all the men away, there was a shortage in labour, so, the women volunteered for the jobs. Their work was indispensable and they got more self-confidence, as they were now getting a wage. When the males returned to the UK, and were able to work again, many women kept their jobs as they were proved valuable for businesses.
In conclusion, many things changed in Britain during the First World War, 1914 to 1918. More weapons were introduced and used, the air force was greatly improved, everyone’s attitudes changed for the worse, and the women got a decent place in society. So, these things all helped lead to the defeat of Germany and the end of the First World War.
