The men and women who fight to defend our country definitely deserve the best equipment and technology there is to offer.
These incredible military men and women must always be supported by those of us back home, whether with the proper supplies while they are abroad, or all-important health services when they return.
But I never realized that while there have been a great many good military support ideas throughout history, there have also been some truly strange ones as well…
The Imperial War Museum has recently published a new book by Peter Taylor called Weird War One. In it, they reveal some of the most bizarre ideas that both sides came up with in their attempt to win World War One.
And while many bravely fought and died during the war, these imperfect ideas serve as a reminder of just how important it is to continually think outside the box and create new ideas to support our men and women in uniform.
Scroll through below to see these "weird" World War One ideas. Some of them are truly surprising!
h/t Daily Mail/Imperial War Museum
These bizarre-looking devices were used by the Germans to enhance the sound and flash of enemy artillery. The idea was that they would better be able to determine exactly where enemy fire was coming from.
If it looks like these sailors are wearing mattresses around their bodies, that's because they were taught how to use them as flotation devices in the event that they didn't have access to a lifejacket.
This photo reveals a Navy camp in Seattle, where the morning trumpet wasn't quite loud enough on its own.
We've all heard of carrier pigeons carrying messages. But pigeons were also used as spies, with automatic cameras strapped to their small bodies.
Camouflage is, and always has been, extremely important. This camouflage-covered Turkish sniper was detected by these Allied troops in 1915.
If it looks like these Australians are holding a tank in the air, that's because they are. This dummy tank, however, was actually made of light-weight wood and canvas.
When fighting in a flat area, even a small, makeshift tower like this one in Mesopotamia can be great for reconnaissance.
And as if the pigeons weren't already doing enough work, these messenger pigeons would be dropped via parachutes in enemy territory. Each pigeon had a note asking locals to write down positions of enemy troops before releasing the pigeon.
In the middle of the night, troops would remove trees and replace them with fake ones such as this. Snipers and lookouts would then hide inside, though the canvas exterior did little in the way of protection.
In a large departure from troops on horseback, the Kent Cyclist Battalion traveled together by bicycle.
Though this strange-looking armor probably wasn't great for movement, it was capable of stopping bullets from a machine gun, making it an important tool.
Electricity wasn't always readily available, so sometimes troops would have to pedal quickly in order to generate enough power for communications and light.
While they certainly seem strange, these "out-there" ideas remain a crucial part of the evolution of military strategy and equipment. After all, it sometimes takes a lot of creative ideas to arrive at a really great one.
Have you ever seen anything like these WWI methods? Let us know in the comments.
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