Transcript Trench Warfare:

Trench Warfare:
Life in the Trenches:
Possibilities of drowning in mud
Very uncomfortable
Inhaling toxic and corrosive
gases
Being overrun by huge rats
Threat of being killed in many
ways without notice
Trench Conditions:
Waterlogged trenches
Hundreds of artillery shells would fall on
the trenches, soldiers could spend up to 50
days on the front-line and wouldn’t get the
chance to leave except in intense
attack/counter-attack
Men would die everyday not just from
enemy fire, but simply from the conditions
under which they lived
Rare for soldiers to construct
proper irrigation systems
Resulting in the buildup of
water on the bottom of the
trench, and could sometime fill
the trench with 4-5 feet of
water
If soldiers spent too much time
in a trench they could develop
trench foot, which could lead to
amputation of the feet
Trench foot:
Trench foot (also known as fat foot) is a
medical condition caused by prolonged
exposure of the feet to damp, unsanitary
and cold conditions. It is one of many
immersion foot syndromes. The use of the
word "trench" in the name of this condition
is a reference to trench warfare, mainly
associated with World War I.
Trench foot occurs when feet are cold and
damp while wearing constricting footwear.
Unlike frostbite, trench foot does not
require freezing temperatures and can
occur in temperatures up to 60°
Fahrenheit (about 16° Celsius). The
condition can occur with as little as eleven
hours' exposure. The mechanism of
tissue damage is not fully understood.
Affected feet may become numb, may be
affected by turning red or turning blue as
a result of poor vascular supply, and feet
may begin to have a decaying odor due to
the possibility of early stages of necrosis.
As the condition worsens, feet may also
begin to swell. Advanced trench foot often
involves blisters and open sores, which
lead to fungal infections; this is
sometimes called tropical ulcer (jungle
rot).
If left untreated, trench foot usually results
in gangrene, which can require
amputation. If trench foot is treated
properly, complete recovery is normal,
though it is marked by severe short-term
pain when feeling returns. Like other coldrelated injuries, trench foot leaves
sufferers more susceptible to it in the
future
(Show video)
Rats were also a major
discomfort (huge)
The build up of dead bodies on
the top of the trench would
attract them
DysenteryDisease of the intestines which
caused diarrhoea and
occasionally vomiting
the bacteria was ingested by
means of poor food and water
quality
Big problem at the start of the
war because they only supplied
soldiers with canteens that had
to be refilled at a water station
hundreds of yards to the rear
But during combat it was rare
that soldiers would get the
chance to make the journey so
they turned to contaminated
water they found at the bottom
of the trenches or in shell
craters
Food became more scarce
Soldiers were well fed at the
beginning of the war but as the
armies swelled with volunteers
and attacks on supply lines
became more frequent the food
trickled down to just the bare
essentials
Worst problem was lice
Enough to drive men insane
Soldiers shaved their heads and
ironed their shirts regularly the
lice breeded in the seams of
clothing and were never
completely rid of for more than
a few hours
The harsh realities of war:
It is clear that trench warfare was an extreme
environment that tested human endurance 24
hours a day
Most people living under today’s standards
wouldn’t have survived a day in the trenches, let
alone years like these young men endured and
eventually grew to accept it as daily life
Trench System:
Trenches were very complex
and tested the skills of army
engineers and soldiers
After the battle of the Marne
the Germans were in full retreat
They realized they had to hold
onto the conquered territory in
France and Belgium at all costs
so they began to entrench
themselves to gain strategic
advantage
Chose their new defensive
positions carefully and
effectively
When Allies realized they
couldn’t break through the
German lines, they also began
to dig trenches
Because Germans chose the
location of their trenches they
held the high ground which
made them more efficient
Allies had to dig trenches in the
low ground which was only a few
feet above sea level and would
often discover water just 3-4 feet
under the ground
To solve this they created
breastworks, which was an above
ground trench made with logs,
stones, and anything that could be
stacked to give the soldiers the
saved 7ft protection they got while
in the trenches
Some were made 30 feet tall
Model trench was 7ft deep and
6ft wide
The parapet was the lip of the
trench facing the enemy,
usually built up with 2-3
sandbags
Trench lip behind the was the
parados and was also
reinforced with sandbags and
usually higher than the parapet
So when soldiers stuck his
head over top the trench, his
sillhouette on the horizon was
broken by the higher wall of
sandbags behind them
Protected soldiers from other
allied soldiers to the rear firing
at the same time
7ft deep trenches were
impossible to look over so they
made a 2-3 foot ledge called
the firing step they stood on to
fire and to charge out of the
trench
Duckboards were placed at the
bottom of the trench that rested
above the water to keep
soldiers feet dry
Trenches were never dug in
straight line so that if an enemy
were to over take the trench
they could not fire down a
straight line
Dugouts were created in the side
of trenches to house soldiers and
could hold up to 10 men at a
time, but later could hold a whole
batallion
Also dug alongside
communication trenches so not in
direct line of fire
Safer and often housed batallion
headquarters or officers quarters
Funk holes- scrapped along
side of trench so soldier can fit
in it and sleep or take shelter
from rain
Extremely hazardous
Front lines protected by barbed
wire and machine gun posts
Short trenches were dug
straight out into no-mans land
were called saps, usually 30
yards out and were used as
listening posts at night
Behind front lines were reserve
trenches
All 3 rows of trenches usually
covered 200-500 yards of
ground
Communication trenches were
dug at an angle and connected
all the rows of trenches, they
were used to transport men,
food and equipment to the front
Germans were famous for
creating large concrete boxes
called “pillboxes” that houses
up to 3 machine guns at a time
German machine gunners were
hated by Allies and were more
likely to be killed after capture
Made miniature fortresses to
strengthen lines
Pillboxes 30ft long 10 ft wide
with very thick walls
Usually survive direct hit from
artillery cannon and were huge
obstacles for the Allies
Allies didn’t create them like
the Germans did, weren’t worth
the labor and cost to build
Trenches in WWI were very complex and effective, but its safe
to say that this is the most horrible kind of war to wage
The conditions that the men lived under were horrific, and the
cost of life was great and the progress was painfully slow
With today’s technology, we can rest easy knowing that this
kind of warfare will never again occur
Life in the Trenches:
HOMEWORK:
(show video)
Imagine that you are a soldier fighting in the
trenches…write a letter home describing the
conditions in the trenches
Read Pages 655-660 (Notes, don’t forget the
question)