Life in the Trenches

Life in the trenches during the First World War took many forms, and varied widely from sector to sector and from front to front. Undoubtedly, it was entirely unexpected for those eager thousands who signed up for war in August 1914. A War of Movement? Indeed, the Great War - a phrase coined even before it had begun - was expected to be a relatively short affair and, as with most wars, one of great movement. The First World War was typified however by its lack of movement, the years of stalemate exemplified on the Western Front from autumn 1914 until spring 1918. Not that there wasn't movement at all on the Western Front during 1914-18; the war began dramatically with sweeping advances by the Germans through Belgium and France en route for Paris. So what was life actually like for the men serving tours of duty in the line, be they front line, support or reserve trenches? Daily Death in the Trenches Rat Infestation Rats in their millions infested trenches. Frogs, Lice and Worse The Trench Cycle Related: Total War

BBC Schools - Life in the trenches 31 October 2014Last updated at 15:07 Two British soldiers standing in a flooded communication trench during World War One On the Western Front, the war was fought in trenches. Trenches were long, narrow ditches dug into the ground where soldiers lived all day and night. There were many lines of German trenches on one side and many lines of Allied trenches on the other. In the middle, was no man's land, so-called because it did not belong to either army. Rest Soldiers in the trenches did not get much sleep. Dirty trenches The trenches could be very muddy and smelly.

Image result for trenches at baby 70 Gallipoli The Gallipoli Campaign (Battle of Gallipoli) was one of the Allies great disasters in World War One. It was carried out between 25th April 1915 and 9th January 1916 on the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire. The doomed campaign was thought up by Winston Churchill to end the war early by creating a new war front that the Ottomans could not cope with. On November 25th 1914, Winston Churchill suggested his plan for a new war front in the Dardanelles to the British government’s War Council. On January 15th 1915, the War Council gave its agreement and British troops in Egypt were put on alert. Churchill’s idea was simple. The Turks had joined the Central Powers in November 1914 and they were seen by Churchill as being the weak underbelly of those who fought against the Allies. Churchill had contacted Admiral Carden – head of the British fleet anchored off of the Dardanelles – for his thoughts on a naval assault on Turkish positions in the Dardanelles. “It was not my business.

World War I (1914–1919): Overview World War I took place between 1914 and 1918. Although the conflict began in Europe, it ultimately involved countries as far away as the United States and Japan. At the time, the English-speaking world knew it as the “Great War”—the term “World War I” was applied decades later. By conservative estimates, around 9 million soldiers died in battle—many of them defending entrenched front lines that were so stalemated that they rarely moved even a few yards in either direction. Political tensions ran high in early twentieth-century Europe. At the same time, technological and industrial developments in Europe were advancing with unprecedented speed. By war’s end, the map of Europe began to resemble the one we know today. The aftermath of World War I also marked the practical end of monarchy on the continent and of European colonialism throughout the rest of the world.

People's Century | Teacher's Guide | Total War The following lesson focuses on a program segment about the evacuation of children from war zones, the drafting of British women to produce military equipment, and the bombings of London and Plymouth. European citizens recall their experiences. Discussion Before Watching 1. As a class, brainstorm definitions of the term total war. Discuss examples of total war and who is affected by it. Trench raiding Typically, raids were carried out at night by small teams of men who would black up their faces with burnt cork before crossing the barbed wire and other debris of no man's land to infiltrate enemy trench systems. The distance between friendly and enemy front lines varied, but was generally several hundred metres. U.S. M1917 "Knuckle Duster" trench knife and leather sheath of World War I Despite the fact that World War I was the first conflict to be fought by mechanized means, trench raiding was very similar to medieval warfare insofar as it was fought face-to-face with crude weaponry. Trench raiding had multiple purposes. There was always a risk that returning raiders could be shot in so-called friendly fire incidents. See also[edit] References[edit] Godefroy, Andrew (2008), "Daring Innovation: The Canadian Corps and Trench Raiding on the Western Front", in Horn, Bernd, Show No Fear: Daring Actions in Canadian Military History, Toronto: Dundurn Press, pp. 235–266, ISBN 978-1-55002-816-4

History - World Wars: Summary of World War One The Impact of Total War - Dictionary definition of The Impact of Total War World War II Reference Library COPYRIGHT 2000 The Gale Group Inc. World War II was larger than previous wars and was fought in more parts of the world. But it was different in another way, too. It came closer than any prior conflict to being a total war. If all the people of a country were involved in the war, then the country could ask the civilian population to make major sacrifices to win the war. Death from the air One of the ways in which the war was brought hometo civilian populations was by attacks from the air. Although they caused civilian deaths, the air attacks were closely connected to efforts by German ground troops to capture the cities they were bombing or to cut off enemy forces. The RAF and the strategic air offensive The German military strategy was in sharp contrast to that of Britain's Royal Air Force, the RAF (pronounced are-ayeff). Supporters of the strategic air offensive theory believed it might even bring victory by itself, rather than just helping the army win.

Trench warfare Overview[edit] Field works[edit] Field works are as old as armies. Nor were fortifications restricted to European powers. Symbol for the futility of war[edit] Trench warfare has become a powerful symbol of the futility of war.[13] Its image is of young men going "over the top" (over the parapet of the trench, to attack the enemy trench line) into a maelstrom of fire leading to near-certain death, typified by the first day of the Somme (on which the British suffered 57,000 casualties) or the grinding slaughter in the mud of Passchendaele. Trench warfare is associated with needless slaughter in appalling conditions, combined with the view that brave men went to their deaths because of incompetent and narrow-minded commanders who failed to adapt to the new conditions of trench warfare: class-ridden and backward-looking generals put their faith in the attack, believing superior morale and dash would overcome the weapons and moral inferiority of the defender. World War I: Entrenchment[edit]