War on the Western Front
The Nature of Trench Warfare and Life in the Trenches
Trench Warfare was an understandable response to the failure of offensive strategy. There were usually three lines of trenches, called the front line, support and reserve, which were linked to the rear by communications trenches to enable soldiers and supplies to move to and from the front line, out of sight of the enemy.
The front line trenches of either side were separated by 'no man's land', which could be up to a kilometre wide, though most often the distance was around 200 metres.
The first two year of war (1914-1916) were the time of greatest amateurism and blundering on the British side. At this time,most of the serious fighting was left to the French. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was heavily engaged in major battle for little more than thirty days between Christmas 1914 and June 1916.
Due to timing and location, the front line would give soldiers a vastly different experience of war. An allied soldier's experience of the war could be directly influenced by whom they were fighting. Prussians were seen as very aggressive, while the Saxons were known to paint their trenches with signs advertising their peaceful nature.
Trench Warfare was an understandable response to the failure of offensive strategy. There were usually three lines of trenches, called the front line, support and reserve, which were linked to the rear by communications trenches to enable soldiers and supplies to move to and from the front line, out of sight of the enemy.
The front line trenches of either side were separated by 'no man's land', which could be up to a kilometre wide, though most often the distance was around 200 metres.
The first two year of war (1914-1916) were the time of greatest amateurism and blundering on the British side. At this time,most of the serious fighting was left to the French. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was heavily engaged in major battle for little more than thirty days between Christmas 1914 and June 1916.
Due to timing and location, the front line would give soldiers a vastly different experience of war. An allied soldier's experience of the war could be directly influenced by whom they were fighting. Prussians were seen as very aggressive, while the Saxons were known to paint their trenches with signs advertising their peaceful nature.
The Trenches
It is generally acknowledged that the German trenches (1st row, 3rd picture below) and their location were superior. After the Marne the Germans withdrew to the best available defensive positions. Their trench lines took every advantage of the available terrain - ridges, hills and small villages could be turned into fortified strong points. By contrast, the French felt obliged to reoccupy every possible bit of native soil. Therefore their trenches were not generally as well positioned. They dug them as close to the German lines as they could.
No trench ran in a continuously straight line. The British and Germans used a system or right-angled bays, while the French used a zigzag pattern. The angles and changes of direction were designed to lessen the effect of a shell burst or grenade, and allowed parts of the trench to still be defended even if the enemy occupied another section.
Soldiers in the trenches endured conditions ranging from barely tolerable to utterly horrific. Exposed to the elements, trenches filled with water and became muddy quagmires. One of the worst fears of the common Western Front soldier was ‘trench foot’: a gangrene of the feet and toes, caused by constant immersion in water. Trench soldiers also contended with ticks, lice, rats, flies and mosquitos. Diseases like cholera, typhus and dysentery thrived because of vermin, poor sewage and waste disposal, stagnant water, spoiled food and unburied bodies.
Find out more here.
It is generally acknowledged that the German trenches (1st row, 3rd picture below) and their location were superior. After the Marne the Germans withdrew to the best available defensive positions. Their trench lines took every advantage of the available terrain - ridges, hills and small villages could be turned into fortified strong points. By contrast, the French felt obliged to reoccupy every possible bit of native soil. Therefore their trenches were not generally as well positioned. They dug them as close to the German lines as they could.
No trench ran in a continuously straight line. The British and Germans used a system or right-angled bays, while the French used a zigzag pattern. The angles and changes of direction were designed to lessen the effect of a shell burst or grenade, and allowed parts of the trench to still be defended even if the enemy occupied another section.
Soldiers in the trenches endured conditions ranging from barely tolerable to utterly horrific. Exposed to the elements, trenches filled with water and became muddy quagmires. One of the worst fears of the common Western Front soldier was ‘trench foot’: a gangrene of the feet and toes, caused by constant immersion in water. Trench soldiers also contended with ticks, lice, rats, flies and mosquitos. Diseases like cholera, typhus and dysentery thrived because of vermin, poor sewage and waste disposal, stagnant water, spoiled food and unburied bodies.
Find out more here.