Top 10 World War I facts

Battle of Gallipoli. The first large scale amphibious operations, ones that were to heavily influence theorists in the decades to come, were conducted as part of the Battle of Gallipoli in 1915 against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. the purpose of the battle was to capture the capital of the Ottoman Empire (modern-day Istanbul). Although the naval attack was repelled and the land campaign failed, the campaign was the first modern amphibious landing, and featured air support, specialized landing craft and a naval bombardment.

130 km. The Paris Gun was a German long-range siege gun used to bombard Paris during World War I. The gun was capable of firing a 94 kilogram (210 lb) shell to a maximum altitude of 40 kilometers (25 miles, 131,000 ft). It was the first time for human-made object to reach stratosphere.

Acoustic mirror. Prior to World War II and the invention of radar, acoustic mirrors were built as early warning devices around the coasts of Great Britain, with the aim of detecting airborne invasions. The development of radar put an end to further experimentation with the technique.

Battle of Cambrai. The battle incorporated many of the newer tactics of 1918, in particular tanks. The attack was an overwhelming success with light casualties in an extremely short amount of time.

Around 1 000 000. The Battle of the Somme was fought by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire. More than three million men fought in this battle and one million men were wounded or killed, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

Paris. The Paris Gun was the name given to a type of German long-range siege gun, several of which were used to bombard Paris during World War I. They were in service from March to August 1918. When the guns were first employed, Parisians believed they had been bombed by a high-altitude Zeppelin, as the sound of neither an aeroplane nor a gun could be heard.

Germany. Since 1914, the Allied naval blockade of Germany throttled maritime commerce with Germany, forcing Germany to develop substitutes for products (Ersatz) such as tea composed of ground raspberry leaves or catnip, and coffee substitute using roasted acorns. This process was not limited to food, numerous chemical substitutes such as synthetic rubber were also developed at the time.

Fokker Dr. I. Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, also known as the "Red Baron", was a German fighter pilot during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of the war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories. The Fokker Dr I it became famous as the aircraft in which Manfred von Richthofen gained his last 19 victories, and in which he was killed on 21 April 1918.

A7V. The A7V was a tank introduced by Germany in 1918, during World War I. They were used in action from March to October 1918, and were the only tanks produced by Germany in World War I to be used in combat.

Big Bertha is the name of a type of super-heavy siege artillery developed by the armaments manufacturer Krupp in Germany on the eve of World War I. Its barrel diameter calibre was 420 mm.