trench+warfare+mj

=﻿ ﻿TRENCH WARFARE/ MJ SMITH =



In World War 1, Trench Warfare was the main battle tactic used on the western front. Though it was the main tactic, doesn't mean it was the most successful one. In fact, for several years, the practice dragged out the war in a complete stalemate. It mostly just consisted of a large number of deaths, of both allied and central powered soldiers.

One reason there was such a stalemate was because trenches were so difficult for an enemy to capture. The front line was defended by rows of sandbags, barbed wire, and armed soldiers. Not to mention the average 250 yard jog, across No Man's Land (the area between enemy lines), a soldier would have to make to even get to enemy trenches. In which case is impossible because a common soldier, traveling on foot, would be either shot by a sniper or killed by a hand grenade. Many soldiers would be left wounded in No Man's Land, because it was too dangerous (and most likely imppossible) to successfully collect the injured and make it back alive.

Trench structures were fairly simple in there formations. From birds-eye-view, they made the form of an "H" or they might zig-zag there way in the ground. The first line, or front line, was mostly composed of soldiers who protected the trench with snipers and gas bombs, and who occasionally leaped across No Man's land in attack. The second line was compiled of soldiers to defend the trench if the front line had been captured. And the third line consisted of medical assitance, food, and mailing services.



But that was not the only content found in the terrible trenches of World War 1. It was full of painful diseases like trenchfoot. To add to the unpleasurable currcumstanses, rat infestations were unavoidable. Though, because human annoyance could only hand so much, the soldiers would make it a game to see how many rats the could kill a day.

The living conditions were also horrible. the soldiers would sleep in little holes called dug-outs. Trenches had parctically no protection from weather, making them a very muddy and unhygienic ﻿ ﻿ ﻿place to live.

Due to the difficultly to defeat enemy trenches, opposing sides were always trying to come up with new ways to get the advantage in battle. This motivation led to the enhancement of technlogical military warfare. Many of the new weapons used during the war were different types of poisonous gas bombs. There was a major advancement in guns, mostly to make shots more accurate so soldiers could have a more percise aim from the front line of trenches. Also, tanks were made when both sides realized a man on foot was not the best way to travel through No Man's Land.

So all in all, trench warfare in World War 1 was costly; in both victory and in military strategy. But most importantly, it was costly in human life.

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=** ﻿B ﻿Y: M ﻿J ﻿S ﻿M ﻿I ﻿T ﻿H **=