How did new developments contribute to the bloody drawn out nature of World War One?

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How did new developments contribute to the bloody drawn out nature of World War One?

Mathieu Boutet

     World War One came with many advances and changes never before seen in a war this large and which played a major role during the course of the conflict. Little did the people of Europe know that this would be one of the most catastrophic wars in the history of the earth with nearly eight million casualties. Progress and developments in, machine guns, chemical weaponry, and artillery were amongst the most deadly killers. In total, seventy percent of all casualties were solely due to heavy artillery weapons. The widespread use of trenches also played a role in making The Great War a war of attrition where the aim was to wear down the enemy in their manpower and resources in an effort to cripple them. This is primarily one of the reasons why the number of deaths in World War One was so great. Though another basis on why these numbers were so vast had to do with battle tactics. The old practices of charging at your enemy simply weren’t effective taking into consideration weapons like machine guns that could mow down tens of soldiers in a matter of minutes.

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     The new addition to weaponry had a vital position in the outcome of World War One. This is especially so in the introduction and heightened use of artillery. Heavy bombardment and constant exposure to machine gun fire were responsible for the vast majority of deaths in the conflict, especially at the beginning when generals were still using rather old tactics. Machine guns and artillery bombardment made success nigh impossible for the enemy when they would attack. Though, at the start of the war weapons of artillery weren’t yet advanced enough as often they would fire on not only ...

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