!

A Source Bookof World War 1 Weapons and Uniforms

World Warl Weapons and Uniforms

A Sou rce Book of

Written and compiled by Frederick Wilkinson

WARD LOCK LIMITED. LONDON

@ Ward Lock Limited 1978

Frontispiece. Women working overtime to produce steel helmets to equip the front line troops in 1916.

Reprinted 1983
First published in Great Britain in 1978 by Ward Lock Limited, 82 Gower Street, London WC1 E 6EO, a Pentos company

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical. photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Copyright owners.
Layout by Jacqueline Ashdown

Text Filmset Univers

Printed and bound in Great Britain by Netherwood Dalton & Co Ltd, Huddersfield

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Wilkinson, Frederick A source book of World War I weaPons and uniforms. History 2. Arms 1. Uniforms, military

- History 623.4'09'041 uc480

and armour I Title

lsBN 0 7063 5739 6

Acknowledgments

The author and publisher would like to express their

sincere thanks to the staff of the lmperial War

Museum for their help in preparing this book. Thanks are also due to Paul Forrester who took a number of

the photographs, including the jacket picture. Many of the photographs are reproduced by kind permission of the lmperial War Museum.

Introduction

very long time, it was an event in a small town called

Sarajevo, in the Balkans, on 28 June 1914 that

World War l, or the Great War, lasted for more than four years and in this time over Bl million soldiers were killed, over 21 million wounded and nearly 8

to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was paying a state visit to Saraievo when a young man, a member of the Black Hand Gang, a group of Serbian Terrorists, stepped
started the war. The heir

out and fired a revolver at the Archduke

Francis

million were taken prisoner. ln addition some 121 million civilians were killed or died as a result of the war. lt was a war with little glamour or colour and most of the troops suffered terribly from dirt and
disease.

The war was fought between two groups of countries-one, known as the Central Powers, was
made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria, and the other was called the Allies which, by the end of the war, lncluded Russia, France, The British Empire, ltaly, Japan, Romania, Serbia, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Montenegro and the United States of America. The Central Powers mobilized called to serve in their forces - nearly 23 million men and the Allies raised some 42 million. Although the chance of war had been present for a

Ferdinand and his wife. Before he could be stopped he had killed them both. Austria blamed the government of Serbia which denied having anything to do with the assassination. Austria was afraid of the power of Serbia and was quite prepared to use this killing as an excuse to attack and destroy the country. The Austrian leaders were f rightened that if they did attack then Russia, Serbia's ally, would loin in any fighting. The Austrians went to the German Emperorand asked if they could count on his support

Wilhelm ll promised that they could.

Austria now sent a list of demands to Serbia, f eeling sure that the country could not possibly accept them, but, in fact, Serbia agreed to nearly all the demands. Austria claimed that Serbia had refused some of her demands and declared war.

if war broke

out. The German Emperor,

Kalser

The view from an aeroplane of a German gas attack on Russian troops in 1915. The gas, probably chlorine, is being released from cylinders and. behind, the German troops are preparing to advance as the gas takes effect.

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The Emperor of Russia, Tsar Nicholas Il, ordered some of his troops in the southern part of the country to be called into readiness. Germany then said that if Russia did not stop preparing her army then she too would call up all her troops. On 29 July Russia began mobilizing, that is, getting her armies ready for war, and on the 30th Germany did the same. Germany then asked the French government if it would stay out of any war that might break out between Russia and Germany. France refused to desert her Russian ally, but on 1 August 1 914 Germany declared war on Russia. That same afternoon France began to call up her troops. On 2 August Germany sent a note to the Belgian government claiming that France was preparing to attack Germany by bringing her troops through Belgium. Germany demanded the right to move her immediate withdrawal and, when no reply came, declared war on Germany, and so the Great War
began.

Many countries now began

promises that they had made to help friends and allies. Turkey joined in with Germany and Austria and on 5 November 1914 Great Britain declared war on Turkey. ln May'1 915 ltaly joined theAllies. Atfirstthe United States were neutral but on 7 May 1915 the British linerLusitania was sunk by a U-boat and over 1,000 passengers, 128 of them Americans, were drowned. Many Americans began to support the Allies although some were angry about the way that the Allied navies treated American ships. On 31 January 19'1 7 the German government announced
that their U-boats would, f rom then on, sink any ship

to

keep various

troops through Belgium to meet the attack and asked the Belgian army to stay neutral. Since this

found in areas described as war zones. Several American ships were sunk and this, with other
things, finally persuaded the United States that they must enter the war and, in April 1917, they declared war on Germany. The main German plan was for a very quick attack on France through Belgium, sweeping round behind the main French defence positions. This idea was

would have meant that the Germans could take over

their country, the Belgians refused. Britain

promised

had

neutrality and told Germany that if there was an attack Britain would have to declare war on Germany. On 3 August 1914 Germany declared war on France and on the next day, the 4th, German troops crossed the Belgian frontier. Britain demanded their

to maintain Belgian

known as the 'Schlieffen plan', after the German

General who had prepared it many years before. At f irst the Germans achieved great success and swept

forward and at one time it looked as if they might break righr through to Paris.
;t

* t

ln the meantime Britain had sent an army, the British Expeditionary Force, across the Channel to assist her allies Belgium and France. The German Kaiser thought the British troops hardly worth worrying about and called them 'this contemptible little army'. The name'The Old Contemptibles'was used by the men of that army and became a name of honour. The British fought a great battle at Mons on 23 August which did much to slow down the German advance. Then, at the Battle of the Marne at the end of August the German advance was halted and later history was to prove this to be the turning-point of the war although fighting was to continue for many years. The first weeks of the war saw quite a lot of f ighting and movement by the various armies but soon the movement ended and the armies of France, Germany and the British Empire settled down to the horrible business of trench warfare.

Troops dug shelters, called dug-outs, and deep trenches and faced each other across 'no-man's land', an expanse of craters and barbed wire.
Belgian troops in 1915 wearing their old style of uniform. ln t915 they changed to khaki and wore modern styles of hats The dogs are pulling a small carriage containing a Maxim machine-gun.

The fighting in France and Belgium was known as the Western Front but Germany was also fighting against Russia on what was known as the Eastern Front. The Russian army was very large but very poorly equipped and the Russian government was unable to supply her troops or to keep the soldiers under control. As the war went on things became worse and worse with equipment and supplies running down. There was a demand by both civilians and the army for changes, even for peace, and then,

in March 1917, a rebellion broke out in Petrograd,

later renamed Leningrad. The revolution gained support and on 1 5 March the Russian Tsar was forced to give up histhrone; he and his familywere later killed. The Germans, as far as they could, helped the revolutionaries, knowing that this would weaken the Russian army. On 2 December 1917 f ighting on the Eastern Front stopped and on 3 March 19'1 B the Russians and Germans signed a peace treaty. There was fighting in Africa as well as Europe for Germany had colonies there-South West Africa, The Cameroons, Togoland (now part of Ghana) and East Africa. ln the Middle East there was fighting, mainly between the British and the Turks, which inA cavalry unit f rom the Indian Army serving with the Brltish
forces. They are wearing spurs and breeches and are marching in a French parade on 14 July 1916.

