Short presentation of trench warfare and trench conditions, used in the HSC for WW1 in modern history

1. The Nature of Trench
Warfare and Life in the
Trenches Dealing With
Experiences of Allied
and German Soldiers
LIFE IN THE TRENCHES: OVERALL CONDITIONS

2. What are trenches?
Note: Main form of warfare in ww1

3. Why were the trenches built?
 When the German soldiers were being pushed back by Allied forces
during the Schlieffen Plan they needed to be able hold a defensive
position so they dug into the ground creating the trenches.
 These trenches in France become the Western front creating the
stalemate, the conflict which was a War of Movement now
became a War of Trenches.
 The War on the western front was mainly a war of attrition which is
the act of weakening ones enemy to the point of exhaustion,
making the other side win due to them having greater reserves and
resources. This made it difficult for any country to achieve victory
due to the difficult nature of trench warfare.

4. Nature of Trench Warfare

5. Trench Structure
The trenches were not built
parallel with each other but
were built weaving so it was
harder for the enemy to
shoot soldiers in the trench
Not like this,
as it leaves
soldiers too
vulnerable
Trenches
were built
like this as
it allowed
for
defensive
and
offensive
positions
Zigzag line as a defensive measure - minimized
impact of a shell landing in the trench and meant
that attackers didn't have a clear line of fire down
the whole trench

6. The Layout of the trenches
 There were three lines of trenches, then no mans land, then the
enemies side consisting of the three lines.
 the front line for attack and defense
 the support line to which front line soldiers could (if possible) retreat
during bombardment
 the reserve line where troops waited for their leaders call to battle
 rear wall of the support had dugouts
 communication trenches dug at right angles linked all three
trenches
 The land in between the two opposing armies was called no mans
land. This was the land that held the majority of the fighting. The
land was churned up from shells and had rows of barb wire to slow
down opposing enemies.

7. Diagrams of the layout of the
trenches

9. No Mans Land
 No mans land is the term describing the land between the two
opposing trenches.
 This land is where the majority of the fighting occurred.
 The composition of no mans land changed it was never static.
 The no mans land consisted of up churned terrain and barb wirer near
the front line of the trenches. From the heavy artillery no mans land
become barren, mud soaked craters and rotting corpses.
 This area was where men, at the sound of a whistle would jump over the
front line and fight face to face, sometimes hand t hand with their
counter parts.
 The majority of fighting here would occur at night, each side would
dispatch parties to spy on the enemy, or to repair or extend barbed
wire posts. Reconnaissance missions were similarly common. Injured
men trapped in No Man's Land would often be brought in under cover
of darkness, as were corpses for burial.

10. Pictures showing no mans land
No Man's Land at Passchendaele in 1917
C. R. W. Nevinson, Paths of Glory (1917)

11. Trench Warfare
 Fixed trench warfare was the standard form of fighting during ww1
 It was the reason for the stalemate
 Trench warfare created a living environment for the men which was
harsh, stagnant and extremely dangerous. Causing many health risk
 The trenches were under constant threat of attack, from artillery
firing from the opposing trench or from enemy running through no
mans land

12. Main weapons used
 Barb wirer (slows down approaching enemy)
 Rifles with fixed bayonets
 Grenades
 Heavy artillery: mortars etc.
 Introduction of tanks
 Gas

13. Life in the trenches

14. Life in the trenches
A typical day in the trenches:
5am - 'Stand-to' (short for 'Stand-to-Arms', meaning to be on high-alert for enemy attack) half an hour
before daylight
5.30am - Rum ration
6am - Stand-to half an hour after daylight
7am - Breakfast (usually bacon and tea)
After 8am - Clean themselves, clean weapons, tidy trench
Noon - Dinner
After dinner - Sleep and downtime (one man per ten on duty)
5pm - Tea
6pm - Stand-to half an hour before dusk
6.30pm - Stand-down half an hour after dusk
6.30pm onwards - Work all night with some time for rest (patrols, digging trenches, putting up barbed
wire, getting stores, replacement of unit of soldiers every five days)
Source BBC. (2014, January 20). Life on the Frontline. Retrieved from BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/0/ww1/25626530

15. Living conditions
 The conditions in the trenches were harsh and undesirable
 The soldiers were under constant threat of attack
 Through the war soldiers suffered mental health conditions known
then as shell shock
 Health issues arose from the poor conditions

16. General Photos depicting
conditions in the trenches

17. Rotation
 The trenches were designed in 3
rows, the front line, support line
and the reserve line
 The man at each line were
rotated to refresh the men at the
front line
 A general pattern for trench
routine was for a man and his
section to spend 4 days in the
front line, then 4 days in close
reserve and finally 4 at rest,
although this varied enormously
depending on conditions, the
weather and the availability of
enough reserve troops to be able
to rotate them in this way.

18. Rain and Mud
 There were heavy amounts of rain during WW1, especially on the western front this created a
muddy terrain
 The heavy artillery and shelling caused the land to be up churned, causing it to become
very muddy and wet
 This created water booged trenches and an up churned no mans land
 The water made everything wet causing water borne disease, in winter made the soldiers
very cold causing phenomena and trench foot
 Duckboards were used to walk across the muddy trenches
“We have just come out of the trenches after being in for six days and up to our
waists in water.” - Private Stanley Terry of 15 North End, East Grinstead, wrote a letter to his
family in November, 1915. The letter was not censored.

19. Effect of the rain and mud
on trenches, top right
image consist of soldiers
walking on duckboards

20. Sanitation
 In general and simple terms the trenches were not sanitised places,
there were dead bodies, rats, water, mud, disease and infection
everywhere.
 Due to low supplies showering was infrequent, leaving soldiers to
become susceptible to disease.
 Due to the amounts of dead bodes, disease was riddled through
the battle fields, which attracted numerous rats.
 Lice was also an issue

21. Health Issues
 General disease from the unsanitary conditions
 Infection from wounds
 Trench foot; was a consequence of the soldiers feet being bogged
and not being able to dry their feet
 Shell shock; was the term given to solders who were experiencing
mental health issues, they would now be known as PTSD, depression
and anxiety.

22. Shellshock victims

23. Trench Foot

24. Photos of injuries

25. Allied Soldiers Vs German Soldiers
 The German soldiers were the first to dig in to build the trenches so they were
more established; some of them even using concreate, they also choose where
to build trenches, like higher ground or near fresh water supplies
 The allied soldiers trenches were generally less equipped and the structures were
not as established as the German forces. This was partly due to the fact that
German built there trenches first and that the allied soldiers believed this war
would be over by Christmas.
 condition of the trench depended on = how long and how quickly it had been
established/if it was seen as temporary or permanent/nature of the ground where
it was located/local weather conditions/military goals at different times/extent of
military bombardment.
 Generally German trenches were much better facilitated than the Allied forces.

26. Helpful sources
Letters from soldiers
 http://spartacus-educational.com/FWWletters.htm
Document Archive
 http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/
 http://www.library.yale.edu/rsc/WWI/primary.html
YouTube Video outlining trench conditions
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8HmPNgOC2Q