Tanks were developed by the British Army as a mechanical solution to the trench warfare stalemate. On an unsuspecting enemy, Britain unleashed its new secret weapon - the tank. The new improvements were epitomized in the French 75-millimetre field gun; it remained motionless during firing, and it was not necessary to readjust the aim in order to bring sustained fire on a target. design." As the war progressed all sides developed ever more lethal gases including chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas. A large portion of the U.S. soldiers and sailors tasked with the controversial intervention in the Russian Civil War were armed with American made Mosin-Nagants, something that undoubtedly simplified logistics when it came to spare parts and ammunition. While they may not be enshrined in small town statues or immortalized in film being held by the square-jawed doughboy, they allowed the United States to quickly mass critical resources overseas and help bring about the end of World War I. The First Battle of Ypres (20 October-22 November 1914) marked the end of open and mobile warfare on the Western Front. This led to the adoption of a slightly modified British P14 Enfield rifle, re-chambered for the U.S. standard Model 1906 cartridge (.30-'06 Sprg.) A mortar is essentially a miniature artillery piece, capable of launching small-calibre explosives over short distances. The Lee-Enfield was not as effective as a semi-automatic, but with a ten-round magazine and a quick bolt action, it was far better for rapid-fire than the German Kar 98K Mauser Unfortunately, British rifle training emphasised pinpoint accuracy rather than volume of fire. On Aug. 23, 1917, an officer from the Small Arms Division of the Ordnance Department instructed the commanding officer of the Rock Island Arsenal to "put into good condition" the 2,927 unserviceable Trapdoor Springfield rifles on hand at the arsenal. Initially aircraft carried outartillery spotting and photographic reconnaissance. The rifle was standard issue for infantrymen from each country. Even though it was an agricultural invention, barbed wire made an effective defence. The Maschinengewehr 08 or MG08 was capable of firing hundreds of 7.92mm rounds a minute at ranges in excess of two kilometres. World War I - Military technology and initial strategies Instead, Brig. Although many defenders were killed by the explosions.