Trench Warfare

Death and disease were omnipresent in the trenches. The health and the living conditions in the trenches were one of the biggest issues faced in World War one. Diseases in the trenches killed more soldiers than bombardment or bullets. Scraps of discarded food, empty tins and other waste, the nearby presence of the latrine, the general dirt of living half underground and being not able to wash or change for a considerable length of time or weeks on end created conditions of severe health risk (1914-1918.net, 2014). The unsanitary living conditions not only caused several health problems but this caused vermin and parasites to be very commonly present in the trenches. The rats were known to grow ‘as big as domestic cats’ according to soldiers fighting in the

World War I was a war of innovation with new artillery and tactics, but also a deadly war in which approximately ten million soldiers died in or injuries sustained from battle. As injuries increased throughout the war, the need for medical assistance was constantly growing. Surgery is considered an art and like art, it evolved and new techniques were developed, making an injury that could kill someone survivable. For instance, in the Civil War most surgeons would immediately amputate and in World War I surgeons began trying much harder to save limbs. Blood transfusion allowed surgeons to reduce patient death from blood loss because of the ample supply of blood from fellow soldiers. Sanitation improvements led to fewer deaths from infection

Soldiers did not die only from warfare casualties,especially the war atmosphere in the trenches brought health issues and diseases which caused most of the death during WW1.Some of this diseases were caused because of weather change , lack of hygiene and the filthy environment.Many of this diseases were insignificant colds but others were deadly as Shell Shock or Trench Foot.

World War I was known for its very slow-paced battle and the stage of stalemate. After advancing from Germany on France, battle turned into trench warfare. Trench Warfare is a defensive strategy in a field where the army stays in rows of trenches that were placed along the Western Front during the war. The use of trenches during the Great War was a very significant tactic during battle, by making soldiers hidden but exposed just enough to be able to attack the enemy. On a daily basis, life in the trenches was very scary and filled with horror. Death was upon the soldiers even if there was nobody attacking them. There was a continuous shell fire that would randomly take the lives of many. Some men died on their first day in the trenches, and very few were lucky to make it out unharmed. Shell fire was not the only issue in the trenches. There were plenty of diseases and infections spreading around like a wildfire. Many soldiers got infections and diseases that could not be treated such as Trench Foot or Trench Fever. Although trench warfare acts as a great defensive and offensive measure, it became very dangerous because of the many different causes of death including shell fire, diseases, and infections.

Disease was the number one cause of death during the war. Lack of proper medical knowledge also lead to many deaths. Finally, surgery was so risky and dangerous it too lead to much loss of life.

In World War One, about ten million soldiers lost their lives. Many of these men died in Trench Warfare, due to the constant enemy fire. Also rats, sometimes the size of cats, infested the trenches leading to the spread of infections. One sickness that spread throughout the Trenches was Trench Fever, caused by lice. The three causes of World War One were alliances, militarism, and imperialism.

World War I was known for its very slow-paced battle and the stage of stalemate. After advancing from Germany on France, battle turned into trench warfare. Trench Warfare is a defensive strategy in a field where the army stays in rows of trenches that were placed along the Western Front during the war. The use of trenches during the Great War was a very significant tactic during battle, by making soldiers hidden but exposed just enough to be able to attack the enemy. On a daily basis, life in the trenches was very scary and filled with horror. Death was upon the soldiers even if there was nobody attacking them. There was a continuous shell fire that would randomly take the lives of many. Some men died on their first day in the trenches, and very few were lucky to make it out unharmed. Shell fire was not the only issue in the trenches. There were plenty of diseases and infections spreading around like a wildfire. Many soldiers got infections and diseases that could not be treated such as Trench Foot or Trench Fever. Although trench warfare acts as a great defensive and offensive measure, it became very dangerous because of the many different causes of death including shell fire, diseases, and infections.

The military technological advancements of trench warfare, poison gas, and tanks were just a few of the many important military innovations in the First World War. In WWI, the advent (no—trench warfare had existed since the American Civil War) of trench warfare slowed battles to vicious, bloody scraps over a few meters of ground, often lasting months and even years. Be sure you have a clear introduction on the AP exam. This is critical. Warfare in the nineteenth-century demanded the concentration of large masses of troops over open ground to compensate for the extremely inaccurate musket.

