Trench warfare. Trench cross-section. World War I. On the Western Front, trench systems were developed into a sophisticated network. In 1914, trenches were quickly dug out by both sides, parallel to each other, from the North Sea through Belgium and France.
The trenches would offer some protection for the troops. from overwhelming enemy artillery and infantry fire. Entrenching was the fast method of creating a trench system by having soldiers dig foxholes. This was dangerous, as it would be done in the line of sight of the enemy. A sapper could then transform this into a more sophisticated sophisticated trench system that was deep enough for a man to safely stand up.
As the war went on, the trench systems became more complex for permanent occupation. The wall facing the enemy was called a parapet, which was strengthened with sandbags to protect from enemy fire, wooden planks to strengthen the sides of the trench from collapsing in. Here there was a fire step that formed a firing position and a way for the soldier to step out onto no man's land. An ammunition shelf was also dug into the side.
The wall facing the back of the trench was called a parapet. called the Parados. Here were dugouts where the soldier could eat, sleep, and seek protection from artillery bombardments. More sophisticated protection came in the form of underground bunkers which could also be used for storage of ammunition, food, and weapons, as well as command centers.
for officers to communicate orders with headquarters. On the floor were duckboards to provide secure ground and aid in drainage to keep the soldiers'feet away from the water which caused diseases such as trench foot in the muddy, soggy terrain of the Western Front. Trenches were built in zigzags instead of straight lines so that if the enemy managed to enter it, they would not be able to shoot down them.
A typical trench system was three lines approximately 800 yards or 730 meters apart. The first line that was nearest to the enemy was the fire trench. This was the most unpleasant and dangerous place to be.
They were about 8 feet or 2.4 meters deep and 6 feet or 1.8 meters wide. The fire trench was the main line of resistance, with machine gun nests placed at strategic points and barbed wire placed in the front area known as No Man's Land. The sapper would also dig out a sap haystack.
head which went slightly ahead into no man's land to form a listening post. The second line was the support trench forming the second line of defense if the first line was taken away by the enemy. A kitchen and a dressing station kept the men fed and treated for any wounds.
Soldiers were rotated every week between front line and support trenches. The third line was the reserve trench. These were connected to each other through communication trenches which were used to transport soldiers, ammunition, and food supplies and orders from trench line to trench line.
Latrines were also placed along these trenches. Behind these lines were artillery. German trench systems tended to be better overall in comparison to British trenches because of a number of reasons. One was that the British thought the trenches would only be temporary whereas the Germans accepted that stalemate would set in and put the effort into developing better trenches. including more comfortable bunkers that were deeper into the ground away from artillery fire.
On the Western Front the Germans were also on higher ground than the British who were in the lowlands. This meant that the British Army would be in unpleasant terrain with high water levels and mud. Watch our other videos to learn more.
Get your copy of Simple History World War 1 available on Amazon now. Thank you guys for watching. all your support on the Simple History YouTube channel.
If you enjoy it, please consider visiting our Patreon page. There, you can show us your support for the channel by donating and make a huge difference in what we're able to create for you. Plus, you can get early access on upcoming videos.
So let's keep it growing, and thank you for being part of this amazing community.