Light artillery was used in the initial stages on the Western Front such as the French 75-mm field gun, however with time technological developments allowed Germany to develop heavier guns of greater range and more destructive power such as the Big Bertha; however its effectiveness was limited as their immense weight, which meant that rail transport was needed to move them. Shells were used as a way to break through enemy lines of barbed wire, they were extremely dangerous as thin pieces of shrapnel could penetrate deep into the skin and inflict serious wounds. High velocity bullets from machine guns and rifles caused the second most damage as shown in Source A (ii) (33.93%), Rifles were initially used in 1914, and most had a range of 500 meters, and they were deadly in the hands of trained troops. The machine gun was an excellent defensive weapon, with its range between 500 and 1000m it could wipe out hundreds of advancing troops. The machine gun was heavy to move. later in the war lighter versions were introduced such as the British Lewis light machine gun. Weaponry also ventured into the chemical and biological areas. Source A (ii), shows that chemical substances from gassing caused 16 822 deaths. Gas often caused real panic, however unreliable as changes in wind direction meant it could blow it back onto the attacking side. There were several types of gas including chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas. Mustard gas could burn the skin and caused sever breathing problems. Gasses were a deadly weapon that could burn, blind and suffocate. Gradually defenses against gasses were developed, in 1915 urine-soaked cloths sufficed, but until late 1918 effective gas masks were used. .
Source B, is a memoir published in 1920 written by General Ludendorff. The source provides information of tactics, weapons, the emotions of the men and the conditions on the battle fields. He refers to the mud as unbearable "Mud filled .
