The technology of WWI shaped the way warfare would be forever fought from there on out in the modern era. During this time period countries were not only in a war but also a race to see who could build the best technology in a certain field. Many new technologies were mastered including long range artillery, Gatling guns, gas, and submarine warfare.

     Long range artillery during this time period revolutionized the battlefield and allowed long range shells to be launched with explosive qualities killing the enemies in their trenches. The most massive of these new machines was the Paris gun: a cannon capable of firing over 75 miles and 2 miles into the stratosphere making it the most deadly. This cannon had a barrel that was several hundred feet long that would make it seem like cities were being bombed.  Probably the most important of this new artillery was the mortar that would fire long and hit its mark relatively accurately killing many who would be grouped together by the machine gun fire from the new Gatling guns.

     Gatling guns revolutionized warfare in a way we had never seen: rapid fire weapons that could take out enemies with surprising accuracy from a distance, making them deadly killing machines. The Gatling gun was made by an American inventor who tried to sell them to the American Army, but was rejected, so he sold them to almost every country in Europe involved in the war. These guns also made it possible for airplanes to start engaging in dog fights by putting the machine guns on the nose of the plane. They found that an easy solution to some problems caused by the machine gun could be fixed with a interrupter gear invented by a Dutch inventor. These Gatling guns were also used to group soldiers together and then take them out with either the bullets themselves, mortars, or even gas.

                Gas was used during WWI, but not as heavily as other weaponry such as the Gatling gun and the artillery. Since the gas had to effectively permeate the air to be of any use against soldiers, the gas couldn’t reach its full potential because certain war laws prohibited the use of shells filled with toxic or harmful gas. Gases eventually made their way into grenade form and were dropped from planes as well. The gases used varied in specifics, but famous chemicals used in this time period include chlorine gas and mustard gas. As with any good innovation, there was a counter, and for gas it was the gas mask. This mask was heavy and hot, but was completely capable of saving your life. Gas was never able to reach its full potential during WWI due to laws and even weather conditions, but the submarine went miles in terms of its development and use during the war.

                Submarines were deadly killers that would lie in wait for passing ships or hunt them down; they could even be used for stealthy reconnaissance missions or cut off supply lines to the enemy. All of these things could be done with the submarine and its torpedoes that would blow up ships and stay completely safe for the most part. Depth charges were invented to help aid ships against submarines; they would explode at a certain depth hopefully blowing up the submarine. The submarines would run on diesel while above water and electricity below because if they ran diesel underwater the fumes would kill the entire crew. With the German U-boats, one of the more deadly subs for the time, things got a little out of hand especially when they sank the Lusitania, a supply ship going from Britain to America. However,  the Germans were unaware of the presence of American passengers aboard the ship. This led to later American intervention and the eventual end of the war. Therefore, submarines helped goat the war on, yet also brought it to a close by forcing America to enter the war.

                The new technologies involved in the first world war shaped how wars are fought today, especially the Gatling gun, which led to machine guns, artillery, which led to better cannons to be made, gas, which became further perfected, and submarines, which were added upon to be more spacious and even more deadly. These new technologies allowed warfare to be conducted in a whole new way that forced commanders to think of brand new strategies to win the war.