Trench Warfare World War I, otherwise known as The Great War, is considered by many as the first modern war. Poison gas, heavy artillery, armored tanks, mortars, ground breaking military guns, advancement in war machinery, and shell bombardments were all newly utilized weapons that caused mass destruction that was never seen before at the time. However, a lot of deaths and conflict occurred in the man-made trenches. Both strenuous and unproductive, living and fighting in the trenches cost soldiers who endured them both severe physical and psychological injuries. Most soldiers were not even lucky enough to make it out of the trenches alive. All Quiet on the Western Front portrays an accurate picture of trench warfare and how gruesome it was. The use of trenches in The Great War was to protect soldiers while they moved positions and to exchange fire across an empty zone labeled as No Man’s Land. However, as Jennifer D. Keene explains, no soldier ever spent the entire war in the trenches. Troops rotated between the trenches, reserve, or rest areas, which were located in the rear. Keene goes on to tell that the normal rotation duration for soldiers on the line was for three weeks and the duration for behind the line was for one week, however, that time could vary depending on whether a unit was in training or if there was not enough replacement troops at the time (“American Soldiers and Trench Warfare”). Troops, although not always on the front line, were never completely
The trenches in World War 1 could be muddy and smelly. There was many dead bodies buried nearby. The toilets would overflow into the trenches occasionally. Millions of rats that grew the size of cats would infest the trenches, and lice would bother the soldiers every day. The trenches were long skinny ditches that were dug into the ground by the soldiers. Soldiers lived in these trenches all day and night. And would protect the soldiers. Trench warfare reached its highest development on the western front when armies of men faced each other in a line of trenches. The western front extended from the Belgian coast through to northern eastern France to Switzerland. Trenches were not an enjoyable place to be.
In addition to new protection from trenches came new war technologies such as machine guns, artillery, barbed wire, and various machines. In 1914, the modern Gatling gun was perfected into a gas-powered, water cooled war machine that only needed two men to operate it. When airplanes were added into the mix of destruction, both sides hastily flew into the air to claim the skies. With the amount of planes from the German and Allied sides being sent up into the sky became what is now known as the Flying Circus. Then as if the new guns, wires, and death machines weren't enough, poison gas was created by the Germans but soon back fired. This is because gas can spread throughout the air very quickly, resulting in both sides having the defects from
Imagine standing in thick mud, surrounded by dirt walls. Artillery shells could be heard crashing into the ground as fellow soldiers were blown up in close proximity. Moaning from the wounded filled the air. Fear and panic were abundant as the soldiers employed methodical tasks they had learned in their training. A quick glance over the parapet showed the brutality of war, as this is the day-to-day life of a soldier in the trenches. During World War I new scientific know how allowed for the development and introduction of numerous types of weaponry for use in battle. Advancements of technology during World War I led to a higher number of casualties than what was otherwise possible. The technologies included guns, tanks, explosives, barbed wire, and poison gas.
The trenches were quite a terrifying place to be, the conditions were immense, unhygienic and brutal. The trenches were a key defence strategy implemented by the British and the Germans. For 4 years in the First World War the two sides inflicted onslaught upon each other ruthlessly on an industrial scale. The trenches were demoralising, horrifying and left strong men traumatized. Many men suffered and had to stand the strain of many unbearable illnesses both physical and mental; trench foot, trench fever, paranoia, pneumonia etc. There was “shell-shock” a term given to men who lost their wits. Some men got severe depression and also some soldiers got so fed up of life in the trenches which
Due to the Great War’s seemingly endless stalemate, troops experienced extended periods of downtime in between offensives, and could subsequently allow troops to dwell on their anxieties and traumas. To improve trench conditions and stave off the idleness of trench life, busy routines and drills were established. Although routines varied, they typically consisted of troops cleaning their
Millions of soldiers in World War I died needlessly because military leaders failed or were to slow to adapt their old-fashioned strategies and tactics to the new weapons introduced into the war. The war was predominantly fought with trench warfare. Although trenches were used in ancient and medieval warfare, in the American Civil War, and in the Russo-Japanese Wad, they did not become important until World War I. Technological developments in engineering, chemistry, and optics had produced weapons much more deadly than anything soldiers
In World War 1 trench warfare could be shown as terrible but amazing at the same time. Trench Warfare could be viewed as good because twisted trenches made within WWl could prevent bombings due to the zigzag shape shape of them it would be hard to bomb them, but it would also make deaths within them easier than usual too due to the fact that grenades could be thrown in and kill many soldiers at once. Deaths included grenades, bombings, bullets, etc. In a close area it is a lot easier for deaths to happen. Diseases, new technology, and the dampness of trenches among sides caused mass deaths among the soldiers in war during this time which could argue was trench warfare actually good.
