World War I yielded a drastic jump in the technological advances and weaponry. The reason: for the sole purpose of killing and killing effectively. Another new tactic was trenches. Opposing sides would dig trenches that stretched for miles, an intersecting network that all connected. This led to a greater need for efficient weapons that could quickly deliver firepower to harm the opposing side.

Trenches were used as cover against the firepower revolution. They served as battlefronts that slowed the advances of an army or simply as defense. Front-line trenches were usually about seven feet deep and six feet wide. The front of the trench was known as the parapet. The top two or three feet of the parapet and the parados (the rear side of the trench) would consist of a thick line of sandbags to absorb any bullets or shell fragments. In a trench of this depth...