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11

cluded the famous landings by the British, Australian and New Zealand forces at Gallipoli in Turkey. The Germans made great use of their submarine or U-boat fleet and came very close to starving Britain by their massive sinking of supply ships. There were only a f ew large-scale naval battles; the largest

the British Empire each had about 8 million and the Austro-Hungarian army reached nearly B million. When the war began the French
France and
cavalry were still wearing uniforms very like those of

the time of Napoleon-blue iackets, red trousers, breast and back plates and metal helmets with

was probably the Battle of Jutland in May 1916, which ended with victory claimed by Britain After long years of war, on 29 September 1918, the first of the armistices, that is, the ending of
fighting, was signed by the Allies and Bulgaria' On 30 October Turkey signed a similar agreement. There was serious trouble inside the Austro-Hungarian Empire as the various countries claimed inde-

the helmets and breastplates were given a tem-

plumes and feathers. Early on in the war it became obvious that bright colours made easy targets and

the

pendence and on 4 November Austria signed an armistice. ln Germany on 3 November 1918 part of the German fleet mutinied and revolution broke out in many of the big towns. On 10 November the Kaiser left Germany and sought ref uge in the Netherlands. On the morning of 11 November 1918 an armistice between Germany and the Allies was slgned and at 1 1 am that morning fighting stopped and the Great War was officially over'

The Armies

The largest army, on paper, was that of Russia which

had some 12 million men; Germany had 11 million,

porary cover of drab-coloured material. ln April 1915 French cavalry changed to a horizon-blue uniform with co our patches bearing a regimental number at the collar. lt was soon obvious that the cavalry were not going to do a great deal in this war for there were too many trenches, machine-guns and artillery to allow horses to move about in numbers. Many of the French cavalry regiments were dismounted and served as infantry. The Belgian army uniforms were as picturesque as the French with green and blue, bearskins and busbies. ln 1 91 5 they adopted the colour khaki. The B ritish cavalry already wore khaki for their field uniform although for ceremonials they still had their bright red, blue and green. A simple khaki uniform with cloth cap was normal wear on the battlefield. The German cavalry had, since 1910, been issued with f ield grey although they, like the British,

I
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Canadian troops advancing during the battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917

the beginning of the war the German

retained their brilliant uniforms for ceremonies. At

cavalry

retalned some of their rather more colourf ul helmets but later they adopted a form of pickelhaube.Their allies, the Austro-Hungarians, also adopted a field grey uniform. The infantry saw the main part of the fighting during World War L The French infantryman wore loose, baggy red trousers with boots reaching to just

below the knee, a long, dark blue overcoat with the front part of the skirts hooked back and a round cap, the kepi, with a red top and a blue base" ln 19'1 5 they, like the cavalry, adopted horizon blue. A touch of colour was retained by many of the colonial troops brought in by the French. Some of their African troops wore a f ez of blue or red. Most of the colonial troops were given khaki rather than the horizon blue of the other French troops.

t
I

* I
;

by his side and carries his pack A German machine-gun team in action. The man at the front has a bayonet

wore klraki and had black, thick leather boots and rather inconvenient style of leg covering known as puttees. These consisted of a long strip of cloth wound round and round the leg from the top of the foot to just below the knee. The Scottish Highland troops wore a tartan kilt which was covered with a khaki apron. The British, like the French, brought in large numbers of colonial troops especially from
a

The infantry of the British Expeditionary Force

lndia. Their unif orm was essentially the same as that of the ordinary British inf antryman, but many of them

wore turbans.

Russian inf antry parade uniforms were very elaborate and glamorous but they too adopted a service uniform which was plain and simple. lt was dark green in colour and consisted of a blouse-like garment, baggy breeches, knee-length leather boots and a small peaked caP.

The ltalian army had, in 1908, adopted a grey_ ish-green colour for their basic field uniform. they too used the puttees. A number of unusual head_ dresses were worn including one with a long feather worn by the Alpine troops and a flat, almosicowboy style with a bunch of cock feathers worn by the bersaglieri (rif le battalions). When the United States entered the war their troops wore a khaki uniform very similarto that of the British but with a wide-brimmed, pointed-crowned hat. At first they had gaiters to cover the legs but these were later replaced by puttees. The German infantry wore a field grey colour which, when the war started, had various coloured
tinctions. Later the tunic was simplif ied and many of these extras were left off. Most German infantry wore jack boots but later in the war these were often replaced by puttees. The standard head-dress of most Germany infantry was the pickelhaube, a leather helmet f itted with a smallf lap at the back and a small peak at the f ront and surmounted by a hollow spike. On the front was a large metal plate, the pattern of which differed according to the various
Turkish troops on the march wearing an Arab-stvle head dress with a flap to cover the neck. They carry Mausei rille".

edges, buttons and flaps with regimental dis-

15

states which supplied troops for the German army. ln battle this pickelhaube was fitted with a cloth
The Austro-Hungarian and Turkish troops favoured a

cover, the front of which bore the regimental number. Later it was replaced by the steel helmet.

dark blue uniform. After the early part of the war much of the time

was taken up with trench warfare. The men were below ground level which led to a large number of head wounds. The French were the first to adopt a steel helmet, known as the Adrian after the General who introduced it. The British and Americans wore a simpler pattern whilst the Germans introduced their famous 'coal scuttle' pattern with a down-curving neck guard and a small peak' ln the front line and battleireas the steel helmet became standard wear although cloth caps of various kinds were worn off duty oi in the areas behind the battlefield. All tf'" troops had a variety of knapsacks, packs, straps, loops and bags to carry bayonets, ammunition, rif les, and a host of other items, often including a spare pair of boots, greatcoat and a blanket. When war broke out all the armies were equipped with bolt-action magazine rifles These could be loaded with a numberof rounds, f rom five to ten, and

The Weapons

provided the bolt was operated it could be fired a number of times without reloading. On most of these rif les the bolt was turned and pulled back and this action ejected, or threw out, an empty case; the bolt was then pushed forward and this movement took one of the rounds from the magazine and pushed it home into the breech. The bolt was then locked into position, the trigger pressed and the round was fired; these actions could be repeated until the magazine was empty when a new clip of cartridges vvas loaded in. Most of the rifles could be fitted with a bayonet which had some sort of locking device to hold it in place on the barrel. The blade length varied but most were around 1B inches (46 cm) long. Officers on both sides started off carrying swords as well as a revolver or pistol. lt soon became obvious that the sword was more of a nuisance than a weapon and the off icers stopped carrying them early on in the war. British officers used a revolver; the Austro-Hungarians, the Germans and Americans carried an automatic Pistol. One weapon which became most important during the war was the machine-gun. The first was designed by Hiram Maxim, an American living in Britain, and his gun was used by the British and the German armies. The French had the Chauchot, the

16

Americans the Browning and many Allied-armies ,r"J ih" L"*is gun whlch was a lighter form of
machlne-gun. was Anothei important weapon in trench warfare the small bomb or grenade These were ol varlous 6ad a short fuse of around 5-7 ;"tt;r;; but most was started in diff erent ways and leconds. The f use thrown, usually by hand' ln then in" gt;nuOu was by a orJui to in"t"ase the range they could be thrown sltngs' elastlc and crossbows variety '-if-r" of catapults, *ut saw the introduction of a number of new The *"uponi *ott of them extremely unpleasant' deilans't'tst had f lame-throwers in 1912 and these 22 Ap,rtt'1?J5 the ;;t';"irets ot burnins oil On gas on the Western poison C"ttun.'first used 1917 they used in but ihlorine was it first i;"1. ii the air and *rtitOtsit which continued to poison Gas meant released' been had it after fo"no oiornJ ir.rri.nl ii"lps now had to carry a respirator which p"ttit[J1r'"t to breathe safely during such an attack. -"

armoured [, parl' '! t book a separate need would ln t-t-'t" *ut, but they
Heavy weapons such as artillery, tanks' cars, planes and airships played a.very impor[a,nt

item which'played a tremendous part in the lt was *u-r on if'" Western Front was barbed wire and defences and entanglements up set to used either was lt with deal io ;;;;"i vlrv Oitticutt 5;;i6 b"iJt" ;" attack or small groups of men had to be sent out to cut it bY hand'

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Russian Troops
Russian soldiers of 1915. They are armed with Mosin-Nagant rifles and have their rolled blankets

17

over their shoulders. They wear blouses and breeches. Notice the different styles of cap, very similar to |he feldmltze of the Germans.
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18

Cossacks (USSR)
Caucasian cavalry or Cossacks in 1915. These men served with the Russian cavalry and were famous for their skill as riders. Cossacks were usually vol-

unteers who supplied their own weapons. They wore fur caps and long dark coats. They all have long daggers, called shashquas, at their belts and many also have swords.

t .***

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19

Serbian Sailors

is little to show which navy these sailors belong to. The small country of Serbia had few ships but the uniform is very similar to that of Britain ,.vhich, at that time, had the most powerful navy in
There

ihe world. Serbia was divided up after the war. lmperial War Museum.