In World War 1, there were many new tactics that war has never seen before. Trench warfare was one of the new tactics that they used in World War 1. They used the trenches for many things. In World War 1 and All Quiet on the Western Front. They are an accurate portrayal of each other because of the way they fought while in cover, built them, and the way they put all their resources in them.

Trench warfare was implemented to provide cover for soldiers during battle in WW1 seeing that most battlefields were open field & farms, so soldiers had little or no cover from rifle fire. After suffering thousands of casualties, soldiers began to dig into the ground creating cover. Over the months the trenches grew & evolved to hold barracks & equipment. Within a few months trenches were equipped with all essentials to ensure there was no need to leave them unnecessarily. Trenches were first dug by hand but soon soldiers would be equipped with shovels to increase productivity. Trenches were also mainly built at night to avoid detection by enemy troops.

World War I had affected the health of many soldiers coming back from the war. To begin with many soldiers came home with tuberculosis. The disease spread rapidly in 1920 due to the unsanitary, urbanized conditions of the cities which was similar to that of the trenches. “The close proximity of people in wartime conditions meant diseases such as tuberculosis could easily spread” (Science Museum). In addition, many soldiers that returned home had lost limbs in the war due to trench foot. “Some conditions such as trench foot, an infection of the feet caused by cold, wet, and unsanitary conditions” (Science Museum). Trench foot affected soldiers who wished to go back to work, because most jobs wouldn’t allow handicapped workers to work; however,

Even people who have not done an in depth study of World War I has heard of the infamous, trench foot. As many as twenty-thousand casualties were said to have suffered by the British Army alone. The cause to this infection of the feet was quite obvious. Trench warfare become most prominent during WWI, this was a type of warfare fought on land that consisted of seven foot deep, six foot wide tunnels dug into the earth to protect from enemy fire. These first came about when German General Erich von Falkenhayn commanded his troops to start digging to protect themselves from the oncoming French and British troops. The allies, after realizing they could not break through the German line, began to dig trenches as well (John Simpkin, 1997). Because of being the first to start digging their trenches, this gave the Germans the advantage of choosing the location to start digging. They of course, chose the high ground. This was a good decision based on a military tactical standpoint, as well as an advantage when it came to the living conditions of the soldiers (Simpkin, 1997). The deeper the British troops dug, the more water would begin to flood the trenches. The trench conditions were so bad that some soldiers even preferred to sleep outside the trenches, in plain view of their enemies and in a bullets trajectory. One soldier named Arnold Ridley

The experiences of the Australian soldiers and nurses during World War I had detrimental and constructive effects on their lives after the war. World War I had a negative impact on the soldiers as the lost the ability to do simple tasks but had a positive impact on the nurses as they gained more opportunities. The impacts on their lives from the war mainly include their experiences with diseases & the experiences of war, the mental issues they gained and the opportunities they attained. World War I had a negative impact on the soldiers as the lost the ability to do simple tasks but had a positive impact on the nurses as they gained more opportunities. During World War I the soldiers endured many diseases and experiences that made some soldiers

by grenades, gaseous agents, bombs, or bullets. At the beginning of the nurses did not

Watching the documentary, the various men interviewed all gave insight that was unique as well as moving. One man talked about organizing the troops and marching in the town parade before being deployed, “everyone was excited.” (Jones 1998). Upon being sent, there were 70 million men enlisted to fight in World War I. Britain was the only country to have solely volunteers, no one had to be drafted. Watching these men stand next to one another preparing themselves for something so horrific was incredibly hard. Even the men who were being interviewed were having a hard time recounting the events which shows just how terribly they suffered. Being in those bunkers in the ground, a soldier recounted a memory, “everyone was singing ‘We Will Meet Again in the Homeland.’” (Jones 1998) Seeing the circumstances and hardships of war showed the price those soldiers paid to protect their homeland.