Trench Warfare

Notes: Life in the Trenches -Charging over the top, crossing no man’s land to reach enemy trenches -Boring, terrifying, and caused shell shock -Horrible living conditions

What do you see here? What are the soldiers in this trench doing? Why might they be sleeping in the daytime? Why do you think soldiers are fighting in trenches? What might soldiers in the trenches fear? In the picture we see a British sentry keeping watch in the trenches. The other soldiers have fallen asleep from exhaustion, one huddling against the earth embankment and the others sleeping wherever they can find a bit of space.

The Race to the Sea On both sides of the battlefield, soldiers dug into the ground from the Belgian coast to Switzerland to escape the constant rain of bullets and shells Once the trench lines were established, soldiers began making their defenses permanent In 1914, the British army was issued 2,500 shovels and spades; between August 1914 and November 1918, British troops were provided with 10,638,000 shovels

Life in the Trenches Orders to “Go over the top” meant soldiers charged out of the trench and raced toward the enemy lines “No man’s land” was bombed-out territory between enemy trench-lines that was crossed by tons of barbed wire and dotted with land mines Machine guns, flame throwers, and hand grenades made short work of all but the luckiest men The average width of no man’s land was 250 yards, but in some places trenches were so close that a soldier could cross bayonets with the enemy in his trench.

To make it as difficult as possible for the enemy to reach a trench, a barbed wire barrier was erected in front of it. Tin cans and razor blades were often attached to the wire to enhance its effectiveness.

Snipers and light artillery gunners kept watch for heads peeking up over the top of trenches Artillery lobbed explosives and gasses into the trenches, and later planes dropped bombs into enemy lines Long periods of time would pass without an attack. Boredom caused some soldiers to go “stir crazy,” while other suffered from “shell shock” (episodes of hysteria and wild emotion caused by the trauma of modern warfare, or depression, sleeplessness and anxiety after the war) Thick clouds of flies in no man’s land always marked the spot of a rotting comrade, whose corpse could not be rescued because of the danger from enemy fire

Living conditions in the trenches were horrible Heavy rains caused the trenches to fill up with water and mud Many soldiers who were asleep or wounded sank in the quagmire of mud and drowned

Lice were a never-ending problem, breeding in the seams of filthy clothing and causing men to itch unceasingly. Even when clothing was periodically washed and deloused, lice eggs invariably remained hidden in the seams; within a few hours of the clothes being re-worn the body heat generated would cause the eggs to hatch. Lice caused Trench Fever, a particularly painful disease that began suddenly with severe pain followed by high fever. Recovery - away from the trenches - took up to twelve weeks. Lice were not actually identified as the culprit of Trench Fever until Frogs by the score were found in shell holes covered in water; they were also found in the base of trenches. Slugs and horned beetles crowded the sides of the trench. Many men chose to shave their heads entirely to avoid another prevalent scourge: nits.

Wet conditions in the trenches favored disease, especially trench foot Trench Foot was a fungal infection of the feet caused by cold, wet and unsanitary trench conditions. It could turn gangrenous and result in amputation. Trench Foot was more of a problem at the start of trench warfare; as conditions improved in 1915 it rapidly faded, although a trickle of cases continued throughout the war.

Trench conditions were ideal for rats. Empty food cans were piled in their thousands throughout No Man's Land, heaved over the top on a daily basis. Author George Coppard, recalled the ceaseless rattling of tin cans by rats during the night Rats would invade dug-outs in search of food and shelter. Rats grew in boldness, stealing food that had been lain down for just a few moments. Rats would also crawl across the face of sleeping men.

As they gorged themselves on food they grew, with many rats reportedly growing to the size of cats Rats openly fed on the remains of comrades killed while advancing across No Man's Land, working their way through the body in a short space of time. Although shooting at rats was strictly prohibited - it being regarded as a pointless waste of ammunition - many soldiers nevertheless took pot shots at nearby rats in this manner. Attacking rats with bayonets was also common. However the rat population was not noticeably diminished by such techniques - a pair of rats were capable of producing some 800 offspring within a single year.

There were generally four lines of trenches. -The firing trench was the line closest to the enemy, where soldiers served for up to a week. -The cover trench, behind the firing line, was where reserve troops supported the front line. -The support trench, the third trench line, usually held field artillery. -The reserve trench, the fourth trench line, contained supplies.

The communications mainstay was the runner who braved bullets and shells, mud and mayhem, to take messages to and from forward positions and the rear. Although telephones were relatively commonplace they relied on wires which were easily cut by shellfire or accidental damage. Less common was radio, and this was used both on the ground and in the air especially during the latter stages of the conflict. A prime use for the telephone was from very vulnerable forward positions acting as observation posts for the artillery positioned some distance away and it was usually not a very happy soldier who was told, in the face of shellfire and rifle bullets, to trace and repair breaks in the wire. Communications

Here a phone being used in a rather luxurious German dug-out, rather than a field!

This is the British equivalent of the German communications dugout.

Typically, a battalion would be expected to serve a spell in the front line. This would be followed by a stint spent in support, and then in reserve lines. A period of rest would follow - generally short in duration - before the whole cycle of trench duty would start afresh.

"Suicide Ditch" was a term used by British soldiers to refer to the front-line trench.

Weapons Machine gun Bigger artillery Poison-gas bombs Flame throwers Tanks Airplanes Realities Most looked forward to war Letters told of horrors of war No crowds or hero’s welcome after the war Trench Warfare 475 miles dug across northern France “Charging over the top…” “No man’s land” between enemy trenches Boring, terrifying, shell shock Horrible living conditions Western Front -Germany wanted to take France quickly Verdun: 680,000 casualties -Somme: More than 1,000,000 died Italian Front -Italians joined Allies when promised land of Austria’a Eastern Front -Russia lacked technology Balkan Front -Allied Powers abandoned it P. 2

F. Trench Warfare The Race to the Sea -475 miles of trenches were dug across northern France -British troops used over 10 million shovels during the war Life in the Trenches -Charging over the top, crossing no man’s land to reach enemy trenches -Boring, terrifying, and caused shell shock -Horrible living conditions

Notes: The Race to the Sea -475 miles of trenches were dug across northern France -British troops used over 10 million shovels during the war

Notes: Life in the Trenches -Charging over the top, crossing no man’s land to reach enemy trenches -Boring, terrifying, and caused shell shock -Horrible living conditions