Serbian Troops
Serbian troops on the march in 1915 - note the soft boot and leg wrappings that they wear. One man has a loaf of bread under his arm. All carry the Russian

rifle with the spike-like bayonet.

21

Serbian Soldiers
Two Serbian soldiers, one with a war trophy
captured German sword. He carries a carbine with the butt decorated with the royal arms of Serbia within a f rame of leaves. The Serbian army suffered very heavy losses and had to be almost completely
re-equipped.

lmperial War Museum.

22

Portuguese Troops
Portuguese troops in their blue-grey uniforms and carrying Lewis guns. Portugal had fought in France f rom 19'1 7 but Germany had declared war on her in March 1916 and she had sent troops to her colonies

in Africa before this. One soldier has no puttees lmperial War Museum.

23

Italian Troops
.\lthough they look very like French troops these are ':alians. They wear French steel helmets with the 'egimental number63 and a crown. ltalian regiments : so had a special patch on their collars - red with

white edges and one star. All regiments used the star but their colours varied. The uniform was an
olive green in colour. The rifle is an ltalian one known as the 1891 pattern. lmperial War Museum.

24

Italian Soldier
The rearview of an ltalian soldier of 1915 showing the great bundle carried by most infantrymen. This load weighed around 70lb (32 kg) and included 150

rounds

of ammunition, boots, greatcoat, under-

clothes and other personal items.

25

French Colonial TrooPs

France had a large colonial empire at the time of the war and troops f rom many parts served in herforces This man is probably from lndo-China and, iudging from his collar badges, probably a marine lmperial War Museum.

IT

26

French Soldier French soldier holding the Chauchot M.1gK machine-gun with two magazines hanging from his
webbing. The gun was not popular because it did not always work very well and often stopped firing" The crescent-shaped magazine held 20 rounds of B mm cartridges and the rate of fire was quite slow - only about 240 rounds per minute. When the Americans entered the war they also used the Chauchot machine-gun and it was unpopular with them. Some of these machine-guns, made for the Americans, had magazines which held only 16 rounds. lmperial War Museum.

27

French Soldier
By 1915 the Western Front had settled down to the misery of trench warfare. This French soldier is ready for a raid with gas mask, revolver and, most important, a dagger, for most of these raids were secret, silent affairs.

28

French Troops
This picture shows French troops advancing in '1 914. They are equipped in the old style with soft caps

the French adopted their

uniform.

(kepis) and dark blue coats and red trousers. ln '1 915

horizon-blue-coloured

29

French Troops
French troops of 1915-1 I on the march. Nicknamed poilu, the French infantryman suffered very heavy casualties in the war. The poilu carried a heavy load on the march. ln addition to his Lebel rifle and bayonet he had water bottle, mess-tin, spare boots, blankets, ammunition, rations, cooking pots, spare clothing, entrenching tools and leather equipment. The front skirts of the long greatcoat could be buttoned back so that they did not flap against the legs as the soldier marched along. Imperial War Museum.

30

French Cavalry
French lancers passing by some British troops.
Napoleon was one of the first generals to enrol lancers into his armies. During World War I the cavalry wereableto playonlya very small part indeed. Many of the French cavalry were dlsmounted in 1916 to become ordinary infantry.

When the war started many of the French cavalry

were still wearing helmets and breastplates with

bright red and blue uniforms. The armour was found

to be pretty useless and the uniform made the men

to horizon-blue uniforms. Note the bandoliers

too obvious, so in 1 91 5 the cavalry also changed over

of

ammunition hanging round the necks of the horses. lmperial War Museum.

31

Moroccan Troops
Colonial troops played quite a big part in the army of France. This group is made up of tirailleurs (riflemen)

rom Morocco,

presented with 'L6glon d'Honneur' medals for bravery. Their uniform was khaki.

in

1917. They had just been

ffi
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32

Indian Lancers
Officer, sergeant and private of lndia's Hodson's
Horse. This unit was raised in 1857 during the lndian

Mutiny under the command of William Hodson who was killed soon afterwards. lt saw service in many

lndian campaigns and in World War I the regiment served in France, Palestine and Syria They wear khaki and carry the standard Brttish lance. Across the chest are the leather bandoliers which held the ammunition for their carbines. Imperial War Museum.

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33

Indian Lancers
Lancers of the lndian Army Deccan Horse. A number of their lances have discs set a little way behind the

point. This was to stop the point penetrating too deeply. One soldier has retained his turban but the others have the British pattern steel helmet. lmperial War Museum.

34

Ghurkas
From Nepal in lndia came the Ghurkas and these f ine soldiers have served with the British army for many years. Here they are in the trenches using a periscope to see over the parapet. Like the Australian troops they wear the wide-brimmed hat with the

l.ill:'1.:r,r,:!&

brim turned up. lmperial War Museum.

"'

35

African Troops
As soon as France entered the war she began to use

troops from her colonies. These came from Senegal in West Africa and wore a fez-type hat. The group in the bottom picture are all NCOs.

e&e

36

African Soldiers
Front and back views of members of the King's African Rifles 3rd (or East Africa) Battalion. British

officers led these men in the f ighting in Af rica against

the troops of the German colonies. They are armed

with Martini

rif

les and bayonets but they also carry

long, native knife at their belts.

American Soldier
American doughboy of 1917 with his full equipment; the colour was olive green and he has the webbing f irst issued in 1902. On his back was a steel helmet exactly the same as the British model. The bayonet was carried at the side of the pack-the hilt is just above his left shoulder. There was a blanket and coat rolled on top of the pack, and a spade. The hat was known as the 'overseas cap'. lmperid War Museum.

38

New Zealand Soldier Left; Sergeant of the New Zealand lnfantry.

His

uniform is the standard British khaki but he wears the traditional hat with chin strap. lmperial War Museum.

South African Soldier

R/Ethti Although he looks Scottish, this infantryman

is from South Africa - the badge on his hat is the head of a springbok. He has his SMLE at the slope position and his gas mask is at the ready' The jacket is khaki but the kilt is in a tartan pattern - in action a khaki skirt-like cover was worn over the kilt. Hanging down below his iacket is a small haversack which served as a sporran. On his left is the wooden handle of his entrenching tool. lmperial War Museum.

.L

39

Australian Troops
Australian soldiers in France talking to an old soldier who wears his medal. The soldier on the left has the

side of his hat clipped up while the one on the right has his brim down. The caf6 has the notice 'Piano here' to attract the English-speaking soldiers. Imperial War Museum.

Ir'

40

Badges
Some badges of the British Empire: Top: HaI badges of the Australian troops - one in white metal and one in bronze. Middle: Badge worn on the lapel by men who were working for the war but, for some reason, were not in uniform. Bottom /eff; Crossed swords, worn on the arm of best swordsman in every twenty men in a cavalry
u

nit.

Bottom rgrht; Crossed machine-guns, badge of the

Machine-Gun Corps.

41

Scottish Soldier
A soldier of the famous Scottish regiment, The Black Watch. He has the khaki apron over his kilt as well as

short, almost ankle-length, puttees The hat was special type being tested for general use'

42

Sailors
Sailors of the Allies. On the left is an American, then an Englishman, another American, a Frenchman, a British sailor and another Frenchman. Their uniforms are quite similar - all have the wide collar-and the Americans and British both have three lines around

the edge of the collar. All the uniforms are blue. The British sailor on the left is a seaman gunner - the badge on his arm is a gun with a star above it. As the Americans are present it means that the photograph was probably taken between 1917 and
1918.

lmperial War Museum.

