World War I: Trench Warfare

What were the trenches?

• Trenches were the front lines and most dangerous places.
• The majority of troops were employed behind the trenches in supply lines, training, stores, workshops, and headquarters.
• Infantry, mortars, machine-guns, engineers, medics, and artillery observers were in the trenches.

Why were the trenches there?

• Trench warfare was used in the US Civil War and the Russian-Japanese War.
• Trench warfare in World War I began in September 1914 and ended in July 1918.
• Armies dug in for cover and to hold ground, resulting in a 400-mile line of trenches from Switzerland to the North Sea by November 1914.

What were the trenches like?

• Trenches varied based on local conditions.
• In the Somme, chalky ground required revetting with wood or sandbags.
• At Ypres in Belgium, trenches were built up with sandbags and wood due to boggy ground.
• Trenches ran through various terrains, each presenting different challenges.
• During major offensives, some trenches were shallow and temporary, only held for a few days.

From simple hole in the ground to formidable defensive systems

• Trenches included a front line ("Main Fire Trench") that followed contours for defense and observation.
• The front line was dug in sections to limit the impact of explosions or enemy breaches.
• Behind the front line was the support line with dugouts for shelter, telephones, and headquarters.
• Communication trenches connected the rear areas with the front and support lines for transport.
• Saps extended from the front line into no man's land for listening posts.
• The front and rear of the trench were protected by sandbags, forming the parapet and parados.
• No man's land was the space between opposing lines, ranging from 30 yards to hundreds of yards.
• Consolidating a captured trench involved reversing the protected front.
• Later in the war, trench systems included deep barbed wire belts, concrete shelters, and machine-gun emplacements.
• A typical trench system had three main fire trenches connected by communication trenches
• By 1916, German defenses layered back over a couple of miles
• By 1917 Allied assaults faced defensive systems several miles deep.

Living conditions

• Trench conditions varied but were generally squalid due to constrained space.
• Food scraps, waste, latrines, and inability to wash caused health risks.
• Vermin, including rats and lice, were numerous and spread disease.
• Maggots and flies thrived on corpses.
• Troops faced weather extremes, including severe cold in the winter of 1916-1917.
• Flooding, exposure, frostbite, trench foot, and other diseases were common.
• Wooden duckboards were used for flooring.
• Latrines were holes in the ground with planks, often targeted by snipers and shellfire.
• Saps were crude, temporary trenches leading into no man's land, providing cover for raiding parties.

How long would a man have to be in a trench?

• A typical trench routine involved 4 days in the front line, 4 in close reserve, and 4 at rest, but this varied.
• Men in close reserve had to be ready to reinforce the line.
• Relief of a unit was an anxious time due to increased risk of enemy attention.
• Sentries were posted on look-out duty, listening for enemy activity.
• Other men were assigned to fire trenches, support trenches, carrying, repair, or digging parties.
• Trench life was tedious, involving hard physical work.
• Officers balanced work, defense, and rest with rotas and timetables.
• Loss of concentration could be deadly.
• At dawn and dusk, the line was ordered to "Stand To!" in preparation for attack.
• Men in the fire trench and support trench wore equipment at all times.
• Bayonets were fixed during darkness, mist, or alerts.
• Men needed approval to leave their post or the trench.
• An officer per company was on trench duty, checking equipment and alertness.
• NCOs inspected rifles twice daily and ensured equipment was in order.
• Gas attacks were warned by a gas gong, prompting men to put on gas masks.
• Battalions requested necessary stores from the brigade workshop.
• Rations and supplies were brought up at night.
• Units tried to provide hot meals, but this was not always possible.
• Men cooked using braziers, masking smoke to avoid detection.