Trench warfare why

Trenches in WWI were constructed with sandbags, wooden planks, woven sticks, tangled barbed wire or even just stinking mud. Trenches became trash dumps of the detritus of war: broken ammunition boxes, empty cartridges, torn uniforms, shattered helmets, soiled bandages, shrapnel balls, bone fragments. Trenches were also places of despair, becoming long graves when they collapsed from the weight of the war. They were easy targets and casualties were enormously high. Trench warfare was not an innovation of World War I, but it was never so prevalent in any other war before or since.

One reason that World War I became a massive trench war on the Western Front was that western Europe was densely populated. The opposing armies in the west were so vast that they could be deployed across the entire European continent, forming a continuous front. Early in the war, the opposing armies engaged in mobile tactics in an effort to outflank each other, but were countered as opposing troops were brought in to extend their lines.

Throughout late , after the first battle of the Marne, units of the opposing sides were deployed north and south of the already-entrenched armies and attempted to outrace each other and, in so doing, to turn their enemies' flank before the extending lines reached the sea.

These attempts resulted in a series of battles, but neither side achieved a decisive breakthrough. From that point, the war on the Western Front devolved into filling in gaps in the lines, fortifying them, and experimenting with new tactics and weapons in order to break through.

The trench lines had the effect of turning Western Europe into two fortresses whose armies laid siege to each other along a single border. In the east, the geography worked against entrenchment.

The battle lines were much longer and the ground was harder. Trenches were more difficult to dig, and they could not be easily defended because forces could not be deployed along vast distances without making defensive lines easy to break.

The Battle of Somme as seen from the trenches. Trench warfare caused enormous numbers of casualties. Later in the war, forces began mounting attacks from the trenches at night, usually with support of covering artillery fire. The Germans soon became known for effectively mounting nighttime incursions behind enemy lines, by sending highly trained soldiers to attack the trenches of opposing forces at what they perceived as weak points. If successful, these soldiers would breach enemy lines and circle around to attack their opponents from the rear, while their comrades would mount a traditional offensive at the front.

The brutality of trench warfare is perhaps best typified by the Battle of the Somme in France. Foot inspections by medical and unit officers preceded the daily rum ration. The two ounces of over-proof liquor were a morale booster, eagerly anticipated and appreciated by all. Did You Know? Rum came in gallon jugs and was doled out by sergeants on the direction of officers. It had to be downed in the presence of an officer or NCO to prevent it from being hoarded.

Rum compensated in some way for the misery of life in the trenches. If it were withheld, morale could plummet. Once these preliminaries were completed, NCOs assigned men to sentry duty one in 12 or work parties.

Trenches and sandbags were in constant need of repair, and latrines had to be dug. Soldiers also had free time to clean kit, read, write letters, smoke, play cards, talk or sleep. Lunch and dinner were usually the same monotonous food as breakfast. Soldiers rotated through the three main trench lines, spending four to six days in each.

Nighttime trench raids were a way for frontline soldiers to strike back at the enemy. Raids had many purposes: to gain combat experience, gather intelligence, capture prisoners, destroy fortifications or simply inflict casualties. While Canadians did not invent trench raids, they certainly developed them to a high state and became the acknowledged masters of raiding. The unsanitary conditions in front-line trenches meant disease was widespread. Sickness in the trenches gave its name to three specific conditions.

Trench foot was caused by standing in water for too long, which resulted in a loss of circulation. If not treated in time, gangrene set in and amputation of toes or even feet followed. Trench mouth was caused by poor oral hygiene, lack of fresh fruit, heavy smoking and continual stress. It caused bleeding and very bad breath and, if left untreated, required all teeth to be pulled from rotting, discoloured gums.