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43

Medals
wiih swords was very common; Austrian War medal - this form of ribbon was commonly used by the
Austrians.
Top ( I eft to ri ght) : Serbia n medal

the f orm of a cross

Bottom (Left

right): Belgian Military Cross years' service; ltalian Victory Medal' 25 awarded for

to

44

British Officer
Officer (a major - three stripes and a crown on his sleeve) in the Highland Light lnfantry. The Scottish regiments had several marked differences in their uniforms: special head-dresses and the cut-away front to the jacket. The major is wearing a Sam
Browne belt with a revolver in his holster and on the right is a pair of binoculars in a leather case. His steel helmet is slung on his left shoulder. On his chest are the ribbons of three medals.

45

British Army Badges

Top

(leftto rightl; Guards Off icers Training Battalion; Border Regiment. Motor Machine-Gun Corps; Royal Dublin Fusiliers; 8th King's Regiment (1908-221', Tyneside Scottish
(1916).

Bottam (left to nglht); Cheshire Regiment; The Hampshire Regiment; Welsh Horse; Lothian &

=+
w
Ii,

Woman Officer (GB)

Officer in the WAF (Women's Auxiliary Force). She wears a Sam Browne belt. The force was formed in May 1915 and was for women who were already working and could only give a short time each week. Members were given training in many forms of service and some girls could become Military Members and wear a navy-blue uniform with a brown leather belt. Members worked by giving all forms of help to the forces-driving ambulances, organizing entertainment, making comforts and running canteens. lmperid War Museum.

l%

47

Officer's Belt (GB)

after

British officer's Sam Browne belt. lt was named a general who had lost an arm and designed this

piece of equipment to keep his revolver and sword safely in position. The small leather pouch held the cartridges.

Cyclist (GB)
Sergeant with his cycle complete with special fitting

to hold his P.'14 rifle. The cycle carried an official number and was fitted with good lamps. Cyclists
could be very useful for they could often make their way where other vehicles might have difficulty. Imperial War Museum.

British Rifleman
uniform but has different equipment
Private in the Rif le Brigade. He wears the usual khaki

49

instead of webbing. His buttons are black with bugle horn badge. He holds a SMLE rifle. lmperial War Museum.

leather
a

trn

50

Webbing Equipment
This is the 'webbing' equipment carried by a Biitish infantryman during the war. The small pouches held clips of ammunition for the SMLE rifle. Next to the

bayonet is the handle of a shovel, the entrenching tool, and the blade is in the case on the right. The water bottle was of metal with a khaki cover. Brass press-studs, slides and lugs held the webbing
together.

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til r"rr---TTf-

51

Belt
Belt and cartridge pouches of a French infantryman. He would also have carried his bayonet on this belt. On the march he would also have had a large pack on

his back and he might have carried an entrenching tool, folding saw or pickaxe.

Iir

Snow Boots {GB}

The British officer is wearing special 'overboots' of plaited straw which were intended to keep out the cold and snow. He holds a walking stick which was
almost part of the uniform and was used rather like a signal stick. \otice the wooden supports for the trench walls, the doors to the dug-outs and, on the floor, a canvas bucket. lmperial War Museum.

Caps
British khaki field-service cap (/eff) as worn during the war. The brass badge at the front was different for each regiment - this one belongs to the East Surrey Regiment. The other caps are German officer and ordinary soldier. They were field grey with coloured buttons - the top one was red, white and black but the lower one's colours were different for the various states of Germany.

54

British Cavalryman
Two different views of a British cavalryman with full gear. He is a lance-corporal- single stripe on the top of the arm - and has a marksman's badge on the lower part of the sleeve. Among the many items he carries are some wooden pegs which were banged into the ground and to which the horse rope was tied. Note the gas mask for the horse. lmperial War Museum.

55

Cap (GB)
Khaki cloth cap worn by British troops. lt was made

easily if the steel helmet had to be worn. The leather strap across the f ront was to go under the chin in bad weather.

without any stiffenlng so that it could be folded

up

56

Lancer {GB}
cavalry regiment. On this side of his saddle he carries his sword and you can just see the tip of the scabbard. His carbine sticks out down by his foot, on the left of the horse. The bottom of the lance fits into a leather holder on the stirruP.

Member of the 17th Lancers, a famous British

Imperial War Museum.

57

Badges (GB)
Some British army cap badges:

Bottom (left to right): 1Oth Battalion Hackney Regi-

ment

(19'l

2-37); 28th Battalion Artists

Rif les;

to right): 1st King's Dragoon Guards (1915-37); Sth (Royal lrish) Lancers; Tank Corps (1917-24\; Remounts Service; City of London
Top (left
Cyclist Company.

Middlesex Regiment; Loyal North Lancashire Regiment; 2nd Manchester Regiment.

*:

58

Prussian Officer
The Prussian Foot Guards were one of the best of the German regiments. Here is an officer in his 1 g14 uniform complete with pickelhaube.

Helmets
German spiked helmets

Leff; Helmet of black leather with chin scales, which means that it probably belonged to an officer. The
badge is of brass and is the Prussian eagle with the motto of the 87th lnfantry Regiment" Centre: The badge shows that this model was worn by a member of a Baden regiment and it is made of hard, pressed felt because leather became scarcer as the war went on. Rgrht: This helmet has a grey cloth cover which was introduced early in the war. The numbers are of cloth cut out and stitched on - the 106th Regiment was named King George's lnfantry (7th Saxon).

known as pickelhaubes.

tro

German Troops
German infantry officer and other ranks. The officer carries his sword and the private has his Mauser rif Ie' The uniform was field grey and the officer wears leggings whilstthe private has iack boots. The off icer nas tfre ribbon of the lron Cross medal in his buttonhole. Since they are wearing steel helmets the picture must have been taken after 1916. lmperial War Museum.

Medals of the War Iop; British group fitted to

a bar for wearing on the

left chest of the tunic. Left to right: 1914-1b Star;

British War Medal 1914-18; Mercantile Marine War

Medal; Victory Medal. (To Lt. F. Gwynne

Naval Reserve)

Royal

Bottom /eft: German lron Cross 2nd Class, introduced by Friedrich-Wilhelm llof Prussia in 1813 and awarded for bravery throughout World War L Bottom right: French Croix de Guerre medal given to troops mentioned in dispatches for carrying out brave deeds. The star on the ribbon shows which kind of dispatch the soldier was mentioned in.

61

German Troops
These are German troops on the road to Brussels in Belgium in 1914. Most are wearing pickelhaubes

with the cloth cover on but one wears a feldmitze. The one on the far left has a belt with a cartridge box
plif ied.

and a pair of binoculars. Later the jacket was sim-

62

German Pickelhaube
German leather pickelhaube, or spiked helmet. The

badge on the front shows that it was worn by soldier in a Bavarian regiment.

German Helmet
Although khaki, grey and blue were the uniform
colours on the battlefield, many regiments still wore their gorgeous uniforms on special occasions. This helmet with an eagle was worn by the German Emperor's (the Kaiser's) bodyguard for ceremonial duties. EIIiott & Snowdon.

64

Ski TrooPs
unlts such as The Germans formed special service Front The Eastern the on service ir,rir iri eti;:tielor background' the with in l"ro"i:r^ tVr.r*e would blend

On the right is a

two-mule team f or carrying a Maxim mortar' Horses and mules,were il;in;:g;;or aduring the war - mostly as 'carry,t"i . gtEt, Oeal ing' animals.

llL:::::a:,:.:t:.:::'

Leather Equipment
This is the leather equipment of a German infan_ tryman with pouches for his ammunition, his bay_

65

onet and entrenching tool. The silver_coloured

some states had their own design. The bayonet has a safety loop which was really -only decoiative and would not have been carried in the front line.

all the German troops had the same buckle and

buckle hasthe mottoGoff mitUns (God with us). Not

66

German Soldiers
Off-duty German soldiers playing cards. They wear

the small caps known as feldmItze. Those with the peaked caps are NCOs. Imperial War Museum.

