Layout: The trenches were the front lines and were thought to be the most dangerous places, after no-man’s land during the war. But behind these trenches and inside them was a mass of supply lines, training centres, relief-stores, workshops and officers headquarters. The idea of digging into the ground to give some protection from powerful enemy artillery and small arms fire was not a new idea or unique to the Great War. It had been widely practiced in the US Civil War, the Russian-Japanese war and other fairly recent wars.
Trenches were built to prevent a person from getting fired at. At the beginning of the war, trenches were chest high ditched which were dug through a field to provide protection from fire. For the first year there was only one trench, with open fields behind. As the war progressed, trench systems were established, with three or four trenches connected by a network of communications trenches. In important sectors, there would be three or four such redundant systems. In some cases pillboxes and miniature forts were constructed. Trenches also varied by geography. In flat land the high water table meant that the bottom of the trenches was constantly wet. In especially fought -over areas, such as Verdun, there were often no trenches, because they would be immediately obliterated by the constant rain of artillery, and troops often used a rough line of interconnected shell holes instead. There was a lot of variation of the trenches, depending on when and where they were. Throughout the war trenches grew in length and height however when they go stuck at the sea both sides had nowhere to go.
The race to the sea was where both sides dug trenches to gain more land. They both dug trenches ahead of each other until they reached the sea (North Sea). Once they reached the sea they were stuck. Both sides needed to expand this is why the Battle of the Somme happened.
Trenches were built to prevent a person from getting fired at. At the beginning of the war, trenches were chest high ditched which were dug through a field to provide protection from fire. For the first year there was only one trench, with open fields behind. As the war progressed, trench systems were established, with three or four trenches connected by a network of communications trenches. In important sectors, there would be three or four such redundant systems. In some cases pillboxes and miniature forts were constructed. Trenches also varied by geography. In flat land the high water table meant that the bottom of the trenches was constantly wet. In especially fought -over areas, such as Verdun, there were often no trenches, because they would be immediately obliterated by the constant rain of artillery, and troops often used a rough line of interconnected shell holes instead. There was a lot of variation of the trenches, depending on when and where they were. Throughout the war trenches grew in length and height however when they go stuck at the sea both sides had nowhere to go.
The race to the sea was where both sides dug trenches to gain more land. They both dug trenches ahead of each other until they reached the sea (North Sea). Once they reached the sea they were stuck. Both sides needed to expand this is why the Battle of the Somme happened.
Trenches were a good cover up for the soldiers
It was easier to prepare for an attack
You could hide your supplies e.g. food and weapons
You could build them at night and not be seen easily
Better protection from machine guns and rifles
Small protection from artillery and shrapnel
Trenches were damp and forced men into tight quarters
As a result of this diseases spread quickly eg Trench Fever brought down a whole unit in a day
Choices of weapons were limited
Mustard gases and other poisonous gases were used as well, these filled trenches quickly and there was no escape.
Men were kept quite safe in the trenches due to some of the features the British army provided in there. Some parts of the trenches included:
Dressing Stations: These provided immediate medical treatment to the seriously injured, who were then moved back behind the lines.More than 92% of the wounded men who were evacuated to British medical units, survived.
Shelters were built that had dugouts. They provided a place to hide in case of bombing and soldiers also reserved to sleep there.
Both the German and the British trenches had a 7 foot deep ditch at the front of the system provided cover for the most exposed troops. Dug in clever ‘zigzag’ sections to minimize damage, only a small area would be affected if it was attacked by enemy forces or hit by a shell. these were the Firing Lines of a trench. Reserve trenches were also set up a few hundred yards behind this to supply stores of things like food and weapons. They provided a bit more comfort for soldiers that were going to the firing lines.
It was easier to prepare for an attack
You could hide your supplies e.g. food and weapons
You could build them at night and not be seen easily
Better protection from machine guns and rifles
Small protection from artillery and shrapnel
Trenches were damp and forced men into tight quarters
As a result of this diseases spread quickly eg Trench Fever brought down a whole unit in a day
Choices of weapons were limited
Mustard gases and other poisonous gases were used as well, these filled trenches quickly and there was no escape.
Men were kept quite safe in the trenches due to some of the features the British army provided in there. Some parts of the trenches included:
Dressing Stations: These provided immediate medical treatment to the seriously injured, who were then moved back behind the lines.More than 92% of the wounded men who were evacuated to British medical units, survived.
