Trench warfare is a war tactic that was commonly used on the eastern front and the western front. Trench foot was a major problem during world war I. Trench warfare involved many explosives and caused many face injuries to soldiers. The reason the trenches were dug was because it made it very hard for the enemy to advance toward the side the trenches were on. During the war there was about 2,490K of trench lines dug. Most trenches were between 1-2 meters in width and 3 meters in depth. Often the trenches were nearly filled with water and some trenches had pests like rats and other rodents. Rats were a problem because they carried diseases. Trench foot is a medical condition caused by a prolonged exposure of the feet to damp, unsanitary, and
One of the reasons the fighting was so horrible is that the British trenches were not as developed as the Germans. The British trench was more constructed to maintain readiness, rather than being prepared for different elements. Also, many toes were amputated because of being exposed to cold water. This is more commonly known as “trench foot”.
Trench warfare was adopted to maintain an area of land, to prevent the enemy from capturing that land. The importance of this investigation was to show the significance of trench warfare during the First World War and how effective it was on how it had prevented many full on, front lined, assaults. World War I could have had a great impact in history with the amount of war casualties, which would have been historically shocking, but instead it created the stalemate, which prevented such numbers of deaths from happening.
Trenches were dug out in the ground for protection, against machine guns and bombs, however the trenches were not made for comfort or for soldiers to live in for a long time. Most trenches were muddy and wet and soldiers had terrible living conditions which would cause disease, and eventually death. In document two, by Robert Donald, he exclaims that “I do not see why the war in this area should not go on for a hundred years.” Usually, life in the trenches meant consent fighting and battles, no side ever won because each side would encounter a bomb or some kind of causality and make their trenches deeper, and deeper. This was one cause of a stalemate, and why it was predicted that war in the trenches would continue for years and many more soldiers would die. In an outside source, a diary written by a man named Endy, talks about his life in the trenches and how their were many deaths. Although, this was not the only reason the trenches were deadly. The use of poisonous gas was also used in trenches caused many
Aspects of Trench Warfare 1. Trenches were built in an attempt to continue the war as both sides had reached a stalemate. There was a rush for the sea and then they found nothing else could happen so they dug in. The resulting trench system on the Western Front not only covered the equivalent of 25,000 miles (enough to encircle the world) but also stretched non-stop from Belgium to Switzerland.
For a soldier life would be a cold, dirty, monotonous cycle that seemed to never end. Soldiers would be living together in tiny spaces in all weather, so disease was common and was a terrible killer for the soldiers. Trenches would often flood, making the damp and perfect for rat that carried many deadly diseases and would eat the rations keeping the soldiers alive. One of the terrible diseases caused by the cold was called trench foot, this was a disease where the soldiers feet would turn black and toes would start falling off, this usually resulted in amputation.
The opposing armies were in a deadlock and trenches had become a dominate feature of the war (Page 63, 2nd paragraph). Some trenches were from 5 feet deep to 30 feet deep; they caused a stalemate that was almost impossible to break. If you break into their lines there is another one waiting for you. The trenches were hundreds of miles long, constantly fighting. Also they were filled with rats and frogs. Trenches were always in repair, they were reinforced with sandbags, with sheets of corrugated
The trenches were usually 12 ft deep. They had to deal with diseases, gases, fires, and weapons. They entertained themselves by playing football. Trench Warfare led to stalemate in WWI by new weapons and old military tactics did not go hand in hand, most of the generals still relied on the charge to break the enemy. but with advanced weapons like machine guns charging became highly ineffective as men would be killed so
Trench warfare was done by opposing army’s creating trenches. In between those trenches was an area known as “no man's land” and was the most dangerous place to be. This tactic lead to many standoffs and also extremely high numbers of casualties in a short period of time. One of the most efficient ways of winning these battles was chemical warfare. All that needed to happen was to throw a chemical bomb into the enemy's trench and then wait.
The trenches were a very revolting place. Soldiers had to battle on the front line as bullets would fly past their faces. They were very cold and wet which caused many illnesses to the soldiers. Lice and rats would bother the soldiers all day and would feed of the soldiers who have died. The trenches were cramped which caused a lot of discomfort to the men. They had to change their socks regularly because they would get trench foot. The smell was morbid and many became mentally ill. Some would get shell shock which caused them to get severe depression. Conditions were that awful that they would inflict a wound to themselves so they could get
Trench warfare created a sense of fear in the soldiers that most couldn’t avoid. Trench warfare was difficult to escape from. As technology advanced so did the way in which war needed to be fought, however they were unable to adapt to those changes. They struggled to break the traditional ways. It is evident throughout the film, either the soldiers were not trained to fight a war utilizing the advancements of warfare or there was an inability to transition thus returning to their old ways of fighting.
War in the trenches is described in an apocalyptic, horrific terms, usually there were three parallel lines of trenches, a front- line trench was of major importance guarded by tangled lines of barbed wire, typically only occupied in force during stand to attention at dawn and dusk , located 50 yards to a mile from its enemy counterpart, a support trench line to which the garrison would draw when the front trench was bombarded, located several hundred yards back, and several hundred yards behind that a reserve trench line where
These trenches allowed for soldiers to be able to stand tall and shoot at enemies with their bodies well protected. Despite the fact that these seem quite safe for soldiers, if an enemy was to throw a bomb into the trench, everyone would be in grave danger as there is virtually no escaping its’ blast.
One hundred years ago the world shared one thing in common, experiencing the world’s first war. Many factors that go into the war or had an influence on it had their own specific role. Trench warfare was a common type of fighting where both troops would build their own trenches in order to protect themselves from their enemy on other side separated by no man’s land. Trenches were a key part of the battleground during World War I and became the home and final location for millions of soldiers. Trenches were necessary for American troops survival in World War I because they were an effective form of protection and defense, and were built to prevent injuries and/or deaths.
How was Trench Warfare Both Effective and Dangerous? Zaid Tabaza 8’5 Trench warfare is the form of war in which the fighting troops battle against each other from trenches. The Trench Warfare technique was employed in World War 1, where the Western Side used it as a defense strategy. However, trench warfare is a double edged sword, as it had it’s positives and negatives on the first world war.
During World War I, trench warfare was very common. It was a newer technique in battles as in wars prior to the Great World War, fighting was less invasive and men merely marched at each other from opposite ends of fields and fought until only one side remained standing or a white flag was hung high in surrender. In fact in older wars, the fighting was far less dangerous to the point where battles were often times viewed by locals who watched from side lines with really no threat of getting hurt. In World War I however, the fighting had upscaled to the most sadistic type the world had ever experienced. With the industrialist wave that had overcome us in the late 1800s into