TrenchTrench WarfareWarfare #54#54 LetterLetter HomeHome
SCHLIEFFENSCHLIEFFEN (SHLEE-FUN)(SHLEE-FUN) PLANPLAN FirstFirst twotwo monthsmonths ofof thethe war-war- Objective:Objective: ToTo avoidavoid aa warwar onon twotwo frontsfronts FastFast killkill onon France,France, thenthen attackattack Russia.Russia. TookTook troopstroops throughthrough Belgium,Belgium, bringingbringing GreatGreat BritainBritain intointo thethe war.war.
BATTLEBATTLE OFOF THETHE MARNEMARNE
GermanyGermany stoppedstopped shortshort ofof Paris.Paris. TaxicabsTaxicabs usedused toto bringbring troopstroops toto thethe front.front. RuinsRuins SchlieffenSchlieffen Plan.Plan. EveryoneEveryone digsdigs in;in; warwar becomesbecomes aa stalematestalemate onon thethe WesternWestern FrontFront
BATTLEBATTLE OFOF THETHE SOMMESOMME (1916)(1916)
20,00020,000 BritishBritish killedkilled inin 11 day,day, 500,000500,000 casualtiescasualties onon eacheach sideside
InIn thethe East,East, RussianRussian forcesforces keptkept GermanGerman troopstroops splitsplit betweenbetween 22 fronts.fronts. RussiansRussians sufferedsuffered severesevere losses.losses. ByBy 1916,1916, RussiaRussia waswas nearnear defeat.defeat. RevolutionsRevolutions hithit inin MarchMarch andand OctoberOctober ofof 1917.1917.
MythMyth
RealityReality
TrenchTrench WarfareWarfare AsAs thethe GermanGerman advanceadvance slowedslowed inin France,France, bothboth sidessides dugdug inin toto keepkeep fromfrom beingbeing pushedpushed backback
MachineMachine guns,guns, artillery,artillery, andand 33 layerslayers ofof trenchestrenches mademade frontalfrontal attacksattacks suicidal.suicidal. ForFor 33 yearsyears thethe frontfront inin FranceFrance nevernever movedmoved moremore thanthan 33 milesmiles eithereither way,way, yetyet millionsmillions died.died.
Ariel View of Trenches LifeLife inin thethe TrenchesTrenches TheThe firstfirst thingthing aa newnew recruitrecruit wouldwould noticenotice onon thethe wayway toto thethe FrontlineFrontline waswas thethe smell,smell, rottingrotting bodiesbodies inin shallowshallow graves,graves, menmen whowho hadn'thadn't washedwashed inin weeksweeks becausebecause therethere werewere nono facilities.facilities. TheyThey soonsoon gotgot usedused toto thethe smellsmell andand eventuallyeventually becamebecame partpart ofof itit withwith theirtheir ownown bodybody odor.odor.
““OverOver thethe top”top” ToTo leaveleave thethe trenchtrench andand attack.attack. (Words(Words youyou nevernever wantedwanted toto hear)hear)
NoNo Man’sMan’s LandLand
• No Man's Land is the term used by soldiers to describe the ground between the two opposing trenches. Its width along the Western Front could vary a great deal. The average distance in most sectors was about 250 yards.
• No Man's Land contained a considerable amount of barbed wire. In the areas most likely to be attacked, there were ten belts of barbed wire just before the front-line trenches. In some places the wire was more than a 100 feet deep.
• NoNo Man’sMan’s LandLand TheThe killingkilling zonezone betweenbetween trenchestrenches
CrittersCritters inin thethe TrenchTrench RatsRats werewere aa constantconstant companioncompanion inin thethe trenchestrenches inin theirtheir millionsmillions theythey werewere everywhere,everywhere, gorginggorging themselvesthemselves onon humanhuman remains.remains. LiceLice causedcaused TrenchTrench Fever,Fever, aa particularlyparticularly painfulpainful diseasedisease thatthat beganbegan suddenlysuddenly withwith severesevere painpain followedfollowed byby highhigh fever.fever. RecoveryRecovery tooktook upup toto twelvetwelve weeks.weeks. MillionsMillions ofof frogsfrogs werewere foundfound inin shellshell holesholes coveredcovered inin water;water; theythey werewere alsoalso foundfound inin thethe basebase ofof trenches.trenches. SlugsSlugs andand hornedhorned beetlesbeetles crowdedcrowded thethe sidessides ofof thethe trench.trench.
DeadDead bodies….bodies….
LeftLeft toto rotrot inin thethe AnAn easyeasy foodfood sourcesource trenchestrenches becausebecause ofof thethe machinemachine gungun firefire forfor ratsrats andand aa placeplace toto thatthat keptkept thethe soldierssoldiers breedbreed diseasedisease inin thethe trenchestrenches BringBring ratsrats
SoldiersSoldiers ofof allall nationsnations huntedhunted thethe rats–rats– sometimessometimes rationsrations werewere shortshort andand meatmeat waswas addedadded toto theirtheir dietdiet German soldiers in a well-constructed trench in France pick lice out of their clothes. By the end of 1914, the Western Front had solidified two systems of trenches running across France
LunchLunch inin thethe trenches.trenches.
