50 Shocking Facts about World War 1 – Part 3

- Sponsored Links -

26Trench Warfare

Trench Warfare

The trenches on the western front of World War 1 from the North Sea all the way down to Switzerland were dug in only just over a month in the race to the sea when the allies and the axis powers kept trying to outflank each other.


27. To raise war bonds during World War 1, the United States transported a captured U-Boat (donated by the British) to Central Park in New York City. It was renamed “U-Buy-A-Bond.”


28. During World War 1, people in England started wearing pajamas, originally spelled “pyjamas,” instead of nightgowns so that they would always be prepared to run outside in public in case of an air raid.


29. Planes in World War 1 used a “Synchronization Gear” to prevent the bullets fired from the machine gun mounted behind the propeller from hitting it.


30. During World War 1, a team of miners secretly dug tunnels under the German trenches to plant and detonate mines. These detonations in France were sometimes so loud that they were often heard in London, 140 miles away.


Latest FactRepublic Video:
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History


31Rubber For Binoculars

Rubber For Binoculars

During World War 1, the British and German governments agreed to trade British rubber for German binoculars so that both sides could kill each other more effectively.


32. During the Siege of Przemysl in World War 1, daily announcements were issued in 15 different languages due to the ethnic diversity of the Austro-Hungarian inhabitants.


33. World War 1 was a fragmented war. The range of casualties due artillery and mortar fragments was as high as 70% to 95%. Steel fragments do not come at soldiers like a rifle or machine-gun bullets. Nearly all of them move at less than 1,000 feet per second.


34. There were two pandemics running together during World War 1. One was the Spanish Flu and the other one was Encephalitis Lethargica. It affected 5 million and killed over 1.5 million of them. Patients suffering from it were conscious yet not fully awake. They would sit motionless, totally lacking initiative, affect, or desire. They registered the inputs with profound indifference.


35. During the Battle of Lake Tanganyika in World War 1, the Royal Navy essentially dragged a flotilla overland to check German dominance of a strategically important African lake.


- Sponsored Links -

36Battle of Passchendaele

Battle of Passchendaele

Before the battle of Passchendaele during World War 1, 3,000 guns bombarded German lines in 10 days with over 4.25 million shells fired.


37. During World War 1, German Army uniforms were made mainly of nettles due to shortages of cotton.


38. During World War 1, Imperial Germany built two submarines (Deutschland and Bremen) in order to pass through the blockade of the Entente to trade with the still neutral United States.


39. During World War 1, Germany attempted to preclusively purchase every hydraulic press in the US for the next 2 years to limit artillery shell production.


40. During World War 1, water and sanitary carts, manufactured by the Furphy family, became popular as a place where soldiers exchanged gossip, often when visiting the latrines. So, furphy is now used as an informal Australian slang for an untrue and absurd rumour or story.


- Sponsored Links -

41World War 1 Propaganda

World War 1 Propaganda

World War 1 was the first war in which mass media and propaganda played a significant role. It was one of the keys to convincing people to fight in the war. At the start of the war, the British cut Germany’s undersea cables to influence the reporting of the war to the world.


42. Because of resistance to change, the French army entered World War 1 with traditional uniforms that included blue coats and red pants. These highly visible uniforms took some of the blame as the French suffered heavy losses, and they were soon replaced with blue-grey uniforms.


43. By the end of World War 1, the Canadian Corps had a reputation as an army of “no mercy” because so many of them executed surrendering Germans instead of taking them as a prisoner.


44. During World War 1, men in New Zealand were required to wear arm badges in public distinguishing enlistment status.


45. During World War 1, the L-Class US submarines had masts and sails which were used instead of the onboard electric motor, when the sub surfaced.


46New Zealand Military

New Zealand Military

During World War 1, New Zealand raised an army of 100,000 men, from a population of just over a million people.


47. During World War 1, gas masks for horses were created.


48. During World War 1, two damaged destroyers, the Nubian and the Zulu were joined together to create HMS Zubian.


49. During the final armistice of World War 1, 74 German warships were rounded up in Scapa Flow by Great Britain. Not wanting them seized, a German Admiral orchestrated the sinking of the fleet. On the 21st of June 1919, 52 of the 74 warships were sunk by their crew.


50. During World War 1, whales were often mistaken for U-Boats by airships.

1
2
- Sponsored Links -

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here