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The Industrial Revolution and War
The industrial revolution in Europe radically shifted the scope, brutality
and shape of war. Larger artillery, capable of long-distance shelling, and the
deployment of railroads, telephony and telegraphy meant that men and the machines
of war could be transported over great distances and could stretch the damage
they did far ahead of their lines. Field guns could fire shells at targets five
miles away. Heavy artillery, now transportable by rail, could reach out 25 miles.
At the same time, infantry units now had rifles with improved range and accuracy.
Infantry advances could be shielded by artillery fire from the new long range
guns. Surprisingly, despite this massive increase in firepower, the first soldiers
of the Great War were not equipped with steel helmets. Other weapons, the result
of mass production and advances in science and engineering, were first employed
in the Great War. Tanks, which became decisive tools for the Allies' final push
against Germany, were novel. Early in the
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war they were slow and prone to breakdown
but improved rapidly. Aircraft, most often used for reconnaissance, became invaluable
intelligence tools. Chlorine gas was first used by Germany against Algerian and
Canadian soldiers early in the war. Later in the war phosgene and the dreaded
mustard gas were added to the Great War's chemical arsenal. Machine guns that
could mow down
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Canadian Artillery
loading a field gun
Canadian artillery load a field gun. Technology advances
like heavy artillery changed the nature of war as the enemy could be hit long
before it was even seen. |
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