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Welcome to Socials 11!
• Today we will be reviewing the WW1 land battles and looking at life in the trenches.
• Please grab a check in and start working – don’t use your notes!
Background
• All the countries involved in WWI thought that the war would be over by Christmas.– This assumption was based on the fact that all wars in
the past were typified and won based on movement.• After the failure of the Schlieffen Plan the
leaders of the armed forces realized that this war was not like past wars.– Why?
• No movement• Technology – new and improved weapons
• The leaders decided they would try a new tactic called “digging in.”
“Digging In”
• Digging in referred to the building of trenches.– They started out as shell holes in which soldiers sought
refuge. – As the war progressed these holes became dug outs and
later became very complicated trench networks.
• The ultimate purpose of the trench networks was to conceal and protect the troops and equipment.
• Both sides would use trench systems.
The Trench System
• The trenches were organized very systematically.• There were multiple lines of trenches.– I.e. front line & reserve / support trench ran parallel
to each other• Communication trenches ran perpendicular to the main
trenches.
• Viewed from above the main trenches (front line & reserve) would have appeared as zig zags with offshoots (communications trenches).
The following virtual tour shows a reconstructed FRONT LINE of a WWI trench.
BBC - History - Front Line Trench Virtual Tour
(A dugout was a shelter from shell fire and the weather, made by digging into the wall of a trench or down from the
trench floor).
The following virtual tour shows a reconstructed DUGOUT ENTRANCE of a WWI
trench.
BBC - History - Dug-out Entrance Virtual Tour
The following virtual tour shows a reconstructed DUGOUT INTERIOR of a WWI
trench.
BBC - History - Dug-out Interior Virtual Tour
Tactics of trench warfare – the ideal
• An IDEAL attack on the enemy’s trench system was carried out in stages: 1. Artillery bombardment (with heavy field guns) to break
up the barbed wire & damage / destroy the trenches and the people in them.
2. March across no-man’s land and claim the enemy trench.
• Virtually no attacks on enemy trenches went according to theory.
Tactics of trench warfare – the reality
• Heavy artillery bombardment (stage 1) tangled barbed wire making it even harder to cross.– Also slowed further lines of soldiers (became like a traffic
jam)
• Trench systems were damaged but their inhabitants were safe as they retreated underground during bombardment.
• Soldiers emerged and fired on approaching soldiers.
Life in the trenches
• Life in the trenches was very difficult for the soldiers as they could not leave.
• Many of the problems they faced had to do with the:– unsanitary conditions of the trenches.– the inability of the troops to leave the trenches
Trench Foot (Immersion Foot)
• Occurs when a foot in constricting footwear is exposed to the damp and cold for long periods of time.
• Symptoms (from minor to worse) included numbness, change in colour (blue/red), swelling, blisters, open sores, gangrene.– Amputation must occur if it gets really bad.–
Trench Foot (Immersion Foot)
“If you have never had trench foot described to you, I will explain. Your feet swell to two to three times their normal size
and go completely dead. You can stick a bayonet into them and not feel a thing. If you are lucky enough not to lose your feet and the swelling starts to go down, it is then that the most
indescribable agony begins. I have heard men cry and scream with pain and many have had to have their feet and legs
amputated. I was one of the lucky ones, but one more day in that trench and it may have been too late.”
-Harry Roberts
Trench Rats
• Rats were common in the trenches.– They were attracted by all the waste in and around the
trenches.
• They wandered around the trenches looking for food.– They would often nibble at the garbage, the soldiers, and
the bodies that might be around.
• Some soldiers compared them to small dogs.
Trench Rats
“Whilst asleep during the night, we were frequently awakened by rats running over us. When this
happened too often for my liking, I would lie on my back and wait for a rat to linger on my legs; then
violently heave my legs upwards, throwing the rat into the air. Occasionally, I would hear a grunt when
the rat landed on a fellow victim.”
-R L Venables
Trench Rats
“The rats have become much more numerous lately because the trenches are no longer in
good condition. The rats here are particularly repulsive, they are so fat - the kind we call
corpse-rats. They have shocking, evil, naked faces, and it is nauseating to see their long,
nude tails.”
-Erich Maria Remarque (All Quiet on the Western Front)
Dysentery
• Dysentery is an illness that involves frequent, painful diarrhea accompanied with intestinal cramps, malaise, and fever.
• Results from contaminated food and water.
Trench Lice
• Lice are tiny creatures that feed on human blood.– They live on the skin or anywhere warm.
• Due to living conditions virtually all soldiers contracted lice.
• The main symptom was constant itchiness.• Could lead to trench fever (typhus).– Symptoms include back & headaches, fever, rashes,
delirium, etc.
Trench Lice
“We slept in our clothes and cut our hair short so that it would tuck inside our caps.
Dressing simply meant putting on our boots. There were times when we had to scrape the lice off with the blunt edge of a knife and our
underclothes stuck to us.”
-Elizabeth de T’Serclaes
(a nurse on the front line)
Conclusions
• Trench warfare was a new tactic– Thus, the warring countries were not familiar
with its drawbacks.• In the end, trench warfare caused a war of
attrition.– In other words, each side tried to wear each
other down.
Your Task:
You have now learned about a few key battles and what life was like in the trenches. This mini-assignment will evaluate your knowledge.
You have two options1) Write a letter home as one of the soldiers on the front2) Write a poem as a solider describing your war experience.
Your poem or letter must include:• Reference to one of the five major Canadian battles (Ypres,
Somme, Vimy, Passchendaele or Hundred days) • Explain what happened and your own experience
• Description of what your day to day life is like in the trenches
You will be marked on your content, organization and creativity.
