WWI: Life In The Trenches
Early on in the war, a new style of warfare was developed, and quickly spread. Trench
Warfare was developed when the German forces were being forced back out of Belgium,
and France, and were instructed to hold as much ground as possible, whatever the cost.
The men started digging trenches, which, as was discovered, gave a huge advantage.
Characteristics:
There were several lines of Trenches used; there was the front line trench, the support line
trench, and the reserve line trench being the main three.
Front-Line Trench:
• Usually around 7 feet deep, and 4-6 feet wide
• The Parapet and the Parados, (the front and back sides of the trench) were stacked
with sandbags to absorb and bullet / shell fragments
• A small 2-3 foot ledge was added (called
the fire-step) to the front so that soldiers
could stand, see, and fire out if the trench
• All trenches were constructed in zig-zag
formations so that if enemies got into the
trenches, they would be unable to shoot
straight along the trench
• The floors and walls of the trench were
sometimes lined with wood to provide
structure, and to prevent trench-foot (a
condition brought on by standing in water
logged trenches for long periods of time)
• Sometimes there was a small dugout
behind the back wall of the trench, only a
few feet deep. This provided some shelter, or protection, but it could not provide
protection from artillery directly.
Support-Line Trench
• These trenches ran further behind the
Front-line trench.
• Carried support troops, or offered some
relief for soldiers who had come from the
front lines
• The soldiers positioned there were also
ready to help repel an attack should the
front line get overwhelmed.
• The build was similar to that of the frontline trench
• Dugouts were much larger, some as
deep as 15 meters below the ground
• Dugouts were strong enough to
withstand enemy artillery for long periods
of time
• After provided shelter for as much as two entire battalions
Reserve-Line Trench
• These were trenches that ran behind the support-line trenches.
• Similar to the support-line trenches
• Gave relief to soldiers from the front-line, and a place for soldiers who weren’t
currently fighting to be, so as not to be exposed to the enemy
• Behind these were long-range artillery and supply structures (sometimes)
Communications Trenches
• In between and behind all the trenches ran communication trenches
• Were for moving troops from trench to trench
• Bringing in supplies from other locations, while still providing cover for those
bringing it
• Could provide cover for wounded soldiers to leave the battlefield and get back to a
hospital, or military camp for their wounds to be treated
Life in the Trenches
Life in the trenches was hard. The soldiers were always in danger, discomfort and
unsanitary conditions. Many soldiers died from illness brought on by living in the trenches
for long periods of time. The violence of the front lines took millions of lives, and injured
millions more, but there were also several illnesses and issues that developed associated
with living in the trenches for long periods of time, some examples of these include: Shell
Shock, Trench Foot, Lice and Rats.
Shell Shock
• Mental condition brought on by artillery shells
• Made it impossible to remain on the front-lines
• Caused by artillery shells exploding, which creates a vacuum. When air rushes into
the vacuum, it disturbs the cerebral-spinal fluid and affected the workings of the
brain. Soldiers didn’t recognize it as a medical condition, saw it as cowardice
Trench Foot
• A condition caused from a soldier staying in wet boots or socks for extended
periods of time. Often times, doctors had to amputate the person’s feet.
• Only way to avoid it was to change socks frequently, and dry the feet out at least 2
times a day. It became mandatory for a British soldier to have 3 pairs of socks.
Lice
• Worked their way into everything, really hard to get out
• Lived in the seams of clothing mostly, one of the only ways to get them out was
using a candle to burn them, or running hot wax through all the seams
• Soldiers would be covered in red bites
• Was discovered late in the war that lice caused Trench Fever
Rats
• Thousands and thousands were living in and around the trenches
• Rotting flesh brought them, and rats reproduce very quickly
• Lived off of dead or wounded soldiers (too wounded to protect themselves)
• Some grew to be as large as cats
These were only a few of the problems associated with living life in the trenches. Countless
other problems faced soldiers associated with trench life.