LIFE IN THE TRENCHES OF WORLD WAR I

​World War I was characterized most dramatically by the nature of trench warfare.  In general, trench warfare involved two opposing armies digging trenches in the Earth that face each other.  The armies of World War I did this in order to avoid gunfire from the enemy forces and to await their own orders to attack “over the top” of the trench.  Trench warfare was used mostly on the Western Front between the Allied forces of Britain and France against the Germans.  It became the primary form of warfare after the failure of the Schlieffen Plan.

Trenches of World War I

Trench warfare was a strategy that heavily favored the defenders and helped lead to the massive death tolls caused during World War I.  In fact, the land between the frontline trenches was known as “No Man’s Land” symbolizing the likelihood of advancing soldiers dying in this region.  Soldiers attempting to cross “No Man’s Land” were met with barbed wire, mines, artillery fire, enemy machine gun fire and the mud of Northern France.

Mud of No Man's Land

The mud of “No Man’s Land” made crossing the stretch of land almost impossible at times. Artillery bombardments had torn up the land and destroyed all trees, grass and vegetation.  Rain turned the dead landscape into a thick layer of mud that was sometimes up to the knees of the soldiers and sometimes deep enough that soldiers could become stuck and drown.  Soldiers trying to cross "No Man's Land" would have struggled to avoid enemy fire, machine guns and other weapons while dealing with the deep mud.  The muddy conditions were not just present in "No Man's Land" and made life in the trenches difficult as well.

Life in the trenches was dangerous for many reasons.  The more obvious dangers included enemy fire, poisonous gas attacks and artillery shelling.  While the trenches offered general protection from enemy fire and artillery shelling, they could also be extremely dangerous places.  For example, the trenches offered no protection from artillery shelling when the shell made a direct impact.  As well, some soldiers were known to be buried alive when an artillery shell exploded beside them and covered them in large amounts of mud and dirt that the explosion lifted into the air.  The trenches also proved to be deadly when the soldiers experienced a poisonous gas attack.  Poisonous gases would sometimes settle into the trenches and could linger for long periods of time.

Trenches were also miserable places for the conditions they created for soldiers.  Just as "No Man's Land" was made treacherous by the rain in Northern France, so to were the trenches of World War I. Soldiers could find themselves in the trenches for weeks at time and with the trenches full of water, soldiers struggled to stay dry.  Many soldiers in World War I suffered from a condition known as "Trench Foot" which resulted from soldiers having their feet wet for long periods of time.  The skin of the foot would break down and soldiers feet would become infected.  The condition would make it such that soldiers were unable to fight in the war and some lost their toes and/or feet as a result.  

Along with being muddy and wet, trenches were also full of other things that made the situation awful for soldiers.  Since soldiers could not always leave the trenches, the trenches became filthy with human waste and garbage.  As well, soldiers who had died were not always removed from the trenches and their bodies remained in the water and mud.  The dirty situation attracted rats in large numbers and many soldiers were affected by lice.

In all, life in the trenches was miserable and difficult for the soldiers of World War I.

Trench Foot in World War I

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