67

Dress Helmets
Ceremonial head-dress of the pre-war period: Left to right: White metal helmet with brass fittings and a white horse-hair plume - 5th Dragoon Guards; Tschapka - the name comes from the Polish lan-

guage - of an officer of the 9th Royal Lancers; Pickelhaube of Prussian Guard lnfantry; Officer's gilt and copper helmet of the 4th Royal lrish Dragoon
Guards.

Eiliott & Snowdon.

-1

68

Bulgarian Soldier
Bulgaria was one of the Central Powers and this is one of her infantrymen. He has the footwear often worn by men from the Balkans, an Austrian style tunic and a Russian-type cap.

69

British Gavalry Equipment

Dummy to show the equipment of the British cavalry. One stirrup has the support for the lance.

The hilt of the sword can be seen just above the saddle and on this side is the scabbard for the carbine.

Imperial War Museum.

70

Lee Enfield Rifle (GB) type used throughout World War I and much of World War ll. The first model (fop) has thick cord was used to fire grenades from a special fitting
bound round the barrel. This was done when the rifle attached at the muzzle. A blank cartridge - one without a bullet- was used and the pressure which built

up as the grenade was fired was so great that the barrel and stock had to be reinforced.

Two British Short Magazine, Lee Enfield rifles of the

The second model (bottom) has a grenade cap launcherfitted, and binding at the barrel and breech. This strengthening was necessary to make sure that the rifle would not break under the pressure produced when being used to discharge grenades. lmperial War Museum.

71

Rifles (GB, USA)

P.14 .303 rifle. This was made for Britain the USA as the British factories could not keep up with demand. The magazine held five rounds. 46 inches (117 cm) long. Middle: US Enfield M.1917. When America entered
in

Iop; British

the war there was a shortage of Springfield rifles. lt was decided that a version of the British P.14 would be used and this was called the P.17; it looks very like the British rif le but fired a different-sized bullet .300.

Bottom: Springfield

Rif le Model 1903. This held f ive rounds of .300 ammunition.43 inches (109 cm) long.

72

Mosin-Nagant Rifles (USSR)

Mosin-Nagant rifles were used by Russian troops rom 1891 right through until about 1946. They had fixed magazines which held 5 rounds of .300 carf

tridges. The Russian rifles had their sights marked not in yards but in paces of 28 inches (7 1 cm). The sling was attached through slots cut in the stock. lmperid War Museum.

73

Rifles
tridge as the British Enfield SMLE rifle but the magazine took onlY five rounds. tVtiddte: Japanese Arisaka M.38 rifle, first made in

Iop; Canadian Ross rifle which fired the same

car-

1905. lt held five rounds of 6.5 mm cartridges. Bottom: Russian Mosin-Nagant M.91 rif le - made in the USA by the firm of Westinghouse in 1915-1 7 and sent to Russia. Five-/ .62 mm rounds fitted into the magazine. The sling went through the two slots in the stock.

74

Lewis Machine-Gun (USA) Iop: Lewis gun in the firing position with the sup_ porting legs down and the drum magazine in posi_ tion. The tall spike at the back is a sight which was adjusted for different ranges. lmperial War Museum.

Lewis Machine-gun (USA)

Bottom: One of the most popular light
guns of the Allies was the Lewis, designed in 191 1 by Lt. Col. lsaac Lewis. The gun weighe-d about 26 lb (12 kg) and fired at a rate of abo-ut 500 shots a the gas produced when the cartridge was fired. The cover around the barrel was to help in keeping the gun cool, for if a large number of bullets wereJired then the barrel would get very hot indeed. The Lewis gun was used by infantry as well as being carried in aircraft and was used by both British and American forces.
machine_

r-l*:
:. :' ,t:

.;3 i_ -t;

;.::.i
- '!:,'.:

minute; the magazine held only 47 rounds. The mechanism was worked by feeding back some of

{
rFf '-#

,'.'ffi 'r :l:iA: ';:-e

a"3

i.* ;s

75

Browning Automatic Rifle (USA)

An American soldier

Browning Automatic Rifle hung from a sling. The uniform was a khaki colour quite similar to the British one. The Browning Automatic Rifle, BAR for short, was a light machine-gun firing a .300 cartridge fed in from a box magazine holding 20 rounds; it was first
adopted in 1918. lt was intended to be fired f rom the hip, as shown here, but proved very difficult to aim and was later fitted with two light support legs near

- a doughboy- demonstrates

the front. lmperial War Museum.

76

Vickers Heavy Machine-gun (GB)

America, Portugal, lndia and many other countries. Almost the same as the German Maxim although with a very slightly lower rate of fire - 500 rounds a minute. lt was lighter - only 52 lb (23.5 kq). Car-

Vickers heavy machine-gun used

by

Britain,

to World War ll. This gun was also designed by Hiram Maxim who was then connected with the
British firm of Vickers.

tridges were fed in on a belt made of canvas or, later, on a series of small links. lt was usually mou nted on a tripod but it was also used on vehicles and aircraft and was to remain in service with the army right up

Maxim Machine-gun (USSR)

The Russians often mounted their machine-guns on sleds or carriages such as this Sokolov mount The gun is a Maxim. lmperial War Museum.

78

Maxim Machine-gun (GB)

British Maxim machine-gun on its tripod. The wheel was for raising or loweriig the gun *h,en uiming unO the bars on the legs of the tripod were for lockirig the legs in position. The twin hand grips can be s6en. lmperial War Museum.

Trench Weapons (GB)

Western Front, it was common for them to send out night raiding parties" The idea was to capture a prisoner, gain information and generally harass the enemy. Surprise was important so guns were never used unless absolutely necessary-. The weapons chosen were those which were silent and secret. The horrible clubs shown here were used on these trench raids and were often home-made with any pieces that the soldier could find

When the troops were in their trenches on the

It

,e r :
ffi W

79

Stokes Mortar (GB)

The Stokes mortar was a very useful weapon in trench warfare; it fired a simple form of shell over a iung; U"t*""n 250 and 1 500 yards (229 and 1372 t).jt *ut usually managed by a team of three - No'

carried-the 1 carried the barrel and spare parts, No 2 bipod The the carried 3 No. and sight plate and Oase iourth man is demonstrating how the weapon could be oacked for one-man carriage but it was very heavy and could not be carried too far' lmperial War Museum'

80

Grenade Thrower (GB)

the use Private of the Royal Engineers demonstrates had to oitf'r" SMif us u'gr"nud" discharger' The butt 'kick' of the the because surface ;;";t;troris u"tv itto"ng. A special cup fitting was fixed

;"';; ;fl;;;.

to the muzzle of the rifle and into this went a hand gi";u0". A special blank cartridge was Ioaded into if," nr"e"f,, ti-re trigger was pressed and the explosion blew the grenade out of the cup' Imperial War Museum.

'tt;*i;

'Adrian'Steel Helmet
Left: French 'Adrian' steel helmet _ on the front a Pj9S", :t a b,ursting grenade with the lettlrs-R.F
\nepu
Dt

81

Steel Helmet
Portugal joined Britain in her fight against Germany and her allies in 1916 and raised iOO,OOO trooprs.

tque

fra nqai se).

Portuguese troops served in France and Rf rica. fneir steel helmet (rightl was similar in shape to the Britjsh model but was corrugated for greater strenqth. The lacing round the base held in ihe lining.