AnotherAnother chancechance toto eat.eat.
• HotHot foodfood inin thethe trenchestrenches ofof WW1WW1 waswas consideredconsidered aa luxury.luxury. DuringDuring battlebattle oror anan impendingimpending attack,attack, itit waswas nearlynearly impossibleimpossible forfor thethe soupsoup kitchenskitchens toto supplysupply mealsmeals toto thethe soldierssoldiers onon thethe frontfront lines.lines. • However,However, duringduring downtimes,downtimes, foodfood waswas fairlyfairly easyeasy toto acquireacquire forfor GermanGerman andand BritishBritish soldiers.soldiers. SoldiersSoldiers wouldwould usuallyusually getget thethe samesame foodfood withwith veryvery littlelittle variation.variation. • MostMost dailydaily rationsrations consistedconsisted ofof bread,bread, cheese,cheese, jam,jam, biscuits,biscuits, sausages,sausages, cornedcorned beef,beef, pork,pork, beans,beans, eggs,eggs, potatoespotatoes andand somesome vegetables.vegetables. InIn additionaddition toto thethe food,food, soldierssoldiers wouldwould alsoalso getget aa rationration ofof cigarettescigarettes andand tobacco.tobacco.
OfficersOfficers getget aa chancechance toto eat.eat.
AA trenchtrench periscopeperiscope usedused byby FrenchFrench soldierssoldiers
AA busybusy scenescene inin aa trenchtrench dugout.dugout. SoldiersSoldiers passedpassed thethe timetime veryvery wiselywisely inin thethe trenchestrenches whenwhen theythey werewere notnot fighting.fighting. TheyThey wouldwould digdig trenchestrenches toto oneone anotheranother andand playplay cardcard gamesgames andand such.such. afterafter thethe war,war, therethere werewere manymany trenches.trenches. itit lookedlooked likeslikes tonstons ofof mazes.mazes.
TanksTanks inin trenches.trenches.
TheThe LancashireLancashire FusiliersFusiliers fixfix bayonetsbayonets asas theythey prepareprepare toto gogo "over"over thethe top“.top“.
OfficersOfficers walkingwalking throughthrough aa floodedflooded communicationcommunication trench.trench.
TrenchTrench FootFoot
Many soldiers fighting in the First World War suffered from trench foot. This was an infection of the feet caused by cold, wet and insanitary conditions. In the trenches men stood for hours on end in waterlogged trenches without being able to remove wet socks or boots. The feet would gradually go numb and the skin would turn red or blue. If untreated, trench foot could turn gangrenous and result in amputation. Trench foot was a particular problem in the early stages of the war. For example, during the winter of 1914-15 over 20,000 men in the British Army were treated for trench foot. Brigadier-General Frank Percy Crozier argued that: " The fight against the condition known as trench-feet had been incessant and an uphill game."
TrenchTrench FootFoot
• TheThe onlyonly remedyremedy forfor trenchtrench footfoot waswas forfor thethe soldierssoldiers toto drydry theirtheir feetfeet andand changechange theirtheir sockssocks severalseveral timestimes aa day.day. ByBy thethe endend ofof 19151915 BritishBritish soldierssoldiers inin thethe trenchestrenches hadhad toto havehave threethree pairspairs ofof sockssocks withwith themthem andand werewere underunder ordersorders toto changechange theirtheir sockssocks atat leastleast twicetwice aa day.day. AsAs wellwell asas dryingdrying theirtheir feet,feet, soldierssoldiers werewere toldtold toto covercover theirtheir feetfeet withwith aa greasegrease mademade fromfrom whale-oil.whale-oil. ItIt hashas beenbeen estimatedestimated thatthat aa battalionbattalion atat thethe frontfront wouldwould useuse tenten gallonsgallons ofof whale-oilwhale-oil everyevery dayday
JapaneseJapanese gasgas maskmask U.U. S.S. gasgas maskmask
BritishBritish soldierssoldiers blindedblinded byby mustardmustard gasgas
LifeLife inin thethe TrenchesTrenches
• ManyMany menmen dieddied onon theirtheir firstfirst dayday inin thethe trenchestrenches asas aa consequenceconsequence ofof aa preciselyprecisely aimedaimed sniper'ssniper's bullet.bullet. • ItIt hashas beenbeen estimatedestimated thatthat upup toto oneone thirdthird ofof AlliedAllied casualtiescasualties onon thethe WesternWestern FrontFront werewere actuallyactually sustainedsustained inin thethe trenches.trenches. AsideAside fromfrom enemyenemy injuries,injuries, diseasedisease wroughtwrought aa heavyheavy toll.toll.