ww1 trench warfare

europeans head for war

- many europeans were excited about war
- thought war would be over in a few years

the schieffen plan

- germans race to western front 1st
- goals: after defeating france, concentrate on the eastern front w/ russia
- avoid fighting a two front war
- germany made vast encircling movement through belgium to enter france

trench warfare ww1

- new weapons were used more defense; so trenches were made for soldiers protection
- there are two sides
- middle = no man's land

what did it look like

- elaborate systems of defense
- barbed wire
- concrete machine gun nests
- mortar batteries
- troops lived in holes underground

what a soldier carries

- gasmask
- rifle
- ammunition pouches for bullets
- cape
- grenades
- water bottle
- shovel
- boots
- haversack
- helmet
- eating tin
- bayonet
- puttees

what did soldiers eat in the trenches

- potted meat (kinda like spam)

conditions

- lice
- rats
- cramped up
- flooded trenches
- diseases - trench foot
- decaying flesh

trench foot

- the trenches were wet and cold
- the battalion lived in mud and water
- trench foot was still a new ailment and the provision of dry socks was vitally important
- gum boots were provided for the troops in the most exposed positions

technology

- tanks: slow and clumsy
- machine guns: rapid fire, made advancement difficult, caused stalemates
- airplanes: used blindness blisters, some caused victims to choke to death

usage of airplanes

dropping bombs

christmas truce 1914

british and german troops stand together during the christmas truce

shell shock

- this was a new tactic in war
- after the war, it had left horrific scars both physical and mental

soldier use ___ and ___ to look out the trenches

mirrors, parascope