1. Germans were the first to use flamethrowers in WWI. Their flamethrowers could fire jets of flame as far as 130 feet (40 m).2. More than 65 million men from 30 countries fought in WWI. Nearly 10 million died. The Allies (The Entente Powers) lost about 6 million soldiers. The Central Powers lost about 4 million.3. Nearly 2/3 of military deaths in WWI were in battle. In previous conflicts, most deaths were due to disease.4. In August 1914, German troops shot and killed 150 civilians at Aerschot. The killing was part of a war policy known as Schrecklichkeit (“frightfulness”). Its purpose was to terrify civilians in occupied areas so they would not rebel.5. During WWI, British tanks were initially categorized into “males” and “females.” Male tanks had cannons, while females had heavy machine guns.6. “Little Willie” was the first prototype tank in WWI. Built-in 1915, it carried a crew of three and could travel as fast as 3 mph (4.8 km/h).7. Artillery barrages and mines created immense noise. In 1917, explosives blowing up beneath the German lines on Messines Ridge at Ypres in Belgium could be heard in London 140 miles (220 km) away.8. The Pool of Peace is a 40-ft (12-m) deep lake near Messines, Belgium. It fills a crater made in 1917 when the British detonated a mine containing 45 tons of explosives.
Richthofen remains perhaps the most widely known fighter pilot of all time
9. The most successful fighter pilot of the entire war was German fighter pilot Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (1892-1918), or the "Red Baron." He shot down 80 planes, more than any other WWI pilot. He died after being shot down near Amiens. France's René Fonck (1894-1953) was the Allies’ most successful fighter pilot, shooting down 75 enemy planes.10. During WWI, dogs were used as messengers and carried orders to the front lines in capsules attached to their bodies. Dogs were also used to lay down telegraph wires.MORE FACTS ABOUT WWII AND WWI
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