Technology and industrialization
was the key to World War II avoiding the mire of trench warfare, but I would argue that this came about in a far more systemic manner than is typically described.
How did trench warfare come about?
In the wake of the Battle of the Marne—during which Allied troops halted the steady German push through Belgium and France that had proceeded over the first month of World War I—a conflict both sides had expected to be short and decisive turns longer and bloodier, as
Allied and German forces
begin digging the first …
Why did they fight in trenches in WW1?
Life in the Trenches, 1914-1919. World War I was a war of trenches. After the early war of movement in the late summer of 1914,
artillery and machine guns forced the armies on the Western Front to dig trenches to protect themselves
. Fighting ground to a stalemate.
Why did soldiers keep on fighting in the trenches?
Trenches were carefully designed and
kept as hygienic as possible
. Men continued to fight because they were afraid of being punished if they did not follow orders. British soldiers were not let down by their commanding officers.
Why did trench warfare start on the Western Front?
One reason that World War I became a massive trench war on the Western Front was
that western Europe was densely populated
. The opposing armies in the west were so vast that they could be deployed across the entire European continent, forming a continuous front.
Why did the trenches smell so bad?
Some men disappeared into the mud because it was so thick. The trenches had a horrible smell. This was because of
the lack of bathing, the dead bodies, and the overflowing toilets
. … They could smell cordite, the lingering odour of poison gas, rotting sandbags, stagnant mud, cigarette smoke, and cooking food.
How did soldiers use dead bodies in the trenches?
Many men killed in the trenches were
buried almost where they fell
. If a trench subsided, or new trenches or dugouts were needed, large numbers of decomposing bodies would be found just below the surface. These corpses, as well as the food scraps that littered the trenches, attracted rats.
Do ww1 trenches still exist?
Trench Remains
There are a small number of places where sections of trench lines can still be visited. … Nevertheless, there are
still remains of trenches to be found in remote parts of the battlefields
such as the woods of the Argonne, Verdun and the mountains of the Vosges.
How did they dig the trenches in ww1?
The WWI trenches were built as a system, in a zigzag pattern with many different levels along the lines. … Sometimes the soldiers would simply dig the trenches straight into the ground – a method known as
entrenching
. Entrenching was fast, but the soldiers were open to enemy fire while they dug.
Did they use trenches in World war 2?
It was also the first conflict in world history to have more deaths caused from combat, rather than from disease spread during fighting. Trench
warfare was also employed in World War II
and in the Korean War to some degree, but it has not been used regularly during conflicts in the ensuing decades.
Did they eat rats in the trenches?
Millions of tins were thus available for all the rats in
France and Belgium
in hundreds of miles of trenches. … They were so big they would eat a wounded man if he couldn’t defend himself.” These rats became very bold and would attempt to take food from the pockets of sleeping men.
How long were soldiers in the trenches in ww1?
Soldiers rotated into and out of the front lines to provide a break from the stress of combat. They spent
four to six days
in the front trenches before moving back and spending an equal number of days in the secondary and, finally, the reserve trenches.
What ended trench warfare?
The Allies’ increased use of
the tank
in 1918 marked the beginning of the end of trench warfare, however, since the tank was invulnerable to the machine gun and rifle fire that were the trenches’ ultimate defense.
Who has the best trenches in WW1?
Indeed
the Germans
had the best trenches. In the Somme offensive the Brits fired millions of shells on the trenches. Then the artillery stopped and the infantry advanced.
What were the 4 types of trenches in WW1?
- Artillery Line. The artillery line was where the big field guns were located. …
- Communication Trench. The communication trenches were used to move between the front and rear trenches. …
- Support Trenches. …
- Bunker. …
- Traverse. …
- Machine Gun Nest. …
- Front Line Trench. …
- Barbed Wire.
What happened to the trenches after WW1?
In some places,
trenches cut across farms, roads, towns, etc.
and were naturally filled in by returning inhabitants. In other places, trenches didn’t get in the way and were simply abandoned to nature. In yet others, especially major battlefields, small sections were deliberately preserved.