Shelters were built that had dugouts. They provided a place to hide in case of bombing and soldiers also reserved to sleep there.
Both the German and the British trenches had a 7 foot deep ditch at the front of the system provided cover for the most exposed troops. Dug in clever ‘zigzag’ sections to minimize damage, only a small area would be affected if it was attacked by enemy forces or hit by a shell. these were the Firing Lines of a trench. Reserve trenches were also set up a few hundred yards behind this to supply stores of things like food and weapons. They provided a bit more comfort for soldiers that were going to the firing lines.
Routine In The Trenches....
Men might have different experiences of life on the Western Front (soldiers that fought in France, mainly the British) depending on their rank. For example, it was the job of the Officer to lead night patrols, to organise the men and to relay orders from High(er) Command. It is said that they were treated better than ordinary soldiers as they had small 'dug-outs' in trenches where they would eat and sleep, better food and might be more readily excused from front line duty if they were wounded or ill.
In general all soldiers followed a basic routine from dawn and dusk, when poor visibility made enemy attacks more likely. Shells and even some hand guns would be fired toward the enemy lines first thing in the morning. This was supposed to be a weapon test but was commonly used as a way for the soldiers to relieve some of the stress that was building up inside. The first hour of daylight became known as "The morning Hate.” The ‘morning’ lasted roughly an hour after which rifle equipment was cleaned, breakfast served and daily tasks assigned. Tasks might include repairing duckboards, draining trenches, refilling sandbags, preparing/emptying latrines, and reinforcing trench walls damaged by rainfall. Dawn raids were common in the trenches from both sides although it was common knowledge that both sides were prepared for them. Therefore men were also sent to ‘Fire Step’ to keep guard and warn the British of any attacks by the enemy.
In general all soldiers followed a basic routine from dawn and dusk, when poor visibility made enemy attacks more likely. Shells and even some hand guns would be fired toward the enemy lines first thing in the morning. This was supposed to be a weapon test but was commonly used as a way for the soldiers to relieve some of the stress that was building up inside. The first hour of daylight became known as "The morning Hate.” The ‘morning’ lasted roughly an hour after which rifle equipment was cleaned, breakfast served and daily tasks assigned. Tasks might include repairing duckboards, draining trenches, refilling sandbags, preparing/emptying latrines, and reinforcing trench walls damaged by rainfall. Dawn raids were common in the trenches from both sides although it was common knowledge that both sides were prepared for them. Therefore men were also sent to ‘Fire Step’ to keep guard and warn the British of any attacks by the enemy.
(Image by BBC History/guides) Above is a diagram that shows the average time spent by a soldier in the Trenches at different places. By looking at this its easy to say that actually a soldier could be quite safe here. Snipers were set up in lookout posts and would fire at the enemy an the first sight of movement, you had to keep your head down in the trenches no matter what you were doing for fear of being shot. Opposing snipers used to play a game with each other raising a helmet above the trench to see if the enemy could hit it with a bullet. Soon, Saucepans were held above the trenches on poles for the German troops to aim and fire at for both camps’ amusement. However men by this time were already exhausted. Falling asleep at your post was a capital offence and could see the offender face death by firing squad.
Wherever possible men tried to catch a little rest or attend to more personal matters such as writing letters home. Aside from the chores and the fighting when soldiers were called upon, daily trench life could be rather dull. Men often resorted to heavy smoking, card games/ gambling or drinking to keep themselves occupied (consider that these men were only in their teen years or were in their 20s.
Wherever possible men tried to catch a little rest or attend to more personal matters such as writing letters home. Aside from the chores and the fighting when soldiers were called upon, daily trench life could be rather dull. Men often resorted to heavy smoking, card games/ gambling or drinking to keep themselves occupied (consider that these men were only in their teen years or were in their 20s.
A typical infantry soldier at the beginning of the war would train for 12 weeks after enlisting, as the war went on this was reduced due to soldiers urgently being needed on the front line and by the end of the war training was down to just six weeks. However, as horrific as the war sounds, nearly 9 out of every 10 soldiers in the British Army, who went into the trenches, survived on days where there wasn’t heavy fighting. Still, in the first few months of fighting, over 129,000 allie soldiers had been killed, this amount was larger than the British army itself. On average a soldier should have been in the trenches for about six months at a time, before returning home for a few weeks.