Trench Warfare in World War 1

TRENCH WARFARE

Trenches
Trenches were long, narrow ditches dug into the ground where soldiers lived all day and night. They were used for protection so that the soldiers could take cover in a bunker -like area. Trenches were hardly a new idea or unique to the great war. It was widely practiced in recent wars such as the American Civil War and the Russo-Japanese War. At first, trenches were only built temporarily for cover, but beginning at the Battle of Aisne (1914, click link for more), the trenches began to become permanent. In result of successive moves to outflank the enemy, the trenches began to become larger and larger until they were continuous, covering some 400 miles from Switzerland to the North Sea.

                                         http://www.historyonthenet.com/ww1/trenches.htm     

Above is a diagram of an average trench layout. In front is the front line. The front line was almost always under fire and was very dangerous. There were sandbags and barbed wire for protection in front of the trench. This line was rarely straight because it follows a contour that is natural to the land, allowing for better defense. This front line was always dug out into sections. Therefore, if a front line was exploded by a shell, or overrun by the enemy only a section would be affected.  Behind it was a similarly made support line. There were often dugouts in these lines for shelter, telephone, or other uses. Dugouts were protective holes dug out of the sides of trenches. They could fit about three to four people. "No man's land" was the name of the space between two opposing trenches. (For more on terms like "no man's land" and "dugout", that started in World War 1 and popularized into modern day expressions, click here.)Because of the layout of the average trench, capturing an enemy's trench was difficult due to the fact that the trench now had to be turned around in order to effectively defend. 

                                      https://www.flickr.com/photos/glosters/4855804169/




Life in the Trenches

In busy areas, shellfire from the enemy would lead to random death along men who were simply lounging in the trench or dugout.Novices were told not to peer over the parapet into no man's land. Many casualties occurred on a soldiers first day in the trenches because of this. About one third of the allied deaths occurred in the trenches.

Millions of rats infested the trenches every day. There were brown and black rats, but the brown rats were more feared by the soldiers. They were known to feast of remains human flesh and could grow to the size of cats. These rats scared and annoyed the soldiers by doing things such as running on there faces at night. The soldiers would attempted to get rid of them via methods such as shooting, stabbing, or even clubbing. This however was virtually useless due to the fact that a single rat could produce u to 900 offspring per year. These would rats would spread diseases to the soldiers on top of tormenting them.

                                           https://www.pinterest.com/pin/566468459354344136/

Lice was also very prevalent. They caused infection and nuisance as well. Lice caused a disease called Trench Fever. Trench Fever was a painful disease that began suddenly with severe pain and was followed by a high fever. The trenches were also fill of frogs, slugs, and horned beetles to make matters worse. Trench Foot was a fungal disease called by cold, wet feet. Trench Foot would often end in amputation.

The cycle of soldiers along the trenches became known as the trench cycle. A soldier would spend a short period of time at the front line, rotate to support lines, and then reserved lines. this would be followed by a period of rest.

For the most part, both sides' days went about the same. The soldiers would awake to something called a "stand to" which would happen at dawn. They would then often be given rum to clean their rifles and other supplies. They would have breakfast next, which would also mean an unofficial truce would be made while the soldier ate breakfast, This truce would extend to wagons carrying food.

Once breakfast was over, the platoon commander or company would inspect the soldiers. After the inspections, daily chores would be done. These daily chores included the refilling of sandbags, the repair of duckboards on the floor of the trench, and the draining of the trenches.

Due to snipers, movement was very restricted until nighttime. At dusk they would take care of supplies and maintenance. The trenches would be very active at nighttime. Soldiers would travel into no man's land to repair barriers and revive wounded soldiers.

But, aside from all of these other traits of the trenches, the most infamous trait was the smell. The smell could be smelt from far away. It was a combination of 200,000 dead bodies, poisonous gas, cigarette smoke, food, rotten sandbags, and much more.

                                              http://fc.greensboroday.org/~ldrewicz/APEuro

THE IMPACT OF TRENCHES IN WW1

World War 1, with the first appearance of modern day weapons, was mostly a defensive war. The fact that it was a defensive war made trenches very prevalent because militaries wanted to effectively protect their troops.  The map above illustrates the almost steady fronts of World War 1. These fronts include the Western Front, the Eastern Front, the Italian Front, and the Balkan Front. These were primarily were the trenches were  built. The trenches would usually be as long as the actual fronts themselves.

The Germans were known for working hard in building there trenches; making sure that it was dry, not too uncomfortable, and occasionally having electricity and running water. The British and French, however, not expecting to be there long, did not spend nearly as much time into building there trenches. This led to wetter, muddier, more disease filled trenches.







TRENCHES TODAY......

                               http://www.history.com/photos/world-war-i-trench-warfare
                                  

Works Cited

Duffy, Michael, ed. "Life in the Trenches." First World War. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 
     Mar. 2015. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/trenchlife.htm>

"Life on the Front Line." BBC World War One. BBC, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. 
     <http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/0/ww1/25626530>.

"In the Trenches." The Long Long Trail. Milverton Associates Ltd, n.d. Web. 31 
     Mar. 2015. <http://www.1914-1918.net/intrenches.htm>.