Renton

Name: ________________________________ Date: ________ Block: ___

WWI : Technological Innovations

Directions: In groups, read and highlight the primary source you were assigned. Answer the questions that
correspond with your document. You will meet with another group to describe your groups reading.

U-Boats
1. Why were submarines initially considered a useless weapon? __________________________________
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2. How did the Germans solve this problem? _________________________________________________
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3. What is a U-Boat? _____________________________________________________________________
4. What was Germany trying to accomplish with its policy of sinking every ship that tried to get to Britain?
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5. What is the cargo of the ship that is being sunk? ____________________________________________
6. What is the captains feeling at the end of his account? _______________________________________

Tanks
1. Why did the British need a new fighting vehicle? ____________________________________________
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2. Describe the way it felt to be inside of a tank._______________________________________________
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3. What was the result from the first tank battle in history? _____________________________________
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4. How fast could the first primitive tanks move? _____________________________________________
5. In the account given in the primary document, what did the tanks end up doing to their own men on
the lines? ____________________________________________________________________________

Airplanes
1. What were the Reconnaissance Planes used for? ____________________________________________
2. Why were planes needed to attack other planes? ___________________________________________
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3. What was the issue with using machine guns in airplanes?
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4. What invention gave Germans an advantage in August of 1915?
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5. How much training did pilots typically have before flying? _____________________________________
6. How long did pilots generally last? _______________________________________________________
7. How did pilots generally die? ___________________________________________________________
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8. How did many British military leaders feel about the use of parachutes?
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9. Describe the role of aerial warfare in WWI.
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Other Weapons
1. What was the main weapon used by British Soldiers in the trenches? ___________________________
How many rounds could be fired in a minute? _______
2. What other types of guns were used? _____________________________________________________
What was interesting about these guns? __________________________________________
3. What types of gasses were used? __________________________ and __________________________
Why was chlorine gas not used as often? _________________________________________
Describe the effects of Mustard Gas. ____________________________________________
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