82

Armour (GB)
British tanks first went into action on 15 September 191 6 and later they were to change the way in which war was fought. They were very slow and noisy but
.:<*!sli,:'L1,:i;:'l:r

their armour plates would stop bullets. The crews wore these metal masks with mail face-pieces to
protect them from pieces of metal chipped f rom the plates. Some special helmets were worn by the crews - this one is made of lightweight material.

,t"

_,::*q:,:i,*

B3

Body Armour (GB)

The Germans and ltalians probably made most use of body armour in the war but many other countries experimented with many forms of armour. This is a British model with small metal plates fastened togetherwith small links. The head had a small metal cap and the face was half covered with a metal mask

W$W

with tiny slits so that the wearer could see. Imperial War Museum.

84

Gas Mask (GB)

The British officer is wearing one of the first official gas masks introduced in 1915. lt has a special kind of valve at the front.

85

Gas Mask (GB)

I
Display of all the parts which went to make up a British respirator - rubber face-piece, special glass

for eye-pieces, connecting tube, chemical container and haversack. lmperial War Museum.

gt

g
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#.
.

{*J

86

Equipmem (GBl
British infantryman,s fighting equipment with web-

bing, gas mask, steel. helmet, entrenchlng t' water.bottle, SMLE rifle anO Oayonei.vr v v tool, lmperial War Museum.

Gas :

- _ar

::fn --.

T-11

'_:et

cir

Gas Fan (GB) :re

1 9 1 5 the Germans used a tear gas against Russians and then in April during the Battle of the Somme. Troops had to be issued with gas masks or

r January

-espirators. This strange-looking device was a 'fan' ro be used to clear gas from trenches and dug-outs.

Periscope
This French soldier is using a special periscope f itted to a rifle. A periscope is a gadget made from two mirrors which allows you to see over high walls without letting yourself be seen. The rif le had a periscope fitted tb the sights so that the soldier could aim it and fire without having to raise himself above the safety of the sandbags whlch lined the trench wall. Imperid War Museum.

89

Searchlight
This is a French searchlight with power supplied by
a

mobile generator. Searchlights were used to locate enemy planes and Zeppelins at night but they were sometimes used to pick out night raiding parties on the Western Front. This light was used at Verdun in
1916.

o
be

p(

tir
of

e)

he

fir

CU

ol

Wire Gutters
One feature of trench warfare was the great use of

barbed wire. Long lines of wire were draped on posts in front of the trenches and set up at any point where there might be an attack. Before an attack could be launched the wire had to be cut. Sometimes this was done by shelling the wire with high explosives. Alternatively, men crawled up to the wiie and cut it with special tools - rather like the pair of wire clippers shown top left' The curved tips helped guide the wire into the iaws of the cutter' Below left: A special wire-cutting device has been fitted to the barrel of a SM LE rif le and this too has the curving arms to guide the wire.

92

Gas Alarm (GB)

British soldier wearing one of the early gas masks which completely covered the head. Notlce the cover on his helmet. He is standing by a tripod of poles f rom which hangs a bell and his job was to ring

the bell as a warning of a gas attack. Gas could be

delivered by special shells or, more silently, by being released from cylinders, and thus a constant lookout was important. lmperial War Museum.

r:],";i?1tr..?1i:e

:r,r:,:r':i?lill;|9

93

Gas Alarm (GB)

Another gas alarm

bent metal hung on a tripod and beaten with the rod which the soldier is holding.

this time made f rom a piece ol

"qt.-*)*1*,

'*;k-ipe. ". '*- :-- - *;-."-:*-{r, "- :;.-' t

o;f,,
9,1:7...

iNr?Y*9" &w%ry'._

*a):','

94

Daimler Lorry (GB)

Daimler lorry and crew

- sergeant and two privates. The lorry has solid tyres and 6anging on the back are some chains which were wrapped iround the tyres

ticularly bad. Motortransport played; very imporiant part in the war. lmperial War Museum.

t9 lelp get

a.

good grip when the ground was par-

\ I

Signal Pistols
These fired a big cartridge

ter-which senta brilliantflare

about one inch in diameup intothe airthatfell

slowly to earth. These flares could be in different colours and were used to signal to the artillery,
troops or aircraft. They are still used today especially for aircraft. Iop; British, made of brass by Webley & Scott. Uiaate: French, made at St Etienne, 1918. Bottom: German, Hebel. The lever under the trigger is to lower the barrel. These were all loaded by dropping the barrel and inserting a cartridge into the breech.

Revolver and Pistols

Iooi ltalian M'1889 Glisenti

revolver which fired a no trigger guard but has model i oiCs tt orilet. This cartridge was Each them' with fitted *"t" rorn" loaded in at the side' which ,iliJJr", nrt.iian Stevr M 12 automatic pistol in its 'fl"n of 9 mm ammunition "ishi-iounds *f-tich was loaded from a clip of cartridges

r"uiutini

c"ri -45 Automatic E"iio., "U"S

oushed in from the top'

pistol 1911' carried by ll I and War - a hard hittins' toush ;;;;;t i; World seven rounds and slips holds ..ragazine Jirr"r.hi" into the butt.

l-

Revolvers and Pistol

Vost infantry were armed with rifles whilst officers
carried a hand gun. These hand guns were difficult to shoot accurately but were easy to carry. Iop: British MkVl Webley revolver which held six rounds of .455 cartridges. When the catch at the top 'was pressed the barrel could be pushed do."arn and a spring-operated arm ejected the empty cases.

Middle: French Lebel revolver Model 1892 which

took six 8 mm cartridges. To empty this weapon the cylinder was swung out to the right and then the empty cases were pushed out. Bottom: This is the famous Luger Parabellum Model 08 pistol. Unlike the French and British weapons this pistol loads in each cartridge automatically. This pistol fired a 9 mm bullet and was very popular. The cartridges were loaded into a metal magazine which was then pushed in the butt.

98

Garbines
These were shortened forms of the rifle used by artillery men and cavalry" Iop; French Berthier Carbine 1892,8 mm bullets

with three shot magazine. 37 inches (94 cm) long. Bottom: German Mauser model 1B9B - 37] inches
as the Mauser rifle.

(95 cm) long. Otherwise it is more or less the same

99

Rifles
ten rounds of .303 ammunition. An outstanding rifle which was still being made during World War ll' 441inches (113 cm) long.
fretO

Iop: British Short Magazine Lee Enfield rifle which

tAiaarc: German Gewehr Rifle 98 with five-round

magazine

for

.92

mm cartridges. 49

inches

(124 cm\ long. This weapon was also used in World War ll. Bottom: French Lebel Model 1886 Rifle which was the first military rifle to be designed for the new smokeless powder. This was a big improvement for the old gunpowder gave off a great deal of smoke which could cover a battlefield and hide the enemy' The magazine held eight rounds.

100

Rifles

Top: ltalian Model 1891 made at Terni. The magazine held six rounds of 6.5 mm cartridges. 50 inches (127 cm) long. Middle: Austrian Mannlicher Model 189b which held five rounds of 8 mm ammunition. 50 inches

(127 cm) long. Also used by Bulgaria and other countries. Bottom: Austrian Mannlicher Carbine which means that it is a shorter model of the rif le. These short rif les were used by cavalry and other units where a long rifle would have been a nuisance.

Cartridges
Leftto right: Lee Enfield .303 for British rifle; Webley .455 for British revolver; Webley .455 for British automatic pistol; Springfield .30-06 for American

101

rifle; Colt .45 for American automatic pistol; Lebel 8 mm for French rifle; Lebel 8 mm for French revolver; Mauser 7 mm for German rifle; Luger 9 mm for German automatic pistol.

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4:

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102

Trench Knives
This murderous set of knives was used on trench
raids

two German knives, Bottom (left to right): American knife with built-in
knuckle duster; Belgian trench knife.

