What Problems Did the Soldiers and Their Families Face?
A number of variety problems were faced by the soldiers and their families whilst they were fighting in the war and continued when the men and women returned from fighting.
Problems the troops would have faced when fighting in the war:-
The effects the weapons had on the troops;
Bullets: The troops were all given ammunition in their pack to shoot the enemy which consisted of magazines and bullets. Clearly the effect a bullet would have on a soldier would depend on where he/she was hit and how far away medical aid was to help the wounded man or woman. The effects could be the loss of a limb, or just a puncture or in worst case death. (Aziz Ezzat, 2012)
Mortar: A Mortar is a high explosives projectile shooter which allows the troops to fire at the enemy and the explosives are shot into the air and land on the enemy from above. It is put on an angle and the explosives are dropped into the barrel and then fired. The hit of a mortar round can be deadly and can kill the troops or seriously injure them. (Duffy, 2009)(Aziz Ezzat, 2012)
Gas Bombs: Several types of gasses were used during World War 1. One in particular was called "Tear gas" which has symptoms that make your eyes water, be irritate and cause temporary blindness in some cases. Mustard gas was used and had the ability to form blisters on the affected skin and if inhaled in the lungs as well. This could prove very painful to the affected and seriously injure the troops in battle. The worst feared and rightfully so was the poison gas which contained Phosgene and chlorine. If the troops were to inhale the toxic chemicals they would die of suffocation and severe burning of the lungs in the chest. A total of 20 different types of gas bombs were used during the war, some worse than others primarily to kill but more than often they were used to irritate or make it harder for the troops to fight. (Poison Gas And World War)(Chemical Weapons In World War 1, 2013)
Artillery: The artillery guns in World War 1 were cumbersome to operate, had poor accuracy and was difficult to reload because it took so long. If the troops were lucky enough and managed to get a direct hit into the opposing sides trench the damage would be devastating to the affected side. Injuries that were sustained could be death or serious injuries to the affected men and women.(Aziz Ezzat, 2012)
The psychological problems that the troops would have faced during the war would be tremendous. The fact that a human has to kill another human in order to survive is morally incorrect however for most soldiers it must be done in order to survive. Most of the troops would have suffered from a problem called PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Symptoms of PTSD is re-experiencing the traumatic event that started the stress or flashbacks, nightmares, difficulty falling or staying asleep, hyper vigilance and many more symptoms that would have affected the soldiers. If the soldiers were able to seek medical aid they would most likely be pulled from service and would return home. If the affected troops went home they would have the ongoing symptoms whilst at home. This would affect the man or woman experiencing PTSD and may have consequences that would follow such as unable to work due to no sleep or unable to work at home because he/she is to worried or something may remind them of an experience in war.(Melinda Smith,M.A., Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., 2013)
There are also the psychological problems such as losing a limb in battle and returning home the affected may not be able to earn an income because he/she has lost their limb and needs it to work. Therefore the family would have no money and therefore be begging or leave them in a bad way. The loss of a limb may make the wounded fell shamed or useless these are also signs and symptoms of PTSD.(Melinda Smith,M.A., Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., 2013)
Problems the troops would have faced when fighting in the war:-
- The weapons that were used in the World War 1 were rifles, pistols, tanks, machine guns, artillery guns, flame-throwers, barb wire, bayonets or knives, gas bombs and air planes. These weapons were essential tools which were given to the troops to use for fighting the enemy, however some of the troops modified the weapons that they had been given to make new weapons such as push knives. Gruesome stories have been told of tools that were meant to be used for other sources of work were used for killing such as the axe/hatchet or spade. (List of infantry weapons of World War I, 2013) (Aziz Ezzat, 2012)
The effects the weapons had on the troops;
Bullets: The troops were all given ammunition in their pack to shoot the enemy which consisted of magazines and bullets. Clearly the effect a bullet would have on a soldier would depend on where he/she was hit and how far away medical aid was to help the wounded man or woman. The effects could be the loss of a limb, or just a puncture or in worst case death. (Aziz Ezzat, 2012)
Mortar: A Mortar is a high explosives projectile shooter which allows the troops to fire at the enemy and the explosives are shot into the air and land on the enemy from above. It is put on an angle and the explosives are dropped into the barrel and then fired. The hit of a mortar round can be deadly and can kill the troops or seriously injure them. (Duffy, 2009)(Aziz Ezzat, 2012)
Gas Bombs: Several types of gasses were used during World War 1. One in particular was called "Tear gas" which has symptoms that make your eyes water, be irritate and cause temporary blindness in some cases. Mustard gas was used and had the ability to form blisters on the affected skin and if inhaled in the lungs as well. This could prove very painful to the affected and seriously injure the troops in battle. The worst feared and rightfully so was the poison gas which contained Phosgene and chlorine. If the troops were to inhale the toxic chemicals they would die of suffocation and severe burning of the lungs in the chest. A total of 20 different types of gas bombs were used during the war, some worse than others primarily to kill but more than often they were used to irritate or make it harder for the troops to fight. (Poison Gas And World War)(Chemical Weapons In World War 1, 2013)
Artillery: The artillery guns in World War 1 were cumbersome to operate, had poor accuracy and was difficult to reload because it took so long. If the troops were lucky enough and managed to get a direct hit into the opposing sides trench the damage would be devastating to the affected side. Injuries that were sustained could be death or serious injuries to the affected men and women.(Aziz Ezzat, 2012)
The psychological problems that the troops would have faced during the war would be tremendous. The fact that a human has to kill another human in order to survive is morally incorrect however for most soldiers it must be done in order to survive. Most of the troops would have suffered from a problem called PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Symptoms of PTSD is re-experiencing the traumatic event that started the stress or flashbacks, nightmares, difficulty falling or staying asleep, hyper vigilance and many more symptoms that would have affected the soldiers. If the soldiers were able to seek medical aid they would most likely be pulled from service and would return home. If the affected troops went home they would have the ongoing symptoms whilst at home. This would affect the man or woman experiencing PTSD and may have consequences that would follow such as unable to work due to no sleep or unable to work at home because he/she is to worried or something may remind them of an experience in war.(Melinda Smith,M.A., Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., 2013)
There are also the psychological problems such as losing a limb in battle and returning home the affected may not be able to earn an income because he/she has lost their limb and needs it to work. Therefore the family would have no money and therefore be begging or leave them in a bad way. The loss of a limb may make the wounded fell shamed or useless these are also signs and symptoms of PTSD.(Melinda Smith,M.A., Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., 2013)