Trench Warfare

Tunneling

- On occasion, soldiers would dig right into enemy lines, and an underground battle would ensue.

- Special miners employed to dig tunnels under No Man’s Land.

- Main objective was to place mines under defensive positions.

- It could take as long as a year to dig the tunnel for the mine.

Parapet: Front trench where 2-3 feet of sandbags were built up for additional protection from fire and explosions. Rear side of the trench was called the Parados.

Dugout: Place for soldiers to sleep and eat

Fire step: Ledge on the front side of trench, which allowed soldiers to shoot through parapet. 2 or 3 feet high.

Duck boards: Wooden plank which kept soldiers’ feet out of mud and water. Most of the Western Front was only a couple of feet above sea level.

SAP- Short trenches dug into No Man’s Land, towards enemy lines. - Soldiers could move forward without enemy fire.- Several saps would eventually be joined to create a new trench- Also used as listening posts

Firebay- Trenches were not dug in straight lines, just in case the enemy had a successful offensive where they could shoot straight along the line.- While French had zig zags, British created bays for shooting.

Trench Gun

- The use of mirrors allowed soldiers to fire on the enemy without fear of snipers.

- Periscope and a gun in one.

Supplies in the Trenches

1 towel2 haversack3 extra socks4 soap5 iron rations6 preserved rations7 canvas holdall

Food!

- Good conditions: canned corned beef, biscuits- Bad Conditions: Bread from turnips, pea soup, weeds- Iron Rations: Bully beef, biscuits, tin of tea and sugar (Required Permission)- Very stale food; 8 days to reach front line- Often boiled stale food in sandbags- Sometimes had to retreat from successful advances

Trench Foot

- Infection of the feet caused by cold, wet, and unsanitary conditions.- A result of standing hours in waterlogged trenches. - Could result in amputation- The only solution was changing socks several times a day

Eeeeewwwwwww

Barbed Wire

- Easily made / cost effective- New concept of defense- Wiring trenches was unpopular job- Stretched out to create an “Apron”- Usually placed far enough away to keep out grenades- Often destroyed with Bangalore Torpedo- Soldiers sent to cut it before offensive attack