Top (l9ft to right): British push dagger; British knife;

103

Bayonets
Although it was not used a great deal most troops carried a bayonet. This was a kind of short sword which clipped on to the muzzle of the rifle. The bayonet was so designed that even when it was in
could still be fired. lt was carried in a scabbard which was usually fitted on the left side of a waistbelt. Most scabbards were of leather with a metal top and tip. Iopr French Lebel bayonet Model 1886, unusual for it had a metal hilt and scabbard. The blade was 201 position the
rif le

inches (52 cm) long, thin and shaped rather like a cross instead of just being flat (Model 1886/93/16) and it could be fitted on to a number of rifles. Middle: German Mauser bayonet B9B/05 also with a metal scabbard. Some of this type had saw teeth
'1

on the back edge so that they could be used as saws as well as weapons. The blade is 141 inches (37 cm) long.

Bottom: British Mk1 bayonet Pattern 1907. This

fitted on to the SMLE rifle (see page 70). The blade
leather.

was 17 inches (43 cm) long and the scabbard was of

104

Bayonets

Iop: German Mauser M. 1 898 bayonet - with long, slim blade with strengthening rib. 201 inch (52 cm)
blade.

Bottom: US Bayonet M.1905 to fit on the 1903 Springfield rifle. lt has a scabbard of canvas and
leather. 16 inch (41 cm) blade.

British 1907 pattern. lt was for an Enfield rifle made in the United States and known as the P.'l 7.

Middle: US Bayonet M.1917

very similar to the

il

Swords
Although swords were no longer used as weapons they were still carried by officers on parade.

Left;

French.

Centre: German.
i?rght; British - with leather sword-knot which went round the wrist so that if the sword was dropped it was not lost.

106

Steel Helmets
Trench warfare made it necessary to give the troops

some protection for the head. ln 915 the French were the first to issue a helmet - called the Adrian
'1

(/eff). The British helmet (top) was simpler but very strong. The German model (ngrht) was the largest and could be fitted with an extra plate at the front which hooked over the two lugs at the side.

101

Grenades
These small bombs were thrown by hand or fired from rifles or catapults. The long one with a stick (/eft) is a German model. On some stick grenades the fuse was fired by hand but others were started automatically as the grenade was thrown. The egg-

shaped one on the right was used to give a blast rather than scatter splinters of metal. lt also produced a great deal of smoke. The centre one is a Mills grenade with a thick iron case which shattered when the grenade exploded and sent pieces in all
directions.

108

Grenade Crossbows
and there were many ideas for throwing them,
Grenades played an important part in trench warfare

including great catapults. These crossbows were reported to have been found in a German trench in 1916. The crossbow was very popular during the Middle Ages and was very powerful indeed.

109

Trench-digging Machine
Trench-digging machine being operated by French soldiers in their fatigue or working uniform. Some of

the troops watching are wearing their steel helmets, others have cloth kepis. The poilu in front has a soft cloth, fatigue caP. Imperial War Museum.

*a

110

Gas Masks

Leff: German Model 1917 with an oiled

face-piece together with its carrying tin.

leather

RtErhr: British Model 1917 Small Box Respirator. There was a special valve fitted so that air breathed

out could escape. The respirator was carried in

khaki case which was fastened on the chest.

111

ldentity Discs
soldierwas issued with some form of papers or paybook as well as an identity disc, which he was supposed to wear at all times. These discs were
Each

stamped with his name, number and unit.

On the left is the British and on the right the German. lf the soldier was killed one disc, or part in the case of the German one, was removed and the other left on the bodv so that it could be identified.

112

Steel Helmet
This very strange-looklng helmet was designed by the Germans fo-r use by snipers. lt has two very tiny stits and the side is cut away so that the sniper could tuck the rifle butt against his cheek whilst aimtng' The helmet would protect the sniper whilst he was

taking his shot. lmperial War Museum.

German Helmet
fitted to the German steel helmet. It was nJrmally worn with the trench armour shown on page 112.

A news photograph showing the reinforcing plate

114

Armour
German body armour worn by machine-gunners or snipers who were unable to find cover. The armour was worn together with a steel helmet with a strong plate fixed to the front. The armour was heavy but

strong enough to stop a bullet. The ltalians also

issued some
armour.

of their troops with

bullet-proof

German Armour

A German in body armour but without the heavy

riveted to leather straps so that the wearer could move easily. The soldier is wearing the 1910 pattern jacket with the buttons on the sleeve. ln 1915 these were left off the simpler style of tunic in order to save time and materials in manufacture. Imperial War Museum.
plate to reinforce the helmet. The lower plates were

116

Maxim Machine-gun
The breech of a German Maxim machine-gun made in 1910 but used throughout the war. The trigger is the bar just in front of the wooden grip. On top of tfre breech is the rear sight and on the left is the scale for adjusting one of the springs.

Maxim

Ogl

15 Machine-gun

Looking down on the top of the breech of a Maxim 08/15 machine-gun. ltwas made in 1917 bythefirm of Siemens and Halske of Berlin.

118

Maxim 08 Machine-gun
The commonest German machine-gun was the
Maxim 08 which was almost the same as the British Vickers. The cartridges were fed in from a long canvas belt which held 250 rounds and which could be joined on to other belts to keep up a steady fire at a

and was water-cooled - the jacket held about 7 quarts (8 litres) of water. Russia also used the same gun and it could be mounted on a tripod, sledge or wheeled carriage. lt was designed by an American, Hiram Maxim, working in Britain.

rate of around 600 rounds a minute. lt was a heavy weapon - weighing about 75-80 pounds (33-aO kg)

119

Maxim MG08/15 Machine-gun

machine-gun, the Another MG08i 15, which means that it is the 1908 model attered in 1915. lt first came into action in 1916. lt was lighter than the 08 and was fitted with a butt

and, although it is not shown here, a pistol butt grip

underneath the breech.

lt

could be fitted with

'1

form of the Maxim

that it could be moved about very easily. ln 918 another model of this machine-gun was produced and it used air instead of water to cool the barrel

drum-shaped magazine to hold a 100-round belt so

120

Maxim Model 1908 Machine-gun

German Maxim Model 1908 machine-gun on the 1908 sled. The stand was so called because it was designed so that it could be dragged over the

ground. The canvas belt which held the cartridoes can be seen and the tubing which carried the wJter to cool the barrel. The gun is fitted with an optical
sight.

lmperial War Museum.

121

Bergmann MP 18, 1 Submachine-gun

Bergmann MP 18, 1 - a German submachine-gun first issued to machine-gun squads in 1918. lt fired a 9 mm bullet at a rate of about 350-450 rounds a

minute. The cartridges were held

in a

magazine which slotted into the channel at the side of the barrel. The barrel is covered with a metal tube cut with a large number of holes to make sure that the air could flow round to keep the barrel as cool as possible.

round

122

Schwarzlose Machine-gun
Austrian Schwarzlose machine-gun on its tripod. lt had a rather unusualtwo-handed grip. lt fired a bullet of .315 diameter in belts of 250 rounds and had a useful range of more than 1500 yards (1350 m). lmperial War Museum.
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i

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ilr Pr

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ba T r-

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ir

laa

Trench Defences
These two Canadian soldiers are standing by two boards captured from Germans during a battle in Flanders in 1917. The boards are covered with caltrops which were three-spiked devices used during
.;,

the Middle Ages. They were scattered on the ground in front of an army to keep off cavalry. Here the Germans had fastened them to boards which could be put into position at any point in or near the trenches where there might be an attack

124

Mortar
The rifle and machine-gun fired small bullets and
artillery fired large shells but there was often a need
The

for a missile somewhere between the two.

answer was a mortar which was a very simple gun, light and easy to move, but one which could throw small shells over a short range. This is the German minenwerfer which could be mounted on a platform or on a wheeled carriage. lt fired a shell 75.85 mm wide and this model had a maximum range of about 1400 yards (1280 m). When mounted on its wheels its range was shorter, only about 950 yards (869 m), but it could be pulled along by a team of four men. lt was fired by pulling the cord at the base.