Trenches were never dug in a straight line but rather in a zigzag pattern. This was done to prevent enemies from being able to shoot straight down the trench. The front wall of a trench was known as the parapet and was lined with sandbags. The back wall of the trench, or parados, was also lined with sandbags. A few sandbags were also stacked above ground level to provide extra protection. Ledges were often built into trenches to allow soldiers to step up and peek out of the trench. They usually had to look out through a peephole in the sandbags. Trench walls had to be reinforced with logs, branches, and sand bags to prevent the walls from collapsing due to constant
Trench warfare was in fact mainly used in World War I during 1914 and spanned for almost another 6 years thereafter. Conditions in the trenches were dreadful, people died from illness, trenches were flooded, and an immersion foot syndrome known as trench foot was on the rise. Though the toll of dead and injured mounted throughout both wars, World War II evidently towers over World War I for its mass genocide of the human race. Although both wars were caused by similar problems, there are many more similarities and differences between the two that one may point out and inspect; matters such as the numerous casualties and the way the wars transpired over the course of time.
Soldiers in the trenches lived night and day in fear of their life. Conditions in the trenches were far from sanitary. Trench life was unlike anything anyone has ever seen before. Trench warfare is not a new idea. The idea dates back as far as the American Civil War.
Trenches are a type of combat in which opposing troops fight from trenches facing each other. Trench warfare had been around for 100s of years before, but became huge during the Great War; the great is showing the large scale of conflict throughout the war. It was a war right after the turn of the century, between the new technologies, landscape of the land, and strategies used by each side trenches became an essential. This war did a lot more damage than anyone could have imagined. World War 1 was fought like no other war.
On the Western front trench warfare was commonly used to protect the soldiers from enemy fire. Although, it protected soldiers it did not move the war along thus leaving the war at a stalemate. In between the two fighting armies laid No Man's land, No Man’s land was pocked with shell holes and dead rotting humans. No Man's land was feared by every soldier only when the soldiers were ordered to “go over the top” of the trenches was when people ventured into No Man’s
the trenches were narrow open tunnels that were used protect troops from enemy fire and to transport troops to the front life. They were originally dug in straight lines but this was changed a pattern of zigzags for a number of reasons. Some of these seasons included to prevent the enemy from firing down the length of the trenches killing large numbers of soldiers and to prevent gas attacks from spreading down the length of the trenches. Trenches were on the front line and they were most dangerous place to be in world war one. Behind the trenches on the front line were a mass supply of reinforcement troops, training camps, stores and workshops. For 450 men to build 250 metres of trenches it took 6 hours. These 6 hours did not include adding the board walks, barb wire and sandbags. Trench warfare consisted of three lines of trenches generally two
Firstly, living virtually underground was a dark, murky, often freezing and miserable living. The trenches were thick enough to hide a man's head toward sniper fire, so they were dug deep underground and dug by hand. Rains made the walkways a difficulty. Rats bred and spread infection at all times because all the men's meals were also below ground. Shells fell most commonly into the trenches, causing massive losses and the destruction of trench walls and the underground living quarters. Perhaps the cruellest features of Trench Warfare was at the start of a major battle when the troops were ordered 'Over The Top' to attack the opposing trenches. They had to advance through heavy automated machine gun fire and exploding shells, all through mazes
Warfare in the trenches is a scene of horror, from dying men to rats the size of cats, mustard gas, barbed wire, and shell holes. We have a set routine living in the trenches however it is very hard. We have to worry about the diseases, such as trench foot, many men have lost feet because of this horrid disease. One of the worst parts about trench warfare is the weaponry we have to face, weaponry such as the mustard gas. Mustard gas is so hazardous to our men it can result in burns and blisters all over the body. It also causes some men to go blind or makes their eyelids stick together. When mustard gas gets in our men’s throats they start start to swell and close up. I miss my family and my home. I can’t wait to get home if I ever make it