Trench Conditions
Warfare In the Trenches
Warfare in trenches was just as dangerous as any other type of warfare but the soldiers were only limited to one area unless they climbed out of the trenches. This made them very easy targets for snipers, artillery and grenadiers. The soldiers did not want to put their heads above the trenches for fear of getting shot so they often used periscopes to view out of the trenches. The periscopes were eventually attached to rifles so that soldiers were able to accurately shoot out of trenches without anyone able to shoot them. To see if there were any snipers ready to shoot them, some soldiers would put a helmet on the end of a stick and raise it above the trench to see if anyone was going to shoot them. The warfare was very difficult though because gas attacks and artillery fire could be focused into one area. This meant that the soldiers had to wear gas masks to limit the gas affect and also had to build trenches in a zigzag shape to limit explosive damage.
Warfare in trenches was just as dangerous as any other type of warfare but the soldiers were only limited to one area unless they climbed out of the trenches. This made them very easy targets for snipers, artillery and grenadiers. The soldiers did not want to put their heads above the trenches for fear of getting shot so they often used periscopes to view out of the trenches. The periscopes were eventually attached to rifles so that soldiers were able to accurately shoot out of trenches without anyone able to shoot them. To see if there were any snipers ready to shoot them, some soldiers would put a helmet on the end of a stick and raise it above the trench to see if anyone was going to shoot them. The warfare was very difficult though because gas attacks and artillery fire could be focused into one area. This meant that the soldiers had to wear gas masks to limit the gas affect and also had to build trenches in a zigzag shape to limit explosive damage.
(Wikipedia, 2013) Periscope attached to rifle
Conditions In the Trenches
The conditions in the trenches were almost unbearable to most. The smell and sight of rotting corpses and dead friends would be too much for most let alone with having to fight the Turkish and German forces. The conditions for the AIF were hard and treacherous and sickness and disease were ever-present. The lack of good sanitation and the overcrowded trenches allowed for sickness to spread easily and if one person got sick then almost all of the other people would get sick also. The decaying corpses caused rats to come and soon the trenches were filled with them. "They were hungry and as big as cats," says WW1 soldier Harry Patch. The rats also brought along diseases and illnesses such. Other common illnesses in the trenches were trench influenza, shell shock and Weil’s disease (Safoury, 2012). When the bottom of the trenches got wet the soldiers often got a thing called trench foot. This was caused by the soldier’s feet being wet for too long. The soldier’s feet would become infected and if it was left for too long they had to have their foot amputated. In the western front, the soldiers had enough food and ammunition most of the time because it was seen as the most important front. In Gallipoli the ANZAC forces hardly had any fresh water, food and ammunition and so as well as the tough warfare it was hard to just live there. (SBS1, 2011)
The conditions in the trenches were almost unbearable to most. The smell and sight of rotting corpses and dead friends would be too much for most let alone with having to fight the Turkish and German forces. The conditions for the AIF were hard and treacherous and sickness and disease were ever-present. The lack of good sanitation and the overcrowded trenches allowed for sickness to spread easily and if one person got sick then almost all of the other people would get sick also. The decaying corpses caused rats to come and soon the trenches were filled with them. "They were hungry and as big as cats," says WW1 soldier Harry Patch. The rats also brought along diseases and illnesses such. Other common illnesses in the trenches were trench influenza, shell shock and Weil’s disease (Safoury, 2012). When the bottom of the trenches got wet the soldiers often got a thing called trench foot. This was caused by the soldier’s feet being wet for too long. The soldier’s feet would become infected and if it was left for too long they had to have their foot amputated. In the western front, the soldiers had enough food and ammunition most of the time because it was seen as the most important front. In Gallipoli the ANZAC forces hardly had any fresh water, food and ammunition and so as well as the tough warfare it was hard to just live there. (SBS1, 2011)
(State Library of Queensland, 2013) Crowded trenches
Impacts on Soldiers and Families
Constantly being in fear of your life, poor living conditions and seeing people die all around you would have a significant impact on soldiers health (both physical and mental). The soldiers could be killed, left severely injured or disabled or mentally damaged because of things that they experienced on a daily basis. Anyone who was away from home would also be separated from their family and loved ones. The soldiers had a fighting rotation where they would spend 2 months in the front line trench and then one month in the rear trenches. The soldiers suffered fatigue and exhaustion from spending week after week in the front line fighting. Most soldiers who returned home had various amounts of disability. They could be physically disabled and have lost a leg or be blind, or could be mentally disabled and have flashbacks or have a changed state of mind (Fordyce, 2007). Some soldier’s mental disabilities include “seeing” the war. For example when someone dragged a stick along a fence they would duck for cover, mistaking it for gun fire (Fordyce, 2007). The impacts on families were that they would be separated from some of their family for a long period of time or often forever if they died. For some mothers this meant that they could have all of their sons and their husband off fighting, possibly to never see again.
Constantly being in fear of your life, poor living conditions and seeing people die all around you would have a significant impact on soldiers health (both physical and mental). The soldiers could be killed, left severely injured or disabled or mentally damaged because of things that they experienced on a daily basis. Anyone who was away from home would also be separated from their family and loved ones. The soldiers had a fighting rotation where they would spend 2 months in the front line trench and then one month in the rear trenches. The soldiers suffered fatigue and exhaustion from spending week after week in the front line fighting. Most soldiers who returned home had various amounts of disability. They could be physically disabled and have lost a leg or be blind, or could be mentally disabled and have flashbacks or have a changed state of mind (Fordyce, 2007). Some soldier’s mental disabilities include “seeing” the war. For example when someone dragged a stick along a fence they would duck for cover, mistaking it for gun fire (Fordyce, 2007). The impacts on families were that they would be separated from some of their family for a long period of time or often forever if they died. For some mothers this meant that they could have all of their sons and their husband off fighting, possibly to never see again.
(War History Online, 2013) Soldiers marching to war
Bibliography
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