Trench Warfare: WWI

Learn about WWI trench warfare: daily life, key trench components, and technology's role. Ideal for middle school history.

Trench Warfare During World War One soldiers experienced fighting a war on two fronts. A two front war developed as a result of Germany's unsuccessful attempt to defeat the French army and then re-mobilize to fight the Russians. Because of this, Europe became divided into two fronts: the eastern and western, where a new warfare began. This new warfare is called trench warfare. This method of fighting is when troops literally "dig in" to the ground and fight. This type of fighting was unsuccessful because of the inability to successfully gain land over the period of the war. Below you will learn about life in the trenches and why the advancement in weapons and technology was critical for the success of the Allied Powers by the time the war concluded in 1918. Task 1 – discussion: daily life in the trenchesLook at the activities in the box. Discuss the questions with your partner.1. What do you think soldiers did every day in the trenches?2. Roughly how long do you think they spent on each activity?3. What else do you think they did? Life in a Trench As you watch the reenactment of life in the trenches, answer the following questions. 1.What were trenches made of?2. Why were front line trenches the most dangerous?3. Who created the best trenches?4. Who created poor trenches? To write your response, label A1, A2, A3, A4 to correspond to the question number. 1. What links the front line and support trenches?2. Why are blocks placed in trenches?3. Why are machine-guns placed just behind the front line? Why are they so close to the bunkers?4. Why is there wire between the front trench and the machine-guns?5. Look at the barbed wire in No-Man’s Land that is at angles to the front trench and also look at the position of the machine-guns. Why is the wire at such an angle? Labeling a trench. Using the trench diagram above as a reference, label the trench diagram below.Word Bank:Trench Board, Wire Tangle, Sump, Machine Gun Nose, Revetment, Bolt Hole, Sandbag Machine Gun Nose Sandbag Wall Bolt Hole Wire Tangle Defenses Revetment Trench Board Sump Revetment Bolt Hole Wire Tangle Trench Board 6. What prevents bullets striking a soldier’s chest when he is on the trench board (fire step)?7. What is the purpose of the sump? What was normally placed over it?8. Barbed wire entanglements were often 40 yards (36m) from the front trench. Considering the types of weapons used on the Western Front, what would be their main defensive function? Definition of trench components. Match the definition to the trench part. Trench Block A block of barbed wire and wooden obstacles to stop any enemy soldier from advancing through the trench system. Wire Break A break in the barbed wire to allow soldiers out into no man’s land Bunker An underground shelter. Often used for storage. Sump A channel at the bottom of the trench to allow water to drain away. Communication Trench Trenches between the front line trenches and the support trenches, used by messengers to relay messages to the front line and back and for telephone wire to be strung up to the front line. No Man's Land The area between the opposing sides’ front lines. Sandbag A bag filled with sand to protect the trench from flooding and the men from bullets. German Deserter's War Experience “It was dark, and it rained and rained. From all directions one heard in the darkness the wounded calling, crying, and moaning. The wounded we had with us were likewise moaning and crying. All wanted to have their wounds dressed, but we had no more bandages. We tore off pieces of our dirty shirts and placed the rags on those sickening wounds. Men were dying one after the other. There were no doctors, no bandages; we had nothing whatever. You had to help the wounded and keep the French off at the same time. It was unbearable, impossible state of things. It rained harder and harder. We were wet to our skins. We fired blindly into the darkness. The rolling fire of rifles increased, then died away, then increased again. We sappers were placed among the infantry. My neighbour gave me a dig in the ribs.” Overall, how would you describe life in the trenches during WWI?