The Most Ineffectual Weapon Used In Ww1?

[sandyRoe]

There's an answer to a crossword clue today, 'Flechette', which was a type of dart dropped from aircraft. In its early days of development would a soldier in the trenches have been at more risk of injury from a falling tortoise dropped from the claws of a passing eagle than from a flechette?

[Svejk]

Imagine the fear it induced in men who hadn't seen a car. Can you remember seeing your first car, sandy?

[sandyRoe]

Yes. It was something special. A man with a red flag walked the entire length of Royal Avenue in front of it. Then it broke down in front of the City Hall.

[jno]

tortoises only hit tragedians. Flechettes look quite nasty, actually

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flechette#mediaviewer/File:Image-Flechettes,_probably_French,_c1914,_Royal_Armouries,_Leeds.jpg

But I imagine you'd have to drop quite a lot before you could be sure of hitting anything. I suppose this was in the early days of WW1 before they developed bombs to drop.

[sandyRoe]

Technology has certainly moved on. I remember a promotional film clip on Tomorrows World, probably supplied by the arms industry, which showed a bomb which opened in the air and scattered hundreds of small anti-personnel bomblets over an area bigger than a football field.