Trench warfare in ww1

For three years, this line of trenches that became known as the Western Front never moved more than about 5 miles between the sides.

The Germans were the first to use trenches. General Falkenhayn wanted to hold off the British and France from advancing into the parts of France and Belgium that the Germans still had control of. The Allies saw how good the trenches were working, so they decided to build trenches also. The Germans still had the advantage though because they were faster and more experienced at building them. They also already chose the best places to build their trenches. As more trenches were built, the desire to take over the enemies was on the rise. Trenches were now used in part of an offensive strategy. These military actions were known as attacks. Attacks usually involved a division of men (16,000), and were used to break the enemy lines. Offensiv

All in all, trench warfare mainly helped soldiers to establish their own grounds. Although many troops suffered or even died, it put are foot in the door for new war strategies to come. These trenches had many negatives to them such as the life the troops had to go threw but it had to be done.

were amputated an hour later due to how extreme his trench foot was. Soldiers would have to carry three pairs of socks to wear each day to prevent it. More problems in the trenches were trench rats. They would grow very large as they feasted on dead bodies.

Life in the trenches was horrible. One reason was due to these poisonous gasses. Mustard gas led to blistering skin, itchy eyes, vomiting, and internal bleeding of the bronchial tubes. It was so painful that most soldiers had to be strapped to their beds. Chlorine gas caused burning pains in the chest and throat. It led to a slow death by tearing away at your lungs. Phosgene poison killed within 48 hours. The Germans were the first to do poison attacks and they were very effective. There were no treatments for those who inhaled the gasses. Quality gas masks were not effective until July 1915. Till then, people used their own urine to neutralize the smell. Many troops experienced shellshock. When a motor shell explodes it creates a vacuum, when the air is sucked into this vacuum it disturbs the brain. Shellshock’s symptoms consisted of tiredness, headaches, lack of concentration, and giddiness. For some men it led to mental breakdowns and suicide. Many troops had lice. The lice led to pyrrexhia (trench fever), which caused shooting pains in the shins and high fever. This accounted for 15% of the British’s armies sicknesses. Dysentery was common at times. This disease involved the inflammation of the lining of the large intestines. This led to diarrhea, stomach pains, vomiting, and occasional fever. It led to the dehydration of some soldiers. It was caused by bacteria entering threw the mouth (drinking contaminated water). Many troops experienced trench foot.

Some topics in this essay:
Belgium Germans, World War, Starting Germans, Western Front, front line, trench warfare, front trench, mans land, barbed wire, western front, British France, world war 1, straight line, phosgene poison, military actions, gasses mustard,