![]() ![]() It is quite commonly accepted that the British infantry underwent its baptism of fire in World War I at Mons in 1914, and its bloodiest battle was the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Historians report that poisons (rye ergot, hellebore root, curare) were used in most of wars and military conflicts that occurred through the ages. Chemical weapons during WW1 Early 20th century chemical weapons Since the antiquity, chemical and biological weapons have been used in combat. Critically, they were also taught to distinguish between British military uniforms and those of the enemy. The respirator offered a first line of defense against the gas. Let’s take a look at the WW1 gas mask history. They uncomplainingly wore restrictive gas masks. In late 1916, the respirator was introduced by the British with the purpose to provide reliable protection against chlorine and phosgene gas. It is worth adding that at the end of 1918, the British army had a total of 3.82 million soldiers formed in 70 divisions. The small box respirator was the initial compact version of the recent gas mask. The tactics of British infantry in the course of the war clearly changed and evolved - from emphasizing the fire of a single infantryman, through attack with a tyralier, to the use in 1918 of the most flexible tactics of attack with the maximum use of machine guns and grenades. The field artillery units, on the other hand, most often used 84 mm 18-pounder guns. During the course of the war, the successful light Lewis machine guns were introduced on a large scale. The primary weapon of the British infantryman was the Lee Enfield Mark III Short Magazine rifle. In addition, there were support units in the form of artillery units, sappers, medical and supplies. ![]() For example, the 27th Infantry Division formed in 1914 consisted of three, and from 1915, four infantry brigades. As in other European armies at that time, the basic organizational unit at the tactical and operational level was the division. Colours have been the focus of some of the most bitter fighting and magnificent acts of heroism in British Army history. However, the realities of World War I led to the introduction of general conscription in Great Britain in January 1916, which led to a significant increase in the size of the British armed forces - including infantry. She was undoubtedly excellently trained and put a lot of emphasis on shooting training. the introduction of khaki uniforms), equipment and weapons. It is worth adding that the army underwent considerable changes after the Second Boer War (1899-1902), which concerned uniforms (e.g. At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the entire British army, including infantry, consisted of volunteers and numbered around 250,000.
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