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World War I in Photos: Technology
The Atlantic ^ | May 11, 2014 | Alan Taylor

Posted on 05/12/2014 7:04:37 AM PDT by Second Amendment First

Industrialization brought massive changes to warfare during the Great War. Newly-invented killing machines begat novel defense mechanisms, which, in turn spurred the development of even deadlier technologies. Nearly every aspect of what we would consider modern warfare debuted on World War I battlefields.

When Europe's armies first marched to war in 1914, some were still carrying lances on horseback. By the end of the war, rapid-fire guns, aerial bombardment, armored vehicle attacks, and chemical weapon deployments were commonplace. Any romantic notion of warfare was bluntly shoved aside by the advent of chlorine gas, massive explosive shells that could have been fired from more than 20 miles away, and machine guns that spat out bullets like firehoses. Each side did its best to build on existing technology, or invent new methods, hoping to gain any advantage over the enemy. Massive listening devices gave them ears in the sky, armored vehicles made them impervious to small arms fire, tanks could (most of the time) cruise right over barbed wire and trenches, telephones and heliographs let them speak across vast distances, and airplanes gave them new platforms to rain death on each other from above. New scientific work resulted in more lethal explosives, new tactics made old offensive methods obsolete, and mass-produced killing machines made soldiers both more powerful and more vulnerable. On this 100-year anniversary, I've gathered photographs of the Great War from dozens of collections, some digitized for the first time, to try to tell the story of the conflict, those caught up in it, and how much it affected the world. Today's entry is part 3 of a 10-part series on World War I, which will be posted every Sunday until June 29. Come back next week for Part 4.

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS:
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American troops using a newly-developed acoustic locator, mounted on a wheeled platform. The large horns amplified distant sounds, monitored through headphones worn by a crew member, who could direct the platform to move and pinpoint distant enemy aircraft. Development of passive acoustic location accelerated during World War I, later surpassed by the development of radar in the 1940s. (National Archives)

1 posted on 05/12/2014 7:04:37 AM PDT by Second Amendment First
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To: Second Amendment First

Amazing. I wonder how loud it was in the armored train car with the 19 machine guns. (!)


2 posted on 05/12/2014 7:18:59 AM PDT by Attention Surplus Disorder (At no time was the Obama administration aware of what the Obama administration was doing)
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To: Second Amendment First

It seems the entire war was fought in mud.


3 posted on 05/12/2014 7:22:26 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder

If I’m the listener, the last thing I want to fly over is a flock of geese.


4 posted on 05/12/2014 7:24:58 AM PDT by Ancient Man
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To: Second Amendment First; null and void

Nully, here’s anew pic!....................


5 posted on 05/12/2014 7:26:35 AM PDT by Red Badger (Soon there will be another American Civil War. Will make the first one seem like a Tea Party........)
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To: Red Badger

I saw that!


6 posted on 05/12/2014 7:27:34 AM PDT by null and void ( They don't think think they are above the law. They think they are the law.)
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?....................

7 posted on 05/12/2014 7:28:27 AM PDT by Red Badger (Soon there will be another American Civil War. Will make the first one seem like a Tea Party........)
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To: null and void

8 posted on 05/12/2014 7:30:40 AM PDT by Red Badger (Soon there will be another American Civil War. Will make the first one seem like a Tea Party........)
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To: null and void

9 posted on 05/12/2014 7:31:29 AM PDT by Red Badger (Soon there will be another American Civil War. Will make the first one seem like a Tea Party........)
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To: null and void

10 posted on 05/12/2014 7:31:49 AM PDT by Red Badger (Soon there will be another American Civil War. Will make the first one seem like a Tea Party........)
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To: null and void

Of course the French had to have a fancy one...................

11 posted on 05/12/2014 7:32:47 AM PDT by Red Badger (Soon there will be another American Civil War. Will make the first one seem like a Tea Party........)
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To: Second Amendment First

12 posted on 05/12/2014 7:33:45 AM PDT by Red Badger (Soon there will be another American Civil War. Will make the first one seem like a Tea Party........)
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To: Red Badger

Don’t show that pic to liberals, they’ll mandate the public wear those things anytime Hillary gives a speech.


13 posted on 05/12/2014 7:53:00 AM PDT by GrandJediMasterYoda (Hitlery: Incarnation of evil.)
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To: Second Amendment First

thnx for sharing


14 posted on 05/12/2014 7:56:52 AM PDT by italianquaker
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To: Red Badger; neverdem

Not written, but needed background.

Many of these were for detecting and tracking the dirigibles slowly moving over England from Germany dropping bombs at night. Pre-radar, they were trying to locate the engine noise to shoot back.

WWII? These were tried again, since radar wasn’t real accurate in elevation nor direction early in the war. Not real successful, but better than nothing since planes were many times faster, higher, more numerous.


15 posted on 05/12/2014 8:17:48 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but socialists' ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: Second Amendment First

Cool pics!


16 posted on 05/12/2014 9:21:48 AM PDT by caver (Obama: Home of the Whopper)
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To: Red Badger

I thought this was the latest tech for the hearing impaired covered by Obamacare.


17 posted on 05/12/2014 9:43:55 AM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie (zerogottago)
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To: caver

I see the Germans were into Green Energy waaaaay before it was fashionable.................

18 posted on 05/12/2014 9:50:34 AM PDT by Red Badger (Soon there will be another American Civil War. Will make the first one seem like a Tea Party........)
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To: ImJustAnotherOkie

If you can get it....................


19 posted on 05/12/2014 9:50:59 AM PDT by Red Badger (Soon there will be another American Civil War. Will make the first one seem like a Tea Party........)
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To: Second Amendment First

The beginning of quadraphonic sound.....


20 posted on 05/12/2014 10:10:39 AM PDT by minnesota_bound
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