Session 4

• Trenches

  Initially intended as a temporary measure, but as both sides were evenly matched it became impossible to break through the enemy's lines, leading to the development of elaborate trench systems
• A Typical Attack

  1. Artillery fire over towards the enemy trenches, bombarding their lines

  2. Artillery stopped and men went 'over the top' and advanced towards the enemy lines

  3. Enemy soldiers took up defensive positions and opened fire with machine guns, many attackers cut down before reaching the enemy lines

  4. 4a. Attackers took the enemy trench and then had to try and hold it, which often proved impossible

  5. 4b. Attackers fell back to their original trench and often had to then defend their own trenches against a counter-attack
• Life in the Trenches

  • Freezing cold in the winters and dusty and hot in the summers, rain water-logging the trenches leading to 'trench-foot', rats feasting on corpses in no-man's land
  • Soldiers did not spend most of their time attacking the enemy, a lot of time was spent in boredom, finding ways of passing the time
• Life for a soldier

  • Humour - Newspapers making fun of the war
  • Comradeship - 'Pals' battalions, men fighting loyally together
  • Comforts - Regular rations, food often better than at home, gifts from home, censored letters
  • Leisure Time - Around 10 days per month in the trenches, sports, visits to French towns and brothels
• New Technology

  • Artillery - 'Big guns' at the rear of the trenches
  • Machine Guns - One of the key reasons for the stalemate
  • Poison Gas - First used by the Germans in 1915, then copied by the British
  • Tanks - Britain first to develop, initially poor but later became decisive
  • Aircraft - Initially for reconnaissance, later adapted to fire machine guns and drop bombs
• Verdun (1916)

  Germany's attempt to capture this fortified area south of the Somme, a war of attrition that failed with huge losses for both sides
• The Somme (1916)

  Britain's planned assault had to be adapted to help pull German soldiers away from attacking the French at Verdun, a colossal artillery bombardment before the attack, but German soldiers largely protected in deep dugouts, 20,000 British soldiers died on the first day
• Passchendaele (1917)

  Britain aimed to push the Germans back and break through their front line in Belgium, but heavy rain caused enormous problems, many soldiers bogged down in the horrendous mud