.a ,,.@. ,.ry

'{f.XXt4e"'

125

iE

Gerrnan Fort
The effect of heavy shell fire was to destroy the ground and all growth. This German fort on the

Menin Road tn 1911 stands surrounded by the stumps of dead trees and churned-up ground

ffi ffi

#
H
:i* yr

Efi

b :-]
i'
:'n

126

German Defences

of 1917 . Despite being bombarded by the Allies, these well-built'pill

Concrete German blockhouse

boxes' suffered very little damage. Often the only way to capture them was to use hand grenades or
f

lame-throwers.

w4,'t:

'iw

{'tA'5.:.,,

W&

lndex

127

Af

rica

Alpine
Arisaka

troops j4

10, 12, 22. 35. 36. aj

73

armo.ur 30, 82,93, 1i3, 114,

rifle

breastplates 3d'. 1 15 British^_cavalry j1,

Black Hand Gano 6 Black Watch Rediment ar

daggers 18,27
b4, Daimler Deccan

Australia 11. 34-. 39. 40 Austrja-Hungary 6, g. 9.

12, 15,4{, ga, rc0,

Artists Rifles Reqiment 57

ni

57, 69 Britjsh ExpeditionaTV Force 13,44 Brilish.troops 6, B, g, 41, 44,

40,

doughboy 37,75
Dragoon Guards

Horse 33

lorry

94

Ue_rlnaly 6, 8, 9. t0 t . 2, \?, 1^5! 22! 53, 59, 6/. 6b,

gas,

porson 6, 7, 92

sth

Baden Reoiment b8 badges 34, 40, 42. 4s. s7

58

Brownlngmachine-qun tsulgaria 6, 1 i. 68 -

tsrowning Automatic

45,48,49,53, 57. 67 80

Rifie

75

lrish _67, oug-ouls 9, 4 /, 6/

Royal Eastern Front 64 East Surrev Reqiment 53 Enfietd riftei (USA) 71 entrenching tools 38

King's

67 57

66, 87, 98, 99, 'Oc, '06, 197., 119, 111, lt2, ii3,

114,115,116,117.121
124, 125, 126
BO, 107

15

barbed

bandoliers 30, 32

grenade crossbow 1 OB Guards Training Battalion 4b Hackney Regiment 57 Hampshire Reqiment 45

grenades 16,70,

Glisenti revolver 96

Ghurkas 34

bayonets 15, 20,36, 31. EO. 51,65,86, 103. 104 Belgium 6, 8, 9, jO. 11. 43.
bt
belts

Bavaria

wire
62

16. 90.91

Caltrop

caps 28, 53, 55

100

Canada 12,73, 123

123

carbines 21, 32, 56. 69. 98

French

47 Bergmann submachine-oun
121

Sam Browne 40, 44. 46.

uerman

5'1

6t)

cavalry 11,12, 18, 30, 32. Central Powers 6 Chauchot machine-qun

zo
Cheshire Reqiment 45 chlorine oas - 6 City of L6ndon Cvcjists E7 Colt pistol 96
1

cartridges 47.101

54
1

fez 12,35 flame-throwers 16 forts 125,126 France 6, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 25, 26, 27,28,29. 30, 32, 39, 42,51, 60,81.
98,99, 105, 106, 109
Francis Ferdinand, Archduke
6

feldmutze 17, 61, 66

helmets 63. 67 Highland Lisht Infantrv aa Hodson's Horse 32

Hungary
6
111

lndia

identirydiscs

bersaglieri

Berthier carbine 98 binoculars 44. 61

14

cyclists 48. 57

Cossacks

gas alarms 92, 93 gas fan 87 gas masks see respirators

Gallipoli

lraly 6, 8, 14, 23. 24.

11

10, 13. 32. 33 lndo-China 25 lron Cross b9. 60

100,114

96

Japan 6.

Jutland, Battle

73

of

128

kepi

28 King's African

Mons, Battle

Rifles 36
57,

lancers 30, 32, 33, 56,

67, 69
Lebel

Morocco

lvlontenegro
31

of
6

rifles 14, 15, 17,20,23,29,

36, 38, 48, 49, 50, 59, t0, 11,72,73,80, 86, 88, 91,
20, 98, 99, 103 Ross rifle 73 Royal Dublin Fusiliers 45 Royal Engineers 80 Royal lrish Lancers 57

submachine-gun, Bergmann

morlar 64, 124

Mosin-Nagant

swords 15, 18, 21, 40,

56,59,69, Syria 32
105

121

47,

Lebel rifle 29, 99, 103 Lee Enfield rifle see SMLE

revolver
10

ritle 17,

97

Motor Machine-Gun Corps 45

mustard

tank
Tank
17,

16.82
57

Leningrad
Lewis 45

gun 16,22,74 Lews, lsaac 74 Lothian & Border Regiment

Loyal North Lancashire Regi-

gas

'16

Russia 6, 8, 10, 11, 13,

72,73, t7,
B7

navies 8, 19, 42 Nepal 34

Netherlands
1
1

ment

Luger

pistol
8

57

New Zealand 38 Nicholas ll. Tsar 8, 10 'Old Contemptibles,

sailors 19, 42 Sam Browne belt see belts

Sarajevo
Schlieffen
9 122 6

tirailleurs 31 trenches 9, 11, 15, 27, 33, 52, 87, 88, 91, 102, 109,
123 trench knives 1 02 trench weapons 78
67

tank masks 82

Corps

97

Plan

I
13, 41

Lusitania

The'

Schwarzlose machine-gun

Tschapka

machin+.guns 9, 11, 13,

122

15,

Palestine 32 periscope 34, 88 Petrograd 10 pickelhaube 12, 14, 15, 58,

P.14

Scottish

16,27,26, 40, 64,74, 116, 117. 118, 119, 120, 121,

Paris

searchlight 89 shashqua
signal
1

troops
8

turban 33 Turkey 6, 8,10,11,14,

45

15

Tyneside Scottlsh Reg j ment

Serbia 6,19,20,21,43

Machine.Gun Corps 40 Manchester Regiment 57 Mannlicher carbine 100 Mannlicher rifle 100 Mame, Battle of 9 Martini rifles 36 Mauser carbine 98 Mauser rifles 14, 59, 98, 103 Maxim gun 9, 15, 64, 76, Tt.7a.116, 117, 118, 119,
':20

rifle

71

pistols 95 ski troops 64

Enfield
rif

U-Boats 8, 1 uniforms 1 1-1

1

pistols 15,96,97 poilu 29, 109

Portugal 6. 22, 81 Prussian Foot Guards 58, 67 P.17 rille 71

61, 62, 67

SN/LE (Short Magazine Lee

70, 13. 80, 86, 91, 99, 103
1

le) 38, 49,

ifor

50,

UnitedStatesof America 6, 8, 14, 15,26,3f , 42, t 1 ,73, t5, 96, 104 Verdun, Battle of 89 Vickers machine-gun 76 Vimy Ridge, Battle of 12

snipers

snow boots 52 Sokolov mount

12

pufiees 14,22, 41
Remounts

gunl

machine-

77

Somme, Battle
South
57

medals 31, 39, 42, 43, 44,

\rroclesex Regiment 57
124 59. 60 \,lioCle East 10

respirators 16, 27, 84,85, A7,92, 110

97

Service

Africa

of
71

87

38,

Springfield
54,

steel helmets 2, 15, 23, 33,

rifle

38
106,

revolvers 15, 27, 44, 47, 96,

Rifle Brigade 49

31, 44, 59, 81, 86,

112,113

webbing 50, 86 Webley revolver 97 Welsh Horse Regiment 45

Wilhelm ll of Germany 6,
63

Western

Front

10, 78, 89

-.etwerter

Steyr pistol 96 Stokes mortar 79

9,

Women's Auxiliary Force 46