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Question: What effect did pistols have on world war one!?
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hello

well firstly, a pistol shot started the war !.!.!.

Princip fired two shots from a Belgian-made 9x17mm (380 ACP) Fabrique Nationale model 1910 semi-automatic pistol!. (serial number #19074) into , Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg

The pistol, originally designed as a cavalry weapon, was the staple weapon for a variety of personnel during World War One (and beyond)!. Traditionally issued to officers of all armies the pistol was also issued to military police, airmen and tank operators!.

For men involved in the latter professions the pistol was essentially the only weapon that would serve under their unique environments: the cramped conditions of both the tank and aircraft dictated that the rifle - which was otherwise issued to virtually all regular soldiers - was impractical!.

the pistol was useful during "Trench raiding "
-an often brutal feature of trench warfare that came into being in World War I!. It was the practice of making small scale surprise attacks on enemy positions!.

Typically, trench raids were carried out at night by small teams of men who would navigate across no-man's land and infiltrate enemy trench systems before returning to their own lines!. Despite the fact that World War I was the first conflict to be fought by mechanized means, trench raiding was very similar to medieval warfare insofar as it was fought face-to-face and with crude weapons!. Trench raiders were lightly equipped for quiet, speedy, unimpeded movement and armed themselves not only with modern weapons such as pistols, submachine guns and grenades, but also notably with bayonets, knives (including purpose-made trench knives), brass knuckles, and deadly homemade maces and clubs for swift and silent killing!. Trench raiding had multiple purposes!. Typically, the intention would be one or more of the following:

-kill, wound or capture enemy troops!.
-destroy, disable or capture high value materiel eg machine guns such as the MG08!.
-gather intelligence by seizing important documents (eg maps) or enemy officers for interrogation!.
-reconnaissance for a future massed attack during daylight!.
-keep the enemy feeling under threat during night-time hours, thereby reducing their efficiency and morale!.
-maintain aggressiveness in troops by sending them on such missions!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Pistols had little or no effect on World War One!.
The new machine gun, armoured vehicles and the tank had a bigger effect!.
No infantryman was issued with a pistol as this was very much the preserve of the officer!. The British army officer primarily preferred the Webley Mark IV!. This pistol was also issued to personnel in tanks and armoured cars - carrying a rifle would have been useless in such vehicles!. The Webley packed a deadly punch and was reliable and easy to clean - hence its popularity with British officers!. Over 300,000 were distributed to British personnel throughout the duration of the war!. In 1908, the German Army adopted the Luger as a pistol!. Like the Webley, it was reliable and such was its popularity that it became the world's most used pistol!. About 1!.5 million Lugers were produced by Germany from 1914 to 1918!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

To quote my dad, you could not hit the side of a barn with a pistol, even if you were locked in!.Www@QuestionHome@Com