WW1 Trench warfare and conditions

trench warfare

opposing armies battle from trenches on opposite sodes of a battlefield

no man's land

land between opposing trenches

reasons why trenches were used in WW1 (instead of other battle methods)

- both sides were in a stalemate
- the land was flat and therefore extra risky (easier to kill)
- Germans were blocking the land, so the opposition couldn't go forward or around and had to go under

stalemate

where both sides are equal and cannot defeat eachother

the Western Front

trench line from Belgium to Northern France and the Swiss border, approx. 440 miles long

barbed wire

spiked wire to slow attackers

parapet

low wall to protect soldiers

ammunition shelf

shelf for ammunition above the firing step for easy access

sump

drainage channel to prevent waterlogging

firing step

step so soldiers could fire

duckboard

raised wooden platform to keep soldiers' feet away from water and other liquids

dugout

area dug into the side of a trench for shelter, protection, and storage

sandbags

used to prevent flooding and block bullets

going 'over the top'

to go into no man's land outside of the trenches

why was it unsafe to go over the top?

risk of being targeted, harm from barbed wire

benfit of zig-zag trenches

they confused the opposition, making it harder for them to attack

frontline trench

attack zone, closest to the enemy

support trench

backup and retreat zone from the frontline

reserve trench

behind support trench where reserve troops would stay

artillery emplacement

place where guns/bombs/cannons were places

communications trench

between the frontline and support trenches, used for messengers

hygiene in trenches

- muddy farmland with harmful pesticides and fertisilers with bacteria
- lice, rats, and corpses everywhere
- infestations

medical issues in trenches

- trenchfoot from cold
- trench fever from lice bacteria
- trench mouth
- shrapnel or bullet injuries
- death

food in trenches

- lacking nutrients because it was all canned not fresh
- some inedible
- cigarettes and tobacco

sleeping conditions in trenches

- uncomfortable
- hard to sleep because it was loud from battle
- inconsistent as soldiers needed to keep watch

how weather impacted the trenches

- flooding/waterlogging
- mud
- slippery land