WWI Trench Warfare

British Soldiers in a captured German trench.

British soldiers lined up in a trench British soldiers lined up in a trench. See how close they are to one another!

Diagram of WWI Trench System. Note the Zig-Zags and the Fire Step

Going over the top! Note the bayonets on their guns.

If an enemy soldier is running at you, you would use this technique to kill them.

Bayonets were so efficient that they are still used today by infantry.

Trench Foot

Moving through No Man’s Land Moving through No Man’s Land. Where would you hide if someone was shooting at you?

Men sitting in “bolt holes” Men sitting in “bolt holes”. This is where men would hide from falling shells or try to sleep.

No Man’s Land. Could you imagine having to run through this with your weapon?

No Man’s Land. Do you see the fallen soldiers and the smoke from bombs in the distance?

WWI was called a War of Attrition defined as: “the act of weakening or exhausting by constant harassment, abuse, or attack.” Attrition Warfare is a strategy to win a war – the enemy must be worn down to the point of collapse by continuous losses of soldiers and equipment.

In a War of Attrition the side with the greater number of soldiers and equipment usually wins.