Stalemate in the Trenches World War I

WWI Becomes a Stalemate People expected World War I to be over within a few months. However, the war became a ______stalemate____ ________- a situation in which neither side wins or loses.

Trench Warfare The soldiers were fighting a new type of battle, _____trench warfare________________. Soldiers on both sides dug trenches, or ditches, in the ground. Soldiers took cover in these trenches that were 6 to 8 feet wide and about 5 feet deep. Hundreds of miles of trenches stretched along the Western Front

Conditions of Trenches A major aspect of trench warfare is spending most of one’s time sitting and waiting in the trenches. Soldiers had to cope with living in rat_-infested and muddy trenches. * This caused trench foot.

“No Man’s Land” Between the trenches of the two sides, there was an empty area known as “___No Man’s Land___.” In order to attack, soldiers crawled out of the trenches and tried to cross over no man’s land to other side.

When soldiers left their trenches to attack enemy lines, they rushed into a hail of __machine guns_ and clouds of poison gas.

When battles did take place, they cost many lives, often without gaining much land_ for either side.

Case Study: Battle of Somme When: July-November 1916 Casualties: 1.2 million British losses: 400,000 German losses: 600,000 French losses: 200,000 Land gained: 10__ miles (Allies)

How did trench warfare differ from earlier forms of warfare?