They had to cut through belts of barbed wire before they could use rifles, bayonets, pistols, and hand grenades to capture enemy positions. When attacks were ordered, Allied soldiers went “over the top,” climbing out of their trenches and crossing no-man’s-land to reach enemy trenches. The power of defensive weapons made winning the war on the western front all but impossible for either side. Technological developments in engineering, metallurgy, chemistry, and optics had produced weapons deadlier than anything known before. The popular image of World War I is soldiers in muddy trenches and dugouts, living miserably until the next attack. The United States and other countries felt the effects of the war for years afterwards. New technology made war more horrible and more complex than ever before. One of the saddest facts about World War I is that millions died needlessly because military and civilian leaders were slow to adapt their old-fashioned strategies and tactics to the new weapons of 1914. Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, NC Museum of History Reprinted with permission from Tar Heel Junior Historian, Spring 1993.
