World War I: The Life of a Soldier Trench Warfare

Cpl. Mason Potts

Sgt. Lloyd Ackerman

Pvt. John Shrewsbury Barnes

Pvt. Everett Burdette

Lee D. Sly

Boys often lied about their age so they could fight

Trench Warfare Long range artillery Barbed wire No Man’s Land -25,000 miles long -zigzagged -1/3 of casualties happened here Long range artillery Barbed wire No Man’s Land Support lines Front line

Downton Abbey Trench Scene

hit Constant shell fire brought random death Men were buried in the trenches after a shell hit

Conditions Dirt Mud Smell Disease No sanitation Colorless No sleep Open cemetery

Going “over the top” Waited for whistle Climbed over parapet into no-man’s land Almost all attacks brought total death Wounded were left

Size of cats One rat couple produces 900 more in a year Ate food and corpses Made nests in clothing Itching Caused trench fever

Trench Foot Rain flooded the trenches Feet couldn’t get dry Swell up to 3 times the normal size Amputation was rampant

Men who had no legs or arms were called “basket cases”

Tanks Grenades Rifles Weapons Machine Guns Flame Throwers

MUSTARD GAS

Caused lungs to dissolve, suffocation, & Most deadly biological weapon GAS Caused lungs to dissolve, suffocation, & Blindness Most deadly biological weapon

Could blow back on your own side Smelled like pineapple and pepper Some was odorless Covered mouth in rag with urine Some took 12 hours to take effect Skin blistered, throw up

Give self an injury to get out of duty Shell Shock: Medical condition Mental breakdown Blighty Wounds: Give self an injury to get out of duty

Cloister of the Hotel de la Princerie Before and After Cloister of the Hotel de la Princerie

Before and After Village of Esnes

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row,   In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

Open your Nystrom U.S. Atlas to pages 84-85 and answer the following questions:   1. When did the Americans enter the war? 2. How long did the war last after the Americans entered the war? 3. Look at the map on page 84. Did every country in the world contribute troops to WWI? 4. Look at the map on page 85. Which battle was furthest east? 5. Which battle was furthest north? 6. Where were most trenches located? 7. Which country lost the most soldiers in WWI? 8. Which country lost the least number of soldiers? 9. Did the Allied powers or the Central Powers lose more men? 10. Compare the pie graph on page 85 to the graph on page 67.

Assignment: Journal Entry You are to write a journal entry in your personal diary as if you were a soldier on the front lines of WWI fighting in a trench. The journal must include the following: Detailed description of surroundings (5 senses) Explanation of where you live, how does the trench look? Diseases or pests that you deal with Weapons Illnesses Your feelings about the war, your experiences What emotions would you have? MUST BE 1+ PAGE

Big Questions Soldiers became numb to violence. Do you think our society has as well? What determines a person’s violence thresh hold? Do you think it makes a difference when it is real and when it isn’t?