Trench Warfare

1.
Trenches generally formed a

zig-zag pattern to help protect
the trench against enemy attack.
2. Fire steps and scaling ladders

enabled troops to go ‘over the
top’, i.e. to go out into no-man's-
land (the area between the
opposing armies) to attack
enemy trenches.
3. Machine guns, one of the most

deadly weapons & could fire
400–500 bullets/minute.
4. Trench toilets, called latrines,

were usually pits 1.5 metres
deep, dug at the end of a short
gangway. Each company had
two sanitary personnel who had
to keep the latrines in good
condition.
5. Earth-filled sandbags helped to support the edges of the trenches and absorb bullets and shell fragments.
6. Duckboards were wooden planks placed across the bottom of trenches and other muddy ground. They helped protect men from
trench foot and from sinking deep into the mud. Trench foot was a painful and dangerous condition resulting from days spent
standing in freezing water and muddy trenches; gangrene could set in and result in the amputation of a man's foot.
7. Due to use of mustard gas and other chemical weapons, all soldiers needed gas masks. Mustard gas was almost odourless and took
12 hours to take effect.
8. Each soldier had a kit containing nearly 30 kilograms of equipment. This included a rifle, two grenades, ammunition, a steel
helmet, wire cutters, a field dressing, a spade, a heavy coat, two sandbags, a ground sheet, a water bottle, a haversack, a mess tin, a
towel, a shaving kit, socks and rations of preserved food.
9. Barbed wire helped protect the trenches and also made it very difficult to attack the opposing trench. Before an attack, soldiers
went out at night to cut sections of wire to make it easier for the soldiers in morning raids. Minor cuts and grazes caused by the
barbed wire often became infected in the unsanitary conditions of the trenches.
10.The British army employed 300 000 field workers to cook and supply the food for troops. However, there was often not enough
food to cook. The main diet in the trenches was bully beef (canned corned beef), bread and biscuits.
11.Snow, rain and freezing temperatures drastically slowed combat during the winter months. In hot, dry summers, lack of fresh
water, scorching sun, and the stench of dead bodies and rubbish made trench life equally difficult.
Stalemate in the trenches
War began with Austro-Hungarian troops fighting Russian and Serbian troops in eastern Europe and German troops fighting France,
Belgium and their allies in western Europe. By late 1914, all armies had begun to build trenches to protect their soldiers from the
enemy and from the winter cold. Eventually, a line of trenches, known as the Western Front, stretched almost continuously from
south-west Belgium across north-eastern France to the Swiss border.
No side could make progress without breaking through the enemy's trench system. Attempts to do so resulted in a huge number of
casualties as men went ‘over the top’ to face their enemies' machine-gun, rifle and artillery fire. Trench warfare, using these weapons
so well suited to defence, meant that what had begun as a war of movement developed into a stalemate. The Gallipoli campaign, in
which Australian soldiers first saw active duty, was part of an attempt to break the stalemate and resume a war of movement.
1. Explain the purpose of trenches.

(Tip- When a question asks you to ‘explain’ it is asking you to ‘make clear’, which means you have to provide a clear outline of the subject and the ‘logic’ behind it).
2. Complete this sentence: “Had I been a soldier fighting in a trench in WWI I would have found…………….., …………….. and ……………..(list 3
things) really difficult because……........ .”
3. Using the above diagram and related information, list 5 features of trench warfare.
4. Why are the soldiers in this diagram wearing gas masks?
5. Have a look at features 4 and 10 in the above diagram (they are close by one another).
a. Name these features.
b. What is one problem associated with these 2 trench activities being so close together?
What’s in it for you?

Definitely have a look at the following information on trench foot because questions on your knowledge of this and other problems associated with
trench warfare will almost certainly come up in your assessment.
Go to “Trench Warfare: Hell on Earth” at http://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/1918/battles/trenchwarfare.asp and complete the following based on the
information on this site.
1. Look at the 2 historical cartoons posted on this site. Choose one cartoon and;
a. Copy it into One note or Word;

b. Write 3-10 sentences about the message the cartoon is conveying and what information it provides about the conditions of trench warfare in WWI.
2. Using the other photos on the above-mentioned site (along with others you find on the Internet if you like) create a short photo essay with captions to give
information about trench warfare during WWI.
3. Using the information on this site (photos, cartoons and written information) and the diagram above, list 3 problems associated with trench warfare.
4. Imagine you are an Australian solider fighting in the trenches during WWI (either at Gallipoli or the Western Front). Write a diary entry or letter back
home describing your experiences in the trenches. Make sure you include information on the following:
* Some of the features of trench warfare (e.g. structure of the trenches, the shape of trenches, some features of trench warfare).
*What the fighting would have been like in the trenches.
*Some of the difficulties faced by you the solider in the trenches (living conditions, fighting, disease, hygiene, food, dangers, pests, etcetera).
*How you the soldier feels.
These feet have trench foot and frostbite which are; conditions associated with prolonged periods in damp, muddy, wet and cold trenches. The prolonged damp and
cold caused skin to rot and turn gangrenous and many soldiers lost toes or had to have their feet amputated because of trench foot. Trench foot was very painful and
disabling (as the photos would strongly suggest) and this was a major cause of lost manpower during WWI. It certainly looks very nasty !

Trench Warfare

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Trench Warfare

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Trench Warfare

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

1.

Trenches generally formed a

2. Fire steps and scaling ladders

3. Machine guns, one of the most

4. Trench toilets, called latrines,

1. Explain the purpose of trenches.

4. Why are the soldiers in this diagram wearing gas masks?

What’s in it for you?

a. Copy it into One note or Word;

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.