Zachary Martinez
Student Portfolio
Important Factors of World War I
Artifact 1- Barbed Wire
Barbed wired was created initially around 1850's for cattle farmer to keep their animals in and to make sure no predators could enter. As the strategy of war evolved so did necessary defenses. With barbed wire the security of trenches increased, although enemies could find ways around it, barbed wire could definitely injure and delay enemy troops.
" It was the scene of an ill-fated diversionary attack by the British 56th and 46th Divisions on July 1 1916, a mistake that left more than 2,000 men dead – five times the number of casualties suffered by the German defenders. The barbed wire had played its part. " - Peter Doyle (The Telegraph)
" It was the scene of an ill-fated diversionary attack by the British 56th and 46th Divisions on July 1 1916, a mistake that left more than 2,000 men dead – five times the number of casualties suffered by the German defenders. The barbed wire had played its part. " - Peter Doyle (The Telegraph)
Artifact 2 - Armor
It can be argued that world war 1 was not the start of bullet proof technology and where that person wouldn't be wrong, there is a little debate. world war 1 pushed the best guns and ammunition out of factories at this time at a very fast rate. Almost all soldiers had a high powered rifle potentially with a hand gun on their hip. Armies realized there has to be added protection and start experimenting with deflection devices and bullet plates. Although no specialized vests came out of this period, it was the start to a large part of war today.
"As for ‘wearing steel plates’ it should be kept in mind what you’d actually have to do to improvise such armor. The main problem is how to ‘hang it” on your body so that it neither interferes with your motions or gets painful to wear. And then- what thickness and what alloy would you have available “on the battle field?” - Jack Noel (retired Military Executive)
"As for ‘wearing steel plates’ it should be kept in mind what you’d actually have to do to improvise such armor. The main problem is how to ‘hang it” on your body so that it neither interferes with your motions or gets painful to wear. And then- what thickness and what alloy would you have available “on the battle field?” - Jack Noel (retired Military Executive)
Artifact 3 - Combat Helmets
In previous wars such as the civil there was no such thing as mandatory head protection other than a straw hat, as the weaponry advanced so did the armor. Then helmets of this density were created, forged from steel then painted army/olive green, lastly shipped off to the men of war. these things saved thousands of lives that most likely would have had their tops blown off.
"An iconic symbol of war, the Brodie was the first combat helmet to be specifically designed and engineered for Western Front battlefield conditions – and its legacy extends to the composite material military hard hats worn by today’s fighting forces." - Dan Shadrake (engineering and technology)
"An iconic symbol of war, the Brodie was the first combat helmet to be specifically designed and engineered for Western Front battlefield conditions – and its legacy extends to the composite material military hard hats worn by today’s fighting forces." - Dan Shadrake (engineering and technology)
Artifact 4 - Medicine
Medicine evolved in countless ways once world war one had rolled around. It evolved in ways like first aid, putting urgency on more injured or sick individuals rather than treat people as they came through the medical unit. Medicine itself was greatly impacted as new medicines need to be made to battle foreign bacteria and illnesses. Many medical research institutes and labs were built in an effort to supply the soldiers with the best aid. Medical procedure formed better methods that were less time consuming and usually less painful.
"The key dilemma was that doctors had no effective antiseptic to kill the rampant bacteria, such as Clostridium perfringens, which causes the rapid necrosis known as gas gangrene. The soldiers lived in the filth of the trenches, and if they were wounded, their injuries were immediately corrupted with it. Théodore Tuffier, a leading French surgeon, testified in 1915 to the Academy of Medicine that 70 percent of amputations were due to infection, not to the initial injury." - Ellen Hampton (The Atlantic)
"The key dilemma was that doctors had no effective antiseptic to kill the rampant bacteria, such as Clostridium perfringens, which causes the rapid necrosis known as gas gangrene. The soldiers lived in the filth of the trenches, and if they were wounded, their injuries were immediately corrupted with it. Théodore Tuffier, a leading French surgeon, testified in 1915 to the Academy of Medicine that 70 percent of amputations were due to infection, not to the initial injury." - Ellen Hampton (The Atlantic)
Artifact 5 - Prosthesis
Prosthetic have been used since the times of Egyptians but those mostly included wooden pegs and wooden stubs for hands, mostly unusable limbs. When the time of war crept around, prosthesis evolved, now wounded soldiers have the ability to hold things with a holding of a hand or when soldiers have lost a leg they now have the ability to walk on a sturdy prosthetic.
"One solution was returning mutilated soldiers to the workforce. Various prostheses were designed to make that possible, pushing prosthesis manufacturing in many countries from a cottage industry towards modern mass production." - Thomas Schlich (Cnn Special Report)
"One solution was returning mutilated soldiers to the workforce. Various prostheses were designed to make that possible, pushing prosthesis manufacturing in many countries from a cottage industry towards modern mass production." - Thomas Schlich (Cnn Special Report)
D., Sheldon. “World War 1 Body Armor: 1914-1918.” Flashbak, 2 Apr. 2018, flashbak.com/world-war-1-body-armor-1914-1918-32670/.
Doyle, Peter. “First World War: Around the War in a Handful of Objects.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 16 Feb. 2014, www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/10640588/First-World-War-Around-the-war-in-a-handful-of-objects.html.
Hampton, Ellen. “How World War I Advanced Medicine.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 24 Feb. 2017, www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/02/world-war-i-medicine/517656/.
Shadrake, Dan. “WW1: Combat Helmet Technology - the Brodie Steel Helmet.” RSS, 16 June 2014, eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2014/06/ww1-combat-helmet-technology-the-brodie-steel-helmet/#top.
Schlich, Thomas. “Opinion: The 'Bionic Men' of World War I.” CNN, Cable News Network, 27 June 2014, www.cnn.com/2014/06/26/opinion/schlich-world-war-i-prosthetics/index.html.
Doyle, Peter. “First World War: Around the War in a Handful of Objects.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 16 Feb. 2014, www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/10640588/First-World-War-Around-the-war-in-a-handful-of-objects.html.
Hampton, Ellen. “How World War I Advanced Medicine.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 24 Feb. 2017, www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/02/world-war-i-medicine/517656/.
Shadrake, Dan. “WW1: Combat Helmet Technology - the Brodie Steel Helmet.” RSS, 16 June 2014, eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2014/06/ww1-combat-helmet-technology-the-brodie-steel-helmet/#top.
Schlich, Thomas. “Opinion: The 'Bionic Men' of World War I.” CNN, Cable News Network, 27 June 2014, www.cnn.com/2014/06/26/opinion/schlich-world-war-i-prosthetics/index.html.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Jackal1, (Mick